Planning means looking far ahead, having a vision that transcends the everyday and the operational routine. It means looking up, dreaming and planning the actions to achieve these dreams while respecting one’s own identity and values.

This process is as important as ever for an educational institution, but just as complex to achieve, especially when one is absorbed by the energy required to make the school “machine” work well.

Strategy is not simply a plan or a program but, rather, a unifying theme that, starting from a clear purpose, ensures coherence and unity to the actions undertaken by a person or an organization: vision, mission and values to be pursued are the foundation and the meaning.

Strategy must be understood as a process and is distinguishable from both strategic analysis and planning, which describes its structure and rationale; too often these three levels are confused and strategy ends up becoming just a specialized function that produces documents that “someone” not well identified should then implement.

Correct strategic planning, on the other hand, involves outlining an organization’s goals, objectives, and the methods that will be used to achieve those goals. As such, this plan is integral to the operation of the organization, and it is important that the task of developing the strategic plan be approached with serious consideration and attention to detail at every level of the organization.

Strategic Planning is the ability to manage change based on predetermined goals that are achievable and attainable through a series of interrelated actions. In other words, it is the process of identifying key resources to CREATE VALUE in the institution itself.

The Jesuit Education Foundation accompanies member schools throughout the entire process of strategic analysis, definition of their mission, determination of objectives and drafting of the strategic plan.