John Burke & Steve Bailey

1. Developing & Implementing your Strategy A Practical Approach John Burke & Steve Bailey

2. Aims of Today’s Event • Introduce the JISC infoNet service and the JISC Advance family • Provide an overview of the structure and content of the Strategy infoKit • Consider some of the fundamental issues associated with developing and writing strategy • Consider some implications for the ILT Strategy

3. What do we Mean by ‘Strategy’? Strategy 1. the art of war 2. the management of an army in a campaign 3. a plan of action or policy in business or politics etc - The Oxford English Dictionary

4. What do we Mean by ‘Strategic Planning’? Strategic Planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategy_implementation

5. In Essence… Defining your objectives Knowing if and when you achieve them Ensuring your decisions & actions help realise them

6. A Strategic Framework Vision statement Mission statement Values statement 3/4/5 Year Strategic Plan KPIs KPIs ServiceStrategies TeamStrategies Dept. Strategies

7. The Theory / Reality Gap What problems and issues can occur which can muddy the waters and decrease the changes of success?

8. Common Problems Never heard of them Motherhood & apple pie Doesn’t mean much to me Don’t recognise them Misses crucial new elements

9. Common Problems External issues now changed Internal issues now changed Can’t track progress Don’t agree with the priorities Means little to my work

10. Common Problems Too many strategies I wasn’t aware of the X strategy No longer in line with the plan Not mentioned in my APR Too busy fire fighting

11. Common Problems We measure what we can not what we should Takes too long to gather data I want the answers to different questions What do all these statistics really mean? So something is ‘Red’, so what?

12. Recurring Themes / Underlying Issues Lack of coordination Lack of responsiveness Words, not deeds Lack of staff engagement Motherhood & apple pie Never heard of them Misses crucial new elements External issues now changed I want the answers to different questions Too many strategies Doesn’t mean much to me Internal issues now changed We measure what we can not what we should Don’t recognise them No longer in line with the plan Don’t agree with the priorities What do all these statistics really mean? Too busy fire fighting Takes too long to gather data Means little to my work So something is ‘Red’, so what? Not mentioned in my APR

13. The Workshop Framework

14. Positioning the Organisation Vision statement Mission statement Values statement

15. The Mission Statement • Should be succinct as possible • Should be memorable • Should be unique to you • Should be realistic • Should be current

16. Match The Mission Statement! ‘Inspiring and leading our community through excellence in providing learning solutions and pathways for progression’ – ‘To contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence.’ - ‘To advance and diffuse knowledge, wisdom and understanding by teaching and research and by the example and influence of its corporate life’ - ‘We have a simple mission, "Success for our Students", and do everything possible to ensure that you receive the very best education and training.’ - Herefordshire College of Technology University of Cambridge Yeovil College University of Dundee

17. The Vision Statement ‘Our vision is to be the UK's best Knowledge and Learning Partnership University’ - University of West of England ‘Our vision is to be the number one for sandwiches and savouries from a united team that is passionate about being the best in the bakery’ - Greggs the Bakers ‘McDonald's vision is to be the world's best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile’ ‘To be the most creative organisation in the world.’ - BBC

18. What do you Think of These…? ‘Our vision is to become the world’s best provider of education by 2015’ ‘We hope to still be providing teaching and learning to students in Borcestshire in 10 years time’ ‘Blogshire University will provide excellence in teaching, learning and research’ ‘We aim to be the region’s preferred vocational training provider and to focus all our efforts on breaking into the top ten institutions based on academic performance’

19. The Vision Statement • Should be inspirational • Should be ambitious – but not beyond the realms of credulity • Should be creative • Should be descriptive • Should be clear and consistent

20. Where Should you be Heading? • Look to your strengths • Look outside the institution • Look to the future • Boston Matrix • PESTLE • Scenario Planning

21. Organisational Values Everything we do is underpinned by our core values of transparency, fairness and security. These...enable us to maintain our financial strength and deliver long-term good value - Nationwide Building Society • Self-help - we help people to help themselves • Self-responsibility - we take responsibility for...our actions • Democracy - we give our members a say in the way we run... • Equality - no matter how much money a member invests in their share account, they still have one vote • Equity - we carry our business in a fair and unbiased way • Honesty - we are honest about what we do and the way we do it - The Co-operative

22. But do you Live your Values? • but have reserved car spaces for senior management only • but are busy closing all our unprofitable courses • but they can’t use our sports facilities • but ban facebook • ‘We believe passionately in staff equality’ • ‘We exist to serve the interests of society & the public good’ • ‘Respect for the local community’ • ‘We trust our staff’

23. Values from the ILT Co-ordinator’s View • Come up with a list of 5 organisational values • Now come up with 5 values which are ILT specific • What is the difference between the organisational values and those from an ILT Co-ordination viewpoint? • Are they compatible or do they challenge each other?

