Strategic Plans

Strategic planning is critical to the health of any organization. Knowing one's direction is a measure of health and commitment to the future of that organization. Athletic departments are no different in this than are Fortune 500 corporations.

As the CEO of your intercollegiate athletics program, it may be time for you to assess where your department currently stands in the institution, conference, and national athletics community. Are you clear on where you want your intercollegiate athletics program to be in the next five years? Does your staff understand this direction and have they had an opportunity to be a part of the planning for the future?

Good planning can be a "renaissance" experience for all involved, including the senior college or universities administrators who will ultimately be involved in the planning and outcomes of the plan. It can bring a widely disparate group of employees together in ways that are productive and meaningful; creating a strategic plan can create another "team" in your athletics program—your team.

The process generally is as follows:

• Institution shares preliminary pertinent documents with consultant.
    

• Consultant travels to institution to meet with senior administration, athletic administration, coaching staff, student-athlete leadership, and other constituent groups. Alden & Associates, Inc. can at this point provide a PowerPoint Presentation, which educates the staff regarding the strategic planning process.
    

• A questionnaire is distributed to the internal departmental administration, staff, and student-athletes which covers their individual vision, plans, and "dreams" for the direction of the athletics program. A specified timeline is indicated, i.e., three-year, five-year, or other time period. The questionnaire can be presented both in print and in an email attachment.
    

• Alden & Associates, Inc. compiles the results of the questionnaire and prepares the responses for the athletic administration.
    

• The institution's athletic administration reviews the results and begins to work with our consultants to prioritize the information into goals and objectives.
    

• The final document comes complete with mission statement, goals and objectives, timeline, and assessment chart. Also, a PowerPoint presentation of the strategic plan to share with internal staff, senior administration, campus departments, student-athlete groups/teams, and boosters can be included in the final package.

Alden & Associates, Inc. has witnessed over the years the value of the strategic planning process with our clients and believes such an important document can be a  roadmap to the growth and development of your intercollegiate athletics program.

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