Strategic Planning for Programs
Strategic planning is a disciplined effort to produce
fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what the
program does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future.
Simply, strategic planning is answering three questions: Where
are you now? Where do you want to be/go? How do/can you get
there? Strategic planning closes the gap between where the
program is and where it wants to be.
A strategic plan is a document that covers a period of 2-3
years in the future and outlines the step-by-step progress the
program plans to make toward completing its mission and achieving
desired outcomes. It also identifies specific strategies for
attaining these outcomes, who is responsible for carrying out
each strategy, when it will be accomplished, and a mechanism for
regular evaluation of the plan. To be successful, a strategic
planning process must be dynamic, ongoing, adaptive, and
inclusive.
The Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and
Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) has adopted strategic planning as
a critical component of graduate education programs that are
eligible for accreditation. The plan must have the support of the
university administration, be congruent with the mission of the
institution, and reflect the role of the program within the
community. A strategic plan provides the foundation for a
graduate program's self-study and continuous improvement and
assists the program in meeting its own mission.
The purpose of this resource is to assist academic programs in
communication sciences and disorders with successful strategic
planning that is consistent with the mission and vision of their
institution.
Resources for Strategic Planning