This research study revealed information about strategic planning by Division I-A athletic departments and their use of strategic planning as a management tool. After determining how many departments engage in strategic planning, the study identified components of strategic planning processes used by athletic departments. Research indicated that a typical Division I-A athletic department strategic plan covers a period of five years and is updated annually or every two years. The study then identified the benefits of, and challenges to, strategic planning.
Finally, the study culminated in the development of a strategic planning process model for Division I-A athletic departments. The model is intended to simplify the strategic planning
process and make it easier for athletic departments to engage in strategic planning. The model consists of two stages – planning and implementation – and nine total steps.
This mixed methods study revealed several areas that could lead to improvement for athletic departments as they engage in strategic planning. These recommendations include:
using a plan-to-plan, including an environmental scan, increasing employee involvement, and formalizing the link between the budget and the plan.
The plan-to-plan can help athletic departments prepare for the planning initiative. This pre-planning activity helps to clarify the objectives of the planning process and to set parameters for planning that will help move the process along efficiently. There was very little evidence of any formal preparation for the planning initiative and the plan-to-plan could help to make the planning process easier for athletic departments.
Environmental scanning involves both an internal assessment of strengths and weaknesses and an external assessment of opportunities and threats. The environmental scan is an important step in the strategic planning process because it forces the planning organization to think “outside the box” and attempt to anticipate changes that may impact its future success.
This is a critical part of strategic planning. Oddly though, less than two-thirds of athletic departments conducted an environmental scan as part of their strategic planning process.
Including the environmental scan in the strategic planning process model offers a significant opportunity for athletic departments to improve their planning and be better prepared for changes to the environment in which they compete.
Personal interviews frequently revealed that unifying the department and developing a common vision were significant benefits of the strategic planning exercise. For departments that involved employees at all levels of the organization, this benefit was realized. To fully
maximize this important benefit of the strategic planning initiative, it is necessary for athletic departments to involve employees from throughout the department. There are several ways to create this type of environment during the planning process. One way to increase employee involvement is to make sure the planning group or committee has representatives from all areas of the department. Employee participation can also be expanded by asking all employees for input as to what the goals and objectives should be for the department. Finally, personal interviews identified several departments that increase employee involvement by making sure all employees have specific responsibilities for goals and strategies within their functional units.
The final recommendation for athletic departments is to formalize the alignment between the budget and the strategic plan. This is an important recommendation because it ensures that funding allocations support the strategies identified in the plan. Without this alignment, departments run the risk of underfunding strategic planning initiatives and increase the likelihood that goals and objectives will not be reached. The most effective way to align the budget and the strategic plan is to require that planning exercises – both strategic and operational – be completed prior to the annual budget process. Once strategic and operational plans are completed, budget managers can build the budget to fund the action items outlined in the plans.
Alignment of the strategic plan to the budget also keeps the strategic plan from becoming a static document. Typically, athletic departments have budget systems for monitoring and reporting that are more advanced and formal than reporting systems for strategic planning. As such, if the budget accurately reflects the priorities of the strategic plan, the formal budget monitoring system also serves to keep the strategic plan at the forefront of the minds of administrators who monitor their budgets on a regular basis.
The strategic planning process model presented in this study, and the recommendations emphasized in this section, can help athletic departments use strategic planning more effectively as a management tool. These ideas ensure that the strategic plan is a tool used to aid Division I-A athletic departments, rather than a binder that sits on a shelf. Survey and personal interview research identified significant and important benefits of strategic planning. To realize these benefits, athletic departments must understand how to plan strategically by using a process that makes efficient use of their valuable time and financial resources. This study presented ways for athletic departments to realize these benefits through the efficient development and effective implementation of a strategic plan.