Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Cycle
Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) operates on a four-fiscal-year strategic planning
cycle. Thus, every year, July 1st marks the beginning of a new annual cycle and every four years
July 1st marks the beginning of a new strategic plan. The third year of a strategic plan triggers a
series of events which initiate the creation and implementation of the next strategic plan. In the
summer the Senior Team and Board of Trustees review the current mission and vision of the
institution and make changes as deemed necessary. The new or reaffirmed mission and vision are
shared with the college community in the fall. Also during the summer, the Senior Team reviews
the Annual Institutional Effectiveness Reviews, unit reviews from their areas, and the KPIs from
the previous planning cycle to develop a new set of strategic goals for the next planning cycle. In
the fall, the Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR) conducts open
forum sessions with all constituent groups to vet the goals and share the current status of our Key
Performance Indicators (KPIs). OPAIR also conducts a survey to collect feedback from
employees about the goals. Goals are finalized by a representative task force which works with
the senior team and the BOT to develop the final set of goals. In the spring the Senior Team
works with their units to identify specific objectives connected to the new set of strategic goals.
The new strategic plan complete with institutional goals, objectives, metrics, and KPIs is
completed near the end of the third year of the strategic plan. The goals and objectives associated
with the new strategic plan are implemented a year later, after the objectives of the fourth fiscal
year have been accomplished. The fourth fiscal year allows for the planning and implementation
of the kick-off of the new strategic plan (e.g., printed materials and other publication updates).
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
The KPIs are the means by which the institution evaluates its overall effectiveness in achieving
the college’s mission and vision. While many KPIs remain constant regardless of the Strategic
Plan, the KPIs are always organized to best reflect the direct measurement of the strategic plan
goals. Because of this, the KPIs are adjusted with each strategic planning cycle. KPIs are
approved as part of the Strategic Planning Cycle, to ensure appropriate integration of the KPIs
with the Strategic Plan. As, such, existing KPIs are organized around the new strategic goals, and
additional KPIs are identified based on the specific metrics and objectives in the plan.
Budget
Every year PGCC reserves up to $1,000,000 (strategic funds) to directly support strategic
initiatives. These funds are “start-up” funds to provide appropriate equipment, training, etc. for
new initiatives at the college. After the “start-up” period the initiative, if effective, typically
becomes institutionalized and therefore part of the standard operating procedures of the college.
Thus, the continuation of the initiative must be subsumed under the operating budget. As part of
the Strategic Planning Cycle a long-term budget is created for the same time period (i.e., four
fiscal years). This budget is produced at the unit, area, and institutional level. The purpose of the
Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
long-term budget is to provide an estimate of not only the allocation of the strategic funds for the
planning period, but also to provide a total budget of units, areas, and the college. In this manner,
the work of new initiatives can continue uninterrupted with consistent funding as projects move
from strategic funds over to operational budgets. As the long-term budget is strictly an estimate
of expected costs, the exact resources requested and obtained are adjusted each year as part of
the annual budget process.
Midpoint Check
Towards the end of the second fiscal year a “midpoint check” is conducted by the Senior Team.
The midpoint check is conducted as part of the annual review cycle (see below) and involves
examining the key performance indicators with particular attention to any changes since the
beginning of the current strategic plan. Decisions are made about the effectiveness of current
objectives and whether any objectives should be adjusted based on available data.
Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Annual Cycle
In addition to the long-term cycle of planning which occurs cyclically every four fiscal years, the
college also engages in an annual process aimed at monitoring progress and making adjustments
to the strategic plan, as necessary. In order to accomplish this cycle, the college shapes its
calendar of events around the county’s budget calendar so that planning and resource allocation
can be appropriately considered in concert.
The goal of the annual assessment process is to tightly integrate the realities of daily operations
occurring within each unit of the college with the strategic goals of the institution. The process
insures that all units are aware of how they “fit” into the larger picture of the institution wide
goals, and indeed how each employee is directly contributing to the achievement of the
institution’s goals and mission.
To most easily describe the annual assessment process we will use FY1 to describe the previous
fiscal year, FY2 is the current fiscal year, and FY3 is the following fiscal year.
