Strategic planning at Buffalo State will follow a five-phase process. Each phase guides the identification of institutional goals with clear methodologies for attaining established goals. In addition, a series of questions to consider within each phase will be addressed.
For more information about the process:
Strategic Planning Process at Buffalo State University: 2021
The purpose of Phase 1 is to assess the current state of the university and its ability to attain key goals from stakeholder perspectives. The alignment of the university’s strategy to respond to future trends and changing needs of its stakeholders will determine the success and sustainability of the university. Collecting data from the university's stakeholders regarding their experiences with the university, projected future trends, and how the university can better meet their needs is critical for ensuring that a strategic plan moves the university to a desired future state relevant for all stakeholders.
The purpose of Phare 2 is to identify a shared vision for the desired future state of the university that meets stakeholder needs and fits within the context of the current and projected future of the external environment. Areas to address include the completion of a SCOT analysis (Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities, and Threats) that is informed by Phase 1 data.
| SCOT Analysis |
|---|
STRENGTHS to leverage:The university's resources and capabilities that can be used to develop a competitive advantage. |
CHALLENGES to overcome:The university’s areas for improvement or areas that are not listed as strengths. |
OPPORTUNITIES to invest:External opportunities for growth, improved quality, distinctiveness from competitors, and new/emergent/changing areas to focus resources. |
THREATS to mitigate:Possible external events or forces outside of the university's control to plan for or mitigate. |
In Phase 3, strategies will be formulated that will provide the most value within the context of the university’s resource capacity to move the university from its current state to a desired future state. During this phase, the university will formulate strategy prototypes using the SCOT analysis results from Phase 2 and eventually choose among the strategies to include in the strategic plan. The tool used to assist with strategy development through processing the SCOT analysis is a Theory of Constraints (TOCS) matrix.
| Strengths | Challenges | |
|---|---|---|
| Opportunities |
Opportunity-Strength Strategies (using strengths to take advantage of opportunities): 1. 2. 3. |
Opportunity-Challenges Strategies (overcoming challenges by taking advantage of opportunities): 1. 2. 3. |
| Threats |
Threat-Strength Strategies (use strengths to avoid threats): 1. 2. 3. |
Threat-Challenges Strategies (min. challenges to avoid threats): 1. 2. 3. |
In Phase 4, an operational plan is established to advance each strategy. An operational plan supports efforts for advancing strategies that are coordinated and aligned while also providing a shared map for stakeholders to adjust and/or change actions as the internal and external environment changes.
| Actions to be taken to advance this strategy | Date action will be completed | Responsibility for action |
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Reviewing strategy progress within an established timeframe and making needed adjustments to improve advancement toward the desired state takes place in Phase 5.