24. The Workshop Framework

25. Strategic Alignment If we are to achieve the Vision then what strategically important things, ideas and areas must we focus on? The Strategic Objectives

26. Strategic Alignment Vision statement Mission statement Values statement 3/4/5 Year Strategic Plan KPIs KPIs ServiceStrategies TeamStrategies Dept. Strategies

27. Strategic Objectives • Help to set priorities when authorising developments and innovation • Can be the responsibility of a named member of senior management or SMT jointly responsible • Must be balanced against the priority of day-to-day normal business • Need to be appropriately articulated across the strategic framework

28. Example Strategic Objectives • Development of Overseas Markets • Diversification of Income Sources • Increase recruitment to Science and Mathematics subject areas • Providing exposure to a technology-rich curriculum • Development of Alumni culture and involvement

29. Strategic Objectives – Considerations • Business as usual is a Strategic Objective! • Environment scanning may identify external drivers which require strategic alignment • How do we ensure flows of information and ideas are in place to feed into the identification of our strategic objectives and to inform staff of our priority areas? • Are your objectives SMART?

30. SMART Objectives • Specific • Measurable • Achievable • Realistic • Time-constrained

31. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) • KPIs: “financial and non-financial measures or metrics used to help an organization define and evaluate how successful it is, typically in terms of making progress towards its long-term organizational goals" • Wikipedia • Give substance to high level aspirations • Usually comprised of the Performance Indicator, how performance is to be measured & target level of achievement • Results can be summarised, made visual (‘traffic lights’) and easily reported

32. But it’s Not Just about Measuring Performance

33. How are your Strategies Defined and Agreed? Calendar prompts need for review Allocate responsibility to SMT member Research & (limited) consultation Shortlist options Final agreement & approval Launch, dissemination & embedding Discuss at SMT

34. The Inevitable Result? “Never heard of it” “Doesn’t mean much to me” “Don’t agree with the priorities” “They ignored all my suggestions from the focus group” “Means little to my work” “Motherhood & apple pie” “I’ll just go back to day job…”

35. The Strategic Conversation • Briefing Documents (online or printed) • Management blogs • Road Shows and Exhibitions or Information Points • Directors’ > Faculty > Department > Team Briefings • Focus Groups • Wikis / VLE discussion areas • Voting systems and surveys Examples

36. The (Radical) Concept Put suggestions to the vote Review when circumstances dictate Encourage entire institution to debate Rely on staff to suggest options Adopt most popular choice Encourage ongoing debate & reflection

37. From Concept to Conversation Provision of an open, online discussion space & an invitation for all to participate. Free & vibrant discussion, offering ideas & commenting on those of others Open up the list of most popular / interesting ‘elements’ to the vote via online survey software Final survey to agree most popular form of words Blog to encourage contributions and to add to the debate Blog to announce, explain & contextualise final agreed vision

38. The Workshop Framework

39. Strategic Development If we are to address the Strategic Objectives, do we need to bring about any changes to existing processes or structures or to create new processes or capability? The Business Change(s)

40. Business Change Proposals What will be : • the benefits of doing it? • the consequences of doing it? • the consequences of not doing it? • the cost and time commitment of doing it? • the return on investment? • the effect on other projects and proposals? • the strategic advantage?

41. www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/impact-calculator

42. The Workshop Framework

43. Co-ordination of Strategies Mutually supportive strategies If we know what large scale projects are approved for the year, we can ensure our departmental and team strategies cater for their support too good to be true?

44. Co-ordination of Strategies StrategicGridActivity

45. Co-ordination of Strategies • Requires agreement, buy-in and co-operation • Requires a system for prioritising Business Change and Programmes/Projects • Everyone shares the view and accepts the priorities • Requires an iterative approach

46. The Workshop Framework

47. The Strategy infoKit

48. Question Time • j.burke@northumbria.ac.uk • steve.bailey@northumbria.ac.uk • follow johnburke1, sjbailey at Twitter • http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk • http://jbep.blogspot.com (John Burke’s Education Project blog) • http://rmfuturewatch.blogspot.com/ (Steve’s Records Management Futurewatchblog)

49. Professor Martin Hall, Vice Chancellor, Salford University • j.burke@northumbria.ac.uk • follow johnburke1 at Twitter • http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.

50. Dr Christine Sexton, Director of Corporate Information and Computing Services, University of Sheffield