I argue that in the post-COVID world, the traditional “forward design” strategic planning process no longer works—given the added workload required and financial constraints all but the most elite institutions face. End results are often unachievable, overly complex, burdensome or only incrementally different. Instead, forward-thinking institutional leaders should take inspiration from their faculty colleagues and embrace the backward design we more often see in syllabus writing to create an engaging, transparent and accessible process for strategic planning.

A successful backward design strategic plan clarifies and codifies what is special or unique about an institution and addresses:

Why prospective students would want to attend
What type of faculty will thrive and contribute
What types of employers and industries will be the best partners
What types of funders will be the most likely and productive collaborators
If we were to rebuild the institution from the ground up, what it would it look like

A backward design strategic plan should start with leaders engaging their institutions in the very focused and meaningful work of determining a limited number of big-picture, achievable outcomes, ideally by spending a concentrated and limited period of time meeting with constituents and stakeholders throughout the campus community.

Instant Insights /

Today’s strategic planning: Backward design to move an institution forward

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