Principles of University Planning
Planning is a continuing cycle of planning, action, evaluation, budget review and modification, continuing improvement, review and report, and renewed planning. These are not discreet sequential steps, but ongoing, iterative, interrelated processes that will keep our organization alive and interesting. In short, the planning process of the University is both “top-down” and “bottom-up,” with each level being informed and invigorated by the other. Principles that will guide University Planning are as follows:
- Mission-centered. The purpose of University planning is to enable us to more effectively fulfill our mission in the years ahead. Hence, planning is guided by our mission and serves our mission.
- Results-oriented. Planning is not just a theoretical exercise. It is a method of achieving tangible results. It guides decision-making, action, and resource allocation. It requires a pragmatic alignment of thought, action, and culture across the entire institution.
- Collaborative and broad-based, with input from constituents at all levels, including “customers” and support staff.
- Interactive across levels. Leaders attend to, articulate, and help us understand the “big picture” and what is possible/desirable. Participants help us understand realities, interrelations, potentials, and constraints, and they are empowered to devise practical solutions to achieve desired results.
- Informed. By imagination, sharing of information and ideas, objective assessment, and critical self-examination.
- Honest. No false promises. No hidden objectives. Careful, conscientious analysis.
- Coherent. The planning that occurs and the plans that are produced by different units, constituencies, divisions, or organizational levels should form a coherent whole. As an institution, we should all be moving in the same direction even as we tend to our own particular activities and areas of responsibility. There are many different kinds of plans –e.g., academic plan, campus master plan, IT plan, enrollment management plan, and unit plans. These are all separate and distinct yet interrelated, and they need to be mutually compatible.
- Worthwhile. Planning is not an end in itself. The amount of time and effort invested in planning should be appropriate for the benefits derived from it. The planning process should not be overly burdensome, and it should be respectful of people’s time. The result is more important than having pristine procedures.
- Agile. Planning should prepare us not only to do what we have predicted and planned for, but also to respond to the unexpected. We should be fit, able, and permitted to “pounce” when appropriate—even though unpredicted—to exploit and capitalize on unexpected opportunities that are compatible with our mission and goals. Likewise, we should be able to quickly and appropriately respond to threats that may arise even though they had not been predicted.
- Self-correcting. The planning process should be one of continuous improvement. On-going feedback, assessment, and process improvement should be inherent features of the planning process. Planning cannot be paralyzed by “the fallacy of the search for perfect data” but must be continuously informed by attention to available data, insight, and reflection.
