Interesting situation, Christopher. And very good point. Plans do have to be manageable and also do-able. Sometimes it's necesary to rate the plan for feasibility as well as ROI. You all might have generated lots of great ideas and enthusiasm. That's good. Sometimes we get blind sided so have to prioritize. Sounds like your regulatory board saw that it might be too much to do and helped you stay on focus. Maybe next time draft plans for 10 years! Thanks for a good point. Susan
We had developed a plan that required more resources than we could handle which caused an adverse decision by a regulatory body. The five year strategic plan could have added additional levels of oversight which would have helped us identify the deficiencies earlier.
Hi German, Great idea to break down projects into manageable sections. Makes it easier and less overwhelming for everyone. Prioritizing is often key to success. Sometimes when we focus on the top ten tasks, the other tasks lose their importance! One key to success is to get everyone agreeing to the priorities. Otherwise people won't work on what they think is not important. Thanks, Susan
When working on such type of project, we have decided to break down macro-projects into micro-projects. We prioritize the importance of the project based on the results that it will yield and whether or not it will generate positive cash flows. At the end of the project most of the vital tasks are always done.
Hi Melanie, It is a challenge to make things happen with a limited budget. There is just so much that can be done with motivating staff. After a while they can get burnt out and overworked and eventually non productive. Sometimes a solution is to hire a clerical admin person to handle the routine parts of your directors' jobs. Thanks, Susan
Our 'start' budget seem to increase dramatically each year and our admissions staff delivers! Unfortunately, the budget for staffing doesn't increase respectively. We have an amazing team on our campus and we manage to get the job done. However, if we were adequately staffed, there's no telling what we could do! We have new owners now so hopefully this will change.
Great points, Nadine. It is effective when you have your entire team involved in planning. Usually staff has great ideas or solutions to problems. Since you have instructor/student ratios planned it makes it easy to know when new instructors will be needed. Hopefully you have a file of qualified and ready and available teachers. And great that you have a fiscal team to hold everyone accountable. Thanks, Susan
Actually, we did not plan on such a large jump in enrollment. In light of the current economy and increase in the unemployed in search of a new skill, we've seen a jump. We were able to add additional classes and increased services so that we can accommodate the student body. The entire training staff and instructor was involved in the planning. As we prepare for next year, we are strategically planning to increase staff and space so that we can support the growth. Our trainer to student ratio is 1:18...with that the course calendar for next year will be developed to support need and effective use of the classroom. We are also preparing to hire new staff and faculty. Our budget is monitored by our fiscal team and program director.
What we didn't plan for is how this year's growth, affects our student over the the next 5 years. If we stay on track we can potential reach our 5th year goal in 3 years.....a great motivator!
Hi Nadine
Very impressive growth success. Can you share with us how detailed your planning was to achieve these goals? Did you plan on 56% enrollment growth or did that surprise you? Who was involved in the planning phase? How are you modifying your plans for a 20% growth next year? Do you have a formula for how enrollments impact on location size, number of instructors, etc. Who monitors budget and progress? Can you share with us what you didn't plan for? Thanks, Susan
Hi Susan,
My institution has increased our student enrollment by 56%. We've maximized our budget, staffing, and facility with this growth spurt. We are currently planning to grow by an additional 20% next year. Plans are in place as we prepare to relocate to a larger facility, higher new staff, while improving the quality of our program.
One of the most important contingencies our strategic plan must include is that we have identified sufficient, sustainable funding.
Thanks!
Hi Judith, Real words of wisdom. Wouldn't it be interesting if you could demonstrate that a successful and comprehensive placement department is an ideal way to increase enrollments? Placement success can be part of the admissions reps' presentations. Knowing that they will likely get jobs, students will have more motivation to stay in school. And having great placement training and great relationships with employers is a way to ensure high placement rates. And more students from the employers! Thanks Susan
Being a small college has its' advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side we are very close to the students and have a warm family environment and can implement change quickly. On the negative side cash flow is often an issue when implementing change. Our goals may be pushed to the next quarter or year, or reduced in scope.
While the plans are based on a proposed budget, enrollments may not support implementation. We have managed, over the years, to do incredible things with the physical plant as well as changes to the organizational and educational structures. Experience has taught me that nothing is "concrete" and flexibility, remaining open to different ways to accomplish the goal and holding on to the vision is paramount!
Hi Christopher
You were assigned a huge task. Planning takes looking at where your school is now, the future vision - as in the next five years, and the steps to get there. You are lucky because you have the opportunity to learn the details of your school and the dreams of everyone there. Once you capture the information through meetings, research, and just talking with everyone, you'll be able to draft a plan with tasks, timetables,deadlines, budget, and most important - obstacles and opportunities. Good luck, Susan
I am new to this campus, and currently working on a plan that includes expanding. It's interesting, doing this program is making me re-think the way I may want to present. I understand the importance of a long term plan, small doses may better fit the plans finacially.
Douglas,
What did the consultants do differently than what you are doing now? Knowing their assumptions would help evaluate their plan against yours.
Mark,
Making smaller stages might be one way to get management to agree to the implementation of the plan. When I present a large project that I know will eat up most of the budget I look at those things within the project that cost the least and see if they can be implemented first. When the stakeholders see improvements then there is a better chance for more funding to be allocated to your project.
HI Alan
You are certainly on the right track. A comprehensive institution plan takes time and the input of all stakeholders including members of the community. It does start with a great deal of brainstorming with various groups and then all together. Thanks to email, chat rooms, and conference call rooms it is possible to get ongoing feedback without dragging everyone to a meeting. A key to success is to be open to all ideas. Some ideas are good for right now, others for later, and the rest for a time in the future. We suggest planning for 5 years. But the reality is if you can plan for 3 that's great. Then keep measuring how you are doing and make changes as needed. And if course put in the detailed activities and tasks to be sure the plan is "worked." Thanks, Susan
We are currently working on a comprehensive institutional assessment and improvement plan. We are trying to achieve this through a continuous research, brainstorming and discussion meetings with our industry veterans to utilize their extensive experience. I am hoping that this course will give us the guidance in our efforts.
HI Douglas, You certainly have quite a challenge. Five year plans always need revisiting so it sounds like a wise choice to start with that. Actually we find that it's the planning process that is really important. If you involve the right representatives of the school you'll get a lot of great ideas. And when a plan is in place you can get feedback as to how sound it is. The right plan identifies opportunities, obstacles, tasks, timelines, deadlines, and budget. Ideally the plan is well researched with backup information so that any changes can be easily checked out. Good luck, Susan
It appears a good deal of consultant assisted planning was done to start the school just over 5 years ago. The school has gone through a number of waves of enrollment and a few changes in leadership. I was hired this month and see the need for a new 5 year plan. I am currently benchmarking the school's current state vs. several scenarios associated with projected growth milestones. The school is part of a larger business and as such any changes proposed for the school must be scrutinized for their potential impact on the company as a whole.
