STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING
STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS DESCRIPTION
PLANNING PROCESS
Phase 1:
Pre-Project
Launch
Phase 2:
Phase 3:
Phase 4:
Phase 5:
Environmental
Assessment
Plan
Development
Implementation
Planning
Tracking and
Updating
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 Establish
Expectations
 Stakeholder
Interviews
 Mission, Vision and
Values
 Assign Owners
 Confirm Project
Staffing Plan
 Establish Project
Timeline
 Confirm Project
Organization and
Governance
 Constituents Survey
 High-Level and
Strategic Goals
 Goal-Specific
Success Measures
 Goal-Specific
Strategies and
Tactics
 Estimate Resources
 Benchmark
Interviews
 Baseline Measures
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 Implement Annual
Review, Updating
and Reporting
Process
 Determine Priorities
and Target Dates
 Forecast Sources
and Uses
 Internal and External
Approvals
 Near-Term Funding
Approvals
 Publish Plan
PHASE I – PRE-PROJECT LAUNCH
Prior to the initiation of a strategic planning project, it is essential that the planning unit and strategic
planning staff be in agreement on certain key elements of the plan.
During the Pre-Project Launch phase, we will work with the leadership of the planning unit to:
o Ensure that the unit’s expectations of the planning process and its results are aligned with the elements
of the planning process.
o Confirm the staffing plan for the project, including project staff and administrative support.
o Establish a realistic timeline for the planning process.
o Confirm the project’s organization, including specific participants and interview candidates.
PHASE 2 – ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
The Environmental Assessment phase provides the quantitative and qualitative foundation for a thorough
assessment of the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as well as the key
strategic issues it is facing across all of its mission areas. This phase will also establish the framework form
which mission, vision, goals, strategies and tactics will later be developed.
This phase should be initiated with a “kick-off” meeting of the organization’s strategic planning group.
The Planning Research phase will involve 4 activities:
o
Stakeholder Interviews
Strategic Planning Process Description
Confidential interviews will be conducted with 10-12 key faculty, staff, students and other stakeholder
representatives of the organization. The primary purpose of these interviews is to gather information on
the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the organization, as well as identifying what
each interviewee sees as the key strategic priorities for the organization’s future.
o
Constituents Survey
The Constituents Survey will be conducted via an on-line survey tool and used to validate the strategic
priorities identified in the interviews and to solicit open-ended suggestions to further inform the strategic
plan.
o
Environmental Assessment Data
The environmental assessment will provide a brief analysis of key internal and external data elements.
This will include key trends in factors effecting the status and future of the organization. The
organization’s strategic planning group will define the actual outline of variables to be analyzed as part
of the environmental assessment.
o
Benchmark Assessment of Peer Organizations
We will conduct a benchmark assessment via interviews with up to 3 peer organizations. The
organization’s strategic planning group will define questions for the benchmark assessment at the
outset.
At the end of Phase 2 the organization’s strategic planning group will meet to review the findings and to
identify the strategic implications of each.
PHASE 3 – PLAN DEVELOPMENT
The primary focus of Phase 3 is to define the strategic direction of the organization based on the findings
from Phase 2. During this phase, we will work with the organization’s strategic planning group to:
o Develop the organization’s mission, vision and values statements
o Define High-Level and Strategic Goals for the organization
We will work with smaller goal-specific strategy groups to:
o Define goal-specific success measures.
o Detail goal-specific strategies and tactics, resources, priorities, target dates, and ownership
PHASE 4 – IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING
The primary focus of Phase 4 is to translate the Goals, Strategies and Tactics developed in Phase 3 into a
phased implementation plan that can be approved and funded.
Working with the organization’s management team, in Phase 4 we will:
o Identify organizational responsibilities for each strategy and their associated goals.
o Estimate the key incremental resources required to implement the defined strategies and tactics
o Assign implementation priorities and target dates for each strategy.
o Develop an initial forecast of resources – both sources and uses – required to implement the plan.
o Refine the resource forecast to achieve and approvable and fundable plan.
This phase of the strategic planning process will also involve:
o Developing a presentation summary of the plan.
o Developing a full, detailed plan document.
o Securing internal and external approvals of the plan and its near-term resource requirements.
PHASE 5 – PLAN TRACKING AND UPDATING
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Strategic Planning Process Description
The strategic plan, to be successful, must be a living and adaptive plan. We will work with the planning unit
to:
o Establishing an on-going plan management team to monitor implementation and periodically review and
update the plan.
TYPICAL PROJECT TIMELINE
MO 1
PHASE 1 – Pre-Project Launch
Project Staffing Plan
Project Timeline
Project Organization and Governance
PHASE 2 – Environmental Assessment
Project Kick-off Session
Stakeholder Interviews
Benchmark Interviews
Executive Strategy Session
Constituents Survey
Environmental Data
MO 3
MO 4
MO 5
MO 6
MO 7
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PHASE 3 – Plan Development
Strategic Planning Retreat
Mission, Vision, Values, High-Level Goals
and Strategic Goals
Goal-Specific Strategy Groups
Success Measures, Strategies, and
Tactics
Executive Strategy Session
PHASE 4 – Implementation Planning
Implementation Details
Resources Forecasts
Plan-Resource Reconciliation
Prepare Draft Final Plan
Strategic Planning Retreat
Present Final Plan for Approval
Publish Plan
PHASE 5 – Final Plan Approval and
Tracking
Establish Plan Tracking Tools
Begin Implementation Management
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