Purpose

To better facilitate effective stewardship of the resources entrusted to Hypothetical Community College,
the Mountaineer Consulting Group proposes the following multi-step process in the facilitation and
development of your strategic plan. While certain components may be necessary to include as we begin
the strategic planning process, our submission reflects a proven model which has been successful in the
development of strategic initiatives with many other institutions of higher education.
Deliverables
At the conclusion of this engagement, Hypothetical Community College will be provided a complete
strategic plan which has been vetted before multiple external and internal stakeholder groups.
Consideration
In consideration for the development of the strategic plan, Hypothetical Community College agrees to
compensate Mountaineer Consulting Group as specified in the contract terms previously filed.
Process
The MCG-Method is divided into a total of eight stages.
Step 1: Identify the purpose of the plan. Always starts by asking Why? While it is the belief of our
organization that a strategic plan will be beneficial throughout your organization, it is important that we
first identify the primary catalyst that has led to this engagement. It is not uncommon for individuals to
develop a strategic plan to meet a request of a specific individual stakeholder such as an accrediting
authority, board of trustees, or capital donor. Based on our experience, gaining acceptance from the entire
organization will accomplish this. Specifically we will ask the following questions of your executive
management team.

Why do you need or desire this plan?

What impact will it have?
Who are your stakeholders that we need to communicate with?
Step 2: Identify the current state of your organization. Survey your current environment to analyze the
assets, people, and processes that are in place today. We will review what is happening through
collecting various pieces of data.

What does your mission say? Are you aligned with your mission?
What are the views of the president and the board of trustees?
What is the relationship with the K-12 systems?
What is your current enrollment?
What is the five year enrollment trend, and what model are you basing the future on?
What are the perceptions of your staff, board, community, and business partners?
What are your institutions successes and challenges?
What are legislators saying about the institutions impact and role?
What have you done in the past that has been successful or challenging in relation to your
strategic plan or planning process?

What is your relationship with alumni?

What is your relationship with area/local employers?

Step 3: Perform initial data analysis. Review the collected data and attempt to research areas of specific
concern. Review internal data from the Office of Institutional Research, as well as external data. Compare
the findings and reporting of your organizational and community data. Data analysis should include
comparisons against:

State reporting data

Business and community data
Four-year institution partners
Census information
Financial Aid Data
K-12 Data
Reports from higher education publications
US Department of Education / IPEDS
American Association of Community Colleges.

Areas where data appears to be incomplete, or may not be validated, will be reviewed and validated for
accuracy. Through this data analysis, the following should be considered:

What populations are growing?

Where are your students coming from?
What is the status of transfer articulation agreements?
Is the expansion temporary or permanent?
What programs and certifications are fostering such growth?
What populations are being served and which populations are underserved?
What is the educational background of the students?

Step 4: Environmental scanning and visioning the future. Meet with the various stakeholder groups to
solicit views on the future and the colleges direction. Utilize a variety of approaches including an
interactive electronic survey system to learn about ideas and concepts from your community members.
The following should be considered:

Does the existing strategic plan or other related documents help foster ideas for future goals and
areas of focus?

Who are your stakeholders in this process?

What innovations are being explored to support the mission?
What resources and support are in place and what may be lacking?
What discussion or engagement with the community has taken place?
Are all of the communitys groups being represented and heard?
Is your institution facing competition?

Step 5: Develop tangible ideas and determine resource needs. Facilitate dialogue with your staff and
designated stakeholders to brainstorm solutions that HCC could consider for the future. At the conclusion
of Step 5, your board will be prepared to prioritize the issues of utmost importance. The following should
be considered:

What workshops, committees, or systems are in place to facilitate discussion of resources?

Do you have cross-functional teams?
What systems or processes are in place to ensure priorities are met?
How is the budget created and how are funding requests handled?

Step 6: Survey and alignment of projects and talent. Taking the prioritized list of projects and initiatives,
we will help you to foster your team and develop a sense of alignment and support for the various
initiatives. Your staff and stakeholder groups will have an understanding of the roles to be played and the
specific contribution that they will make towards the various programs and concepts. We will work with
you to strategize opportunities for professional and individual recognition.

How is your institution structured among its departments?

What are the challenges of your current structure? What are the weaknesses?
Do all stakeholders understand their role and impact?
Where are the opportunities for improvement?
How does your institution reach all stakeholders and seek their involvement?
What professional development and process improvement initiatives are in place?

Step 7: Create and examine relevant metrics. Ensure that every piece of the initiative is measurable and
that accountability exists for each authorized action. Individual teams should create accountability metrics
that can be reported and tracked to ensure that success is achieved. Efforts should be made to make
these variables reportable in an open and transparent forum.

Specific requirements for accreditation authorities

What is considered effective data in the institution?
How is data studied? What committees support these initiatives?
What variables may need further explored?
What is the role and impact of surveys?

Step 8: Ensure continual growth, discovery, and observation. The strategic plan does not end with this
initial process. Instead, the plan will serve as a living and accessible document. Throughout the life cycle
there will be many opportunities to reflect upon what has been created and revise goals and strategies.
While some organizations only review their plan on a multi-year cycle, there is an advantage in ensuring
that the document always reflects the items that are most important to the organization.

Where does the institution wish to go from here?

What opportunities remain that should be explored, both academically and externally?
What goal-making processes are in place? Are they measured?
What are the definitions of long-term and short-term?
How often will goals and plans be reviewed?
How do we continue the strong relationship with all stakeholders?
What types of grant opportunities should HCC explore?