8 Common Strategic Planning Mistakes for Private Schools

✨ Hi there,

Schools are really starting to dive into their strategic planning this year 🏫 With the ease of COVID, now's the time to play catch up, but there are 8 common strategic planning mistakes I oftentimes see schools make. Today I'm sharing with you what these mistakes are to prevent you from doing the same! 🤩 Let's dive in...

1.) Not collecting data before heading into strategic planning 📊 I see schools scheduling meetups to chat about their 1-3 year plan, but without any data to guide them in the right direction. When discussing the future plans of your school, it's essential that you know why people come to you, why people are staying, and if you're launching a new program or considering it, to identify if you actually have a market for that. You cannot strategically plan without data! 

2.) Not hiring a facilitator or training someone to be a facilitator for your group 💪 Having someone overseeing the process and holding each member accountable can keep your projects and goals on schedule. 

3.) Not reporting out 📄 So say you've done the strategic planning work, you have the data, you know what you're next 1-3 years are going to look like... but you haven't reported back and informed your parent community on the inner workings of your school. That communication piece is really important because you want people to feel heard and invested in your school and in your vision.

4.) Not giving yourself enough time ⏳ With the last few years being so unpredictable, making it impossible to plan for the future, schools are trying to make up for the lost time. The truth is that strategic planning can be a lengthy process, especially when done thoughtfully and methodically 😌

5.)  Planning for more than three years out  🗓 COVID taught us how unpredictable life can get, so planning beyond three years seems tedious, right? Especially with the development in technology in schools, a lot of things are no longer relevant anymore. There's going to be a lot of change, so be flexible and proceed with an open mind.

6.) Being inconsistent 😓 Strategic planning should be a consistent effort in order to be truly effective. Be sure to schedule ahead, to plan consistent meeting times, and the work needed in order to move forward and see your visions come to life. 

7.) Not analyzing the action items and assigning task owners 🔎 If you're not laying out action items in a thoughtful manner and assigning them to owners, they'll never get finished. 

8.) Not meeting about the strategic plan regularly and checking on its progress 💬 I see so many schools create this beautiful strategic plan, but it just ends up sitting there. Don't let your plan sit. Schedule regular meetups to revisit the plan and make things happen 💪

🤗 I'd love to hear from you. What are you doing with strategic planning right now? Email me at [email protected] 📧

Aubrey