This document discusses an action planning process to help colleges and universities better achieve strategic goals by aligning technology with institutional vision. It involves assessing current state, identifying business needs, prioritizing recommendations, and implementing tasks. Information is gathered through surveys, interviews, and analyzing strategic plans. Recommendations are made to strengthen advising, communications, and graduation rates through improved system utilization. Criteria for recommendations include increasing service, decreasing costs, increasing revenue or productivity. An example timeline is provided for launching the action plan. Testimonial provided on benefits of the action planning process. Questions posed to determine if action planning would be beneficial.

1. Action Planning
Assess, Plan and Perform
Melissa Spears
Business Advisory Services

2. Action Planning is a Plan with Purpose
The Action Plan engagement enables
executive leaders at colleges and universities to
better achieve specific institutional goals and
objectives by aligning technology with the
institution’s strategic vision.
Reactive Tactical Strategic Transformational
Current
State
Goal

3. Progress in Technology
Institution Technology & Training
Compounded
Loss

4. The Process
Assess
• Review Strategic Plan
• Web-based Surveys
• Interview Business
Unit Leaders
Organize
• Identify Business Needs
• Map to Strategic Plan
• Compile Effort/Cost
Prioritize
• Potential Impacts
• Cost/Benefits
• Quantification
Implement
• Complete Tasks
• Measure Results
Institutional
Effectiveness
Analysis

5. Information Gathering Process

6. Information Gathering Process

7. Results, Findings and Recommendations
UNIVERSITY GOALS ELLUCIAN RECOMMENDATIONS
ATTRACT, ENROLL, RETAIN, AND GRADUATE EVEN MORE HIGHLY COMPETENT UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE, AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS
PRIORITY 1.3 Strengthen the advising program
Extend use of program planning and degree audit to empower
advisors and students to access information and evaluate progress
toward degree utilizing online tools and services.
PRIORITY 1.6
Expand opportunities for student and family
communications
Update configuration of the portal and extend utilization of current
system functionality to automate notices and alerts to students.
PRIORITY 1.8 Improve student life, retention, and services
Increase self service offerings aimed at engaging students utilizing
the portal.
MAINTAIN AND STRENGTHEN THE UNIVERSITY’S ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
PRIORITY 2.3
Develop and implement a comprehensive graduation
enhancement program in order to improve retention
and graduation rates
Include extended utilization of degree audit, program planning, and
student engagement via the portal in the overall graduation
enhancement program.
FURTHER ENHANCE AND DEVELOP OUTSTANDING FACILITIES
PRIORITY 4.4
Continue to upgrade technological infrastructure to
meet academic and university needs
Upgrade solutions to the latest version allowing for enhanced
utilization of functionality and technology advancements and extend
system training offerings to better utilize resources. Improve reporting
capabilities to provide management and staff access to data for
information driven decision making.

8. Decision Making Criteria
This chart represents the criteria
we use when making
recommendations.
Everything that we recommend
aligns with one of these objectives
or it’s not recommended.
We ask…does the solution?
•Increase Service
•Decrease Cost(s)
•Increase Revenue
•Increase Productivity

9. Example: Based on the findings Ellucian recommends the following optimization timeline to support these projects. This
timeline is a living, breathing document, and the project manager will work closely with all key stakeholders and leadership to
adjust as necessary to ensure institutional success.
Timeline for Action

10. Start
• Executive Sponsors connect
with Business Advisor
• Set dates for assessment
activities
Week 3
• Confirm onsite agenda
• Launch online survey for
stakeholders
Week 5
• Close online survey
• Confirm logistics for onsite
visit
Week 7
• Conduct onsite discovery
with stakeholders
• Meet onsite with Executive
Sponsors
Week 8
• Business Advisor contacts
Executive Sponsors to review
high level findings
Weeks 9-12
• Finalize Action Plan
Recommendations
• Confirm date and time for
onsite executive presentation
• Onsite executive
presentation
• Discussion of next steps for
Action Plan launch
Action Plan Engagement Timeline

11. “If the Action Planning process had not
been adopted by the college, they would
not have been able to handle the
increased capacity due to the substantial
enrollment increase.”
Dr. Marion Paden, VP of Enrollment Management
Oklahoma City Community College

12. Is Action Planning right for your campus?
 Does your institution utilize your strategic plan to drive business
decisions?
 Is technology considered as a primary contributor to achieving
institutional strategic initiatives?
 How long has it been since you conducted a comprehensive
assessment of your administrative systems?
 Considering higher education best practices and functionality that
exists in your administrative system, would you rate the current
level of utilization as low, medium, or high by users?

13. Q&A Discussion