STRATEGIC PLANNING
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Action Plan – A tactic or set of tactics that address a specific college goal. The plan
should address responsibility for implementation, oversight, pilot testing as appropriate,
time lines, and strategies for measuring the effectiveness of the actions.
Baseline Data – Foundation against which you compare subsequent results in order to
see if you are improving, holding steady, or declining.
Benchmarking – A standard of excellence against which other things are measured or
judged. In the process-oriented context that we use, benchmarking can be thought of
as an ongoing search for best practices that produce superior performance.
Gap Analysis – Analysis of the distance between the desired state and the reality of
current capabilities.
Goal – Broad statement to what is to be accomplished.
Internal Scan – Assessment of internal factors that affect college performance
Lagging Indicator – A lagging indicator is a performance measure that represents the
consequences of actions previously taken.
Leading Indicator – A leading indicator is a measure that indicates progress against a
process or behavior. These measures are helpful in predicting the future outcomes of
an objective.
Mission Statement – Defines the core purpose of the organization – why it exists.
Objective – A measurable statement about the end result that a service or programs is
expected to accomplish in a given period of time. Operational intents that flow from an
analysis of the college’s goals
PEST Analysis – is the examining of political, economic, sociocultural and
technological categories into which external influences on the organization can be
placed.
Performance Indicator (Performance Measure) – Measure that reflect progress
toward achieving goals.
Procedures – Documented processes that are used when work affects more than one
function or department of an organization.
Stakeholder – Any person or group that has a “stake” in the success of the
organization.
Strategic Plan – A formal document that outlines the strategic direction of the
organization described. It relies on the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of
cross-functional decisions that enables an organization to achieve its objectives.
Strategic Planning – A disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions
that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it.
SWOT Analysis – SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
It is a methodology used to aid strategic planning.
Tactic – A statement of an approach that will contribute to accomplishing a goal.
Target – Specific, operational statement of a desired level of performance that is
validated by students or other stakeholders.
Values – Represent the deeply held beliefs within the organization and are
demonstrated through the day-to-day behaviors of all employees.
Vision – A present-tense statement that communicates where an organization believes
it will be within a stated time period.
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