May
Unit Reviews
The Unit Review process is overseen by the CWF institutional Effectiveness committee. The
exact timeline for this process is fully described in the Institutional Effectiveness Assessment
Plan. The timeline includes updating the Plan every summer, training on the new plan every fall,
and multiple Units going through review every spring. Each Unit Review is conducted like a
miniature self-study in which the unit reflects on its operations, shares these reflections with a set
of reviewers, and then the unit is provided with feedback from members of the Institutional
Effectiveness Committee. The focus of the reviews is to ensure that units are engaged in the
steps necessary to appropriately contribute to the obtainment of the college’s mission.
Units update their data
Beyond the KPIs and other measures which are collected centrally at the college, typically by
OPAIR, it is the expectation of every unit on campus to collect data on its operations and
impact. While it is recommended that units keep up with their data throughout the year, this time
provides an opportunity for the units to aggregate their data for the last year and update their
longitudinal tracking of the unit’s own key performance indicators.
OPAIR provides summary of KPI data to Senior Team
One Senior Team meeting in May is devoted to the review of the KPIs including examining the
current trends for these KPIs and any changes in the observed trends.
Budget Review
In May and June the final budget for FY2 is approved by the PGCC BOT and the County. It is
during this time that the actual allocations are compared with the request by the senior team and
the units of the college. A review of the budget is conducted with the goal of aligning the budget
Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
with the objectives established for the year ahead. In some occasions it is also a time to consider
how additional objectives may be added if surplus funds are available.
June-July
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Units hold retreats
Area holds retreat
Senior Team and others (Data Summit)
As part of the process of continuous improvement at the college, the months of June and July are
dedicated to a process of reflection and renewal beginning with the Units of the college, the
Areas, and finally culminating with a retreat involving the senior team and Board of Trustees.
All reviews are centered on the strategic plan, with the expectation that the plan is only being
tweaked as the time for action on objectives comes nearer and the work to be done more clearly
identified. In addition to reviewing the strategic plan, units and areas may choose to engage in
other operational changes within their unit1. The first task to complete during these retreats is to
review the progress made on strategic objectives in FY1 and to update the system of record
(Tk20) accordingly. The second task is to review the goals and objectives set for FY2 and to
make any necessary tweaks to the objectives which are most immediately facing the college. The
last part of the retreat is to develop a set of goals and objectives which will be implemented in
FY3.
Reviewing Progress and Establishing Objectives for FY3
By July 1 all units are expected to have updated their progress appropriately on the FY2
objectives. As such, the retreat provides a good time to reflect on the previous objectives and
consider any objectives which were not completed, and/or were completed but only with great
difficulty. Beyond examining the completion of the goals, another goal of the unit retreat is to
reflect on the data which each unit has identified as its own KPIs. Those measures which most
closely reflect the mission and vision of each unit at the college are annually reviewed by
the unit. Based on hurdles faced on previous objectives, incomplete objectives, and actual
performance data, unit personnel can reflect on the unit’s effectiveness and can set objectives for
FY3.
Finalizing FY1 – Objectives and Budget
In order to align with the budget calendar, units establish their objectives a full year in advance
of them being implemented. Therefore, the unit retreat includes a review of the upcoming year’s
(FY2) objectives. This retreat includes tweaking the objective based on discussions and/or
1
It is important that the amount of change any one unit or area makes be carefully considered.
Changing too many components of a unit/area simultaneously can cause undue stress and chaos.
It is preferred to make changes within only one or two components, because an adjustment in
one place can have a ripple effect impacting multiple other components. Therefore, it is best
pertinent to make one change, observe the impact in all offices, and then move forward with
another change.
Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
changes in the campus environment. This is also a time to consider resources, as by this time the
budget for FY2 has been finalized and the unit can discuss how to handle any surplus or
shortfall.
Area Retreat and Data Summit
Unit discussions are conveyed to Senior Team members who hold a retreat within the Area to
discuss the range of proposed changes. In particular the purpose of the Area-level retreat is to
consider how the range of changes being made within the area will impact operations, and to
potentially temper the number of changes being made and/or the timing of their implementation
throughout the upcoming year so that Area operations are not negatively impacted. The goal of
the Area retreat is to use the recommendations from the unit to develop a final set of goals for the
Area. The Senior Team member then brings this information forward to the Senior Team retreat
for a final review as well as to vet each Area’s objectives with other areas that may be impacted.
Some of these objectives will remain operational and others will cause the Senior Team and
board to make necessary adjustments to the strategic plan. In addition to this goal, another major
portion of the Senior Team retreat is to provide ample time for the Senior Team to go over the
KPIs. To discuss where improvements have been made, where stagnation or declines are
apparent, and what the cause of such changes may be.
