University of Houston-Victoria Mission Statement
&
Functional  Goals
 

2006-07 (FY2007) UNIT PLANNING GUIDELINES

January, 2006

I.       Please review the related planning and assessment documents before developing your revised unit plan and new budget requests.

2006-07 Institutional Annual Plan (Draft)

You may also wish to review the following documents:

           ·        Institutional Effectiveness: Planning and Assessment Activities 2006-07

·        Unit Plan 2005-06 (You should have a copy of last year’s unit plan, priorities, performance indicators, and budget requests for last year’s budget hearing. If you do not, please contact IR.)

·        Annual Assessment 2004-05

II.     In preparing your unit plan and budget presentation, including the following:

A.     Preface

As a preface to your unit goals and strategies, please comment briefly on how any additional funds allocated to your unit last year were used. To what extent did they fulfill the purpose for which they were allocated and advance the strategic priorities of your unit and the university?

B.     Unit Goals/Strategies

Indicate general unit goals/strategies for next year, especially as those relate to overall university strategic priorities and initiatives. This is an important step for the assessment at the end of the year.

C.     Unit Performance Indicators

Complete the Unit Performance Indicators Form. Please read the Guidelines for Performance Indicators Form .  The indicators are based on the previous year’s unit plan that you submitted at the budget hearing last year. If you need to alter or add to the indicators suggested, please mark the new additions.  Academic schools may add to but should not alter the established indicators.  Complete the form, save it on your hard drive/disk, and send a copy to IR.

D.     Budget Requests

Indicate budget requests, using the Budget Request Forms.

III.       Note that a progress update to your current plan is no longer required.  We have completed the transition to making the planning and assessment process match the budgeting process. 

A.     We implement the current year’s plan and budget until September 1 of the current year.

B.     We assess the concluding year’s performance and close the budget in August-September.

C.     We plan and budget for the next year in February-March.

 IV. For an explanation of how the planning and assessment process works, consult

Institutional Effectiveness System

The chart that shows how performance assessment and strategic planning come together may be particularly helpful. 

In brief, the mission and standing goals describe the job of the institution.  The performance indicators are quantitative variables, such as enrollment, related to how effectively the job is being done.  Strategic priorities and initiatives (or goals and strategies) describe our intention to direct human and fiscal resources toward undertakings that enable the institution to improve its effectiveness in carrying out its mission.  The success of the undertakings should be evident, more or less, in the performance indicators.  So, if the priority is to increase enrollment and the performance objective is to do that by x% next year, then the actual data should indicate whether our initiatives have been effective.

Please refer to the Unit Performance Indicators Form while reading the guidelines.

The Performance Indicators Form consists of the following columns:

1. Performance Indicators:

Performance indicators are the important element used to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the unit in accomplishing its goals. In order to compare the performance of the unit over a period of time, performance indicators must be consistent. Performance indicators may change if the goals or functions of the unit have changed or the unit has been able to define and track data on more appropriate variables.

2. Achievement Records: 

This column helps to benchmark the performance of the unit. The goal is to build a record of performance data for the previous 3-5 years. This will provide valuable information for setting up realistic and reliable objectives of performance in the future. According to the planning cycle of UHV, the last completed assessment was for 2004-05.

3. Performance Objectives:

Set up the criteria to measure the outcome of the performance after reviewing column 2.

4. Assessment:

This column will be used for your assessment results for 2006-07. During September 2007, please widen this column and enter your assessment results into it.

Please save a copy for yourself and email a copy of both your Performance Indicators Form and Unit Plan to IR