Strategic Planning in Higher Education

The process of strategic planning itself also needs to be planned. The strategic planning plan represents an organizational document that outlines the activities, timelines, and responsibilities within the strategic planning process. Such a document serves as a framework for managing the planning process, a tool for managing time and resources, a means of engaging stakeholders, and a document that ensures transparency and accountability.

The strategic planning plan is a meta-document that defines how the strategic planning process itself will be carried out. Its purpose is to ensure coordination, time monitoring, and clear responsibilities for everyone involved. If we neglect to plan the process itself, we risk that the entire strategic document will remain unimplemented, unknown, or unrealistic.

Key components of the plan include [40]:

Example: TU Delft published documents for its 2024–2030 Strategy in which all components of the strategic planning plan were clearly described: objectives, implementation phases, methodology, team responsibilities, and monitoring methods. The strategy includes six strategic priorities, responsibility mapping, a structured implementation calendar through 2030, and a dedicated Implementation Plan in PDF format that is regularly updated. [34]