ABSTRACT
Ashared sense of purposes and plans is fundamental to the pursuit of excellence and effectiveness in any organization. The most basic aim of the planning process is to develop, review, refine, and/or reaffirm the mission, vision, and broad organizational goals; to translate those directions into priorities and action steps; and to see the plans through to completion. The mission statement of an institution, department, or program may identify its reason for existence and the fundamental role it serves. More often, an institution’s, department’s, or program’s vision will be articulated in a separate statement. The key steps in “making a plan” and those necessary for “making a plan work ” are quite different. Minimally, a successful effort requires that planning and improvement processes are documented and clearly communicated, objectives for the institution and individual units are linked to mission and goals achievement, and assessment results are used for planning and resource allocation.
