About tasks or Action Steps:

Each immediate planning objective is really a collection of specific action steps or tasks. And a collection of specific tasks will attain an objective. (Technically, identifying detailed tasks as we begin here is moving into operational rather than strategic planning; but in SSU’s comprehensive planning software, all phases of planning are combined.)

Create each task involved in effecting a particular planning objective by clicking on the “create task window.” Any number of separate tasks can be fleshed out contributing to a particular planning objective. On this window, the task is described in detail, an individual person is designated to undertake or lead in its completion, and a specific date is identified by which it is to be completed. The task is identified as either directly enhancing student learning or providing support by clicking the appropriate radio button. Pressing the “create” button installs the task in the Strategic Planner.

Once the task is created, click on the “expected task budget” window to create a budget request in support of the specific task—if necessary. (In cases where the task can be accomplished within the existing base resources of the unit, this step can be bypassed.) Notice that on this screen, the unit’s base budget is shown itemizing funds available for the current budget year, displayed by three sums: operating expenses, non-operating expenses, and capital expenses. To request funding for a particular task, click the appropriate button indicating type of expenditure, highlight the type of expenditure within the box under the fund type, highlight the fiscal year in which the task should be budgeted, and enter an “item amount” in the box provided. Click the “add budget item” button and the item will appear in the overall task budget window at the top of the window. Simultaneously, notice that the funds available window will decrease by a corresponding amount.

Return to the task window and repeat the above procedure until all the specific tasks necessary to accomplish the overall planning objective have been described.

Next, from the task window the evaluative criteria can be detailed from the evaluative criteria menu by clicking on that button. From the evaluative criteria window, click the “create criteria” button that provides a window in which details of the criteria may be established. Here you name a criteria and identify a criteria group to which your criteria belongs (stakeholder satisfaction, goal attainment, benchmark standards, process improvement, or expert panel opinion). Most importantly, here you may describe measurable results that are expected as a result of completing the task.

Subsequently, a task can be moved to a different objective or deleted. Further buttons facilitate moving back to the task menu, the objective menu, or the main menu.