8P4 Planning Process Alignment

Coordination of the planning process is the responsibility of STI’s Administrative Team and occurs through the budget process, Administrative Team weekly meetings, Administrative Team and program/department meetings, and meetings with the STI Council. Alignment occurs through the use of the Action Database and meetings among faculty, staff and administration to assure that all action projects align with the institute’s strategic goals and mission. Institutional projects set by administration are reviewed by the STI Council to assure alignment.

Departments and program action projects are developed in the fall of each year. As part of the documentation process, these action projects are required to be aligned with the goals of the Strategic Plan and annual institutional strategies. A drop-down box in the Action Database allows staff to select which of the strategic goals a project addresses. The administrator for the area is responsible for assuring that action projects align with institute goals. The action projects are documented in and monitored through a database that all employees have access to on the STInet Employee tab.

The STInet website is the central connecting point for planning documents and communication. The Strategic Plan, AQIP Action Projects, and institutional goals and objectives are posted on the Continuous Quality tab and are available for public viewing. Department and program action projects are located through the STInet website.

The coordination and alignment of STI goals, objectives and action projects is an area that the institute believes it can improve.