August
Annual Institutional Effectiveness Review
As an outcome of each level of retreat the Annual Institutional Effectiveness Review (AIER) is
created. This document summarizes the overall “findings” from each retreat, including the
identification of future directions for each unit, major challenges each unit is facing, progress on
Unit Review action plans, progress on objectives, and highlights for any major success data. This
document acts as a record of the outcomes of the retreats and therefore becomes a major building
block for future strategic plans, as well as midpoint adjustments of the strategic plan.
September
In September the budget process for FY2 begins with revenue scenarios being developed and the
previous two years of budgets sent to the senior team and each cost center. The long-term budget
is used as a basic template of funding strategic objectives for the planning cycle along with any
recommendations which came from the retreats. It is during the month of September that
resources allocations for the strategic plan are reviewed and adjusted appropriately.
October
In October draft budgets are prepared and delivered to the PGCC Finance Office, reviewed by
the Senior Team and prepared for the Board of Trustees.
November
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BOT approves budget
Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
December
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Budget submitted to County
Jan-Mar
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Budget is vetted at County
May-June
In May the budget returns to the PGCC BOT to approve the final version of the budget, after
which the final budget is approved by the county in June. This marks the end of the process and
returns the process back to begin the cycle over again.
Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
Additional Procedures and Infrastructure Related to the Planning Cycle
Data Ambassadors
One Unit Head from each of the 6 Senior Team Member Areas is identified as a “Data
Ambassador.” This individual serves in this role for a period of no less and no more than two
consecutive years.
The responsibilities of the Data Ambassador include:
1. Serve on the CWF Institutional Effectiveness committee.
2. Deliver updates on data, strategic planning, and institutional effectiveness at their
senior team area direct reports meeting.
3. Attend data presentations conducted by OPAIR and other offices.
4. Is well versed in the institution’s Key Performance Indicators and the dashboard
display of them
5. Is knowledgeable about the Tk20 Strategic Planning Module
6. Serves as front-line for assistance with the Tk20 Strategic Planning Module
7. Attends the Data Summit every summer
8. Attends at least one national conference with a focus on assessment, planning,
institutional effectiveness, and/or accreditation.
9. Registers to serve as a middle states evaluator and serve if asked.
Institutional Effectiveness Committee
The committee’s voting membership is comprised of at least 50% unit heads. Six unit heads will
serve every year as part of their work as a Data Ambassador. The Data Ambassador’s serve for
two year periods such that every year 3 Ambassadors begin new, and 3 Ambassadors are senior
members (having already served for one year). The Director of Outcomes Assessment and
Institutional Effectiveness co-chairs the committee and is a non-voting member. Other ex-officio
members are the senior team liaison and CWF member liaison. The other co-chair of the
committee is elected from the committee voting members and must have served on the
committee for at least one year to be eligible.
The primary duty of the IE committee is to oversee the Unit Review process and provide regular
updates to the CWF about institutional effectiveness at the unit level. Beyond this, the committee
is responsible for working with PD and other entities on campus to ensure that unit heads and
other personnel are generally informed about institutional effectiveness.
Administration
All Administrators meet regularly, at least monthly, with their direct reports. Additionally, regular group
meetings (at least quarterly) are held with Administrator and direct reports as a group. The focus of these
meetings is to review progress on strategic objectives, unit review action plans, unit level objectives
and goals, and any other issues or concerns of the unit.
All administrators and manager have as part of their job description the following:
Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
Duties and Responsibilities
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Provide leadership in creating and completing strategic objectives for the unit. This
includes participating in the strategic cycle of collecting data, reviewing data, setting
annual objectives, and tracking progress on all of these items.
Collaborate with direct reports to ensure unit personnel understand their role in
achieving unit objectives and maintaining appropriate priorities so that objectives
are completed on time.
Thus, all administrators are annually evaluated on their ability to effectively mobilize their unit
to achieve identified objectives and engage in a process of continuous improvement.
Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
Appendix A: Current Strategic Plan
(Double-click the document to open the file)
Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
Appendix B: Current Key Performance Indicators
(Double-click the document to open the file)
Prince George’s Community College Strategic Planning
Appendix C: Annual Institutional Effectiveness Review Template
The outcome of this annual report would be to provide Senior Team Member with directions
offices want to go in and what data do they have to support that direction.
1. Strategic Plan objectives completed or not completed
2. Unit Review action plans
3. Data being collected within units.