Springboard partnered with the University's new Institutional Effectiveness Office to help move the institution from strategic planning to implementation. We began by reviewing the University's existing work and interviewing key stakeholders who had been involved in the planning process to understand areas of consensus, identify what was working, and surface challenges that needed to be considered moving forward.

We then facilitated a series of working sessions with a cross-functional group representing key parts of the University, including the Institutional Effectiveness Office, Office of the President, budgeting, and the University's existing design work. Rather than bringing in a predetermined model, Springboard worked alongside the group, providing facilitation, challenging assumptions, and bringing relevant models and examples to help the University develop an approach that would work within its own environment.

Together, the group worked to develop the University's new strategic, planning, and accountability structure. The work included creating a clear cascade showing how the elements of the University's strategy connected; mapping the annual planning cycle, responsibilities, and timing; establishing operating principles and expectations for accountability; and considering how the new approach would be communicated and adopted across campus.

Springboard also recognized that designing a new institutional process was only part of the challenge. Successful implementation required people across campus to understand the new approach, see how it connected to their work, and have opportunities to raise questions and contribute to its success. The engagement therefore incorporated planning for broader communication and campus engagement as part of implementation.