A Primer on Developing a Strategy Map

An Example: A Management Strategy for a Private School

By Lawrence P. Grayson

Introduction and Overview

In establishing, organizing and managing any organization, a clear strategy is necessary. Without one, the people guiding the institution will be operating by intuition and letting circumstances dictate the course of action. A new organization faces a myriad of problems, and without a defined strategy it is easy to focus on the immediate concerns without an idea of how ones actions will contribute to the longer-term success of the organization. The results are lack of clarity of what is to be done, no priority for actions to be taken, a wasting of funds, a large number of efforts that do not contribute to the essential few areas that are critical to success of the school, and all too frequently failure. In this primer, one way of developing a strategy is presented. It is based on an approach termed the Balanced Scorecard, a technique for assuring that several key organizational perspectives are taken into account. These include an identification of the organizations mission and vision for the future, a focus on desired results, and a balancing of efforts among stakeholders concerns, financial management, internal processes, and organizational capacity. The key elements in each of these perspectives are defined and interrelated to show how one affects another. The flow of elements and their interconnection constitute the strategy. For purposes of this discussion, the approach is illustrated in terms of a fictional school called Oak Knoll Academy. This example will provide the reader an application that is carried through various stages of the process. A primary result of the planning stage is a strategic map, which appears as the centerfold of this pamphlet. The map is a visual representation of the organizations strategy. It presents a picture of the cause-and-effect relationships that must be pursued from various perspectives to achieve the few critical items that determine success.

son is to take a trip, rather than just roam aimlessly, then there must be a destination. If one is to undertake a program of education, rather than just take some interesting courses, one must have an aim and an idea of what the education will lead to. If one is to renovate a home, there must be a reason for beginning the work and an idea of what the home will look like when it is finished. If a person is to fulfill a purpose in life, that purpose must be known. In each case, to achieve an end, there must be a purpose, a target, a destination. Without such an end point, there is no way to make appropriate decisions, guide actions, determine if progress is being made, or know when the end is reached. Managing a school requires no less than the actions of ones personal life. If a school is to fulfill an educational purpose, increase its revenues, or satisfy the parents of its students, then that purpose, or aims, or desired ends must be known. Without such knowledge, the school will only be going through a series of activities that may or may not be meaningful, and that may or may not lead to the desired outcomes. The ends the school is to achieve are expressed by its mission, vision, and strategic goals. The mission specifies the purpose for which the school exists; it identifies the value the school is to provide. The vision tells what is hoped for the future; it is a description of a desired future. The strategic goals, which also will be referred to as outcomes, specify the long-term aims of the school; they reflect particular ends that are in line with the vision and mission. Each is important, and the three are complementary. The mission specifies what purpose the school is to achieve, what value it is to produce. The mission is the fundamental reason the organization exists. It is broad and enduring, and expresses the core of what the organization is about. It addresses the why of the organization, and not what it does or how it does it. The policies, procedures, activities, products, services, and structure of the organization will evolve over time, responding to changing circumstances, but the mission, if it is properly stated, will remain the same. The mission rarely changes, although strategies for achieving it may vary over time. It serves as the North Star for the organization a fixed purpose for being that serves to guide decisions and actions.

Vision and Mission

The process begins by defining a clear mission and vision for the institution. This is essential for it provides the focus and direction for everything else that is done. If a per Lawrence P. Grayson, 2004 1

Consider a mission for Oak Knoll Academy: To educate students to possess rigorous academic skills and virtuous characters so that they may lead full and productive lives. The mission is a clear statement of why the school exists. It states in broad terms what the school is to achieve, but does not say how it will go about doing it. The ends for which it exists may be considered idealistic. Perhaps, they will never be fully achieved. Yet, they express important aims and what the school is to work towards. While a mission describes why an organization exists, a vision should indicate how the future will be better because the organization exists. A vision provides an imaginable picture of the desired future. It describes what can be achieved because the school exists, and may include what the school will do to achieve the end results. It is about possibilities, and describes one end state among many that may satisfy the mission. One of the most famous visions is that stated by Martin Luther King when he addressed a crowd from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. He stated: I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. What a powerful statement. It provides a vision of what the country can become. It is appealing, inspiring, significant, ambitious, enduring, and easily communicated. It spells out a desired result, not a way to get there, and so allows various approaches to meet changing conditions. Although it is an ideal, and perhaps may never be fully achieved, it is important enough that people can continue to work toward it. Further, the vision is a touchstone against which people can guide their decisions. The challenge in creating a good vision is to balance a statement that is challenging, yet seemingly achievable, that stimulates the imagination, yet is tangible enough for people to identify with it, that is specific enough to allow strategies to be developed to attain it, yet broad enough so that strategies can be changed to meet evolving circumstances. The vision should be outward focused, stating how the lives of those who fall within the schools mission will be improved because of what it does. Too often, schools develop visions that say what they will be in the future e.g., we will be a high-quality educational institution offering effective instruction in small class settings or what they will do e.g., we will provide an education in the classics, and provide our students with a safe and rewarding environment. These are laudatory statements, and may indeed be ends that the school wishes to achieve. Indeed, they may be part of the vision statement. But they are inwardly focused and, by themselves, do not reflect how the students, families, or concerns for which the school was created to address will be improved because of what the school does. Although these statements may be part of a vision, they Lawrence P. Grayson, 2004 2

alone do not do not reflect the value the school can provide. If the school is structured and operated to achieve a strictly inward-looking vision, it will be difficult to achieve outwardly focused ends. The school may be a pleasant place to work and study, but may be ineffective in creating improvements in the outer world for which it was established. As an example of a vision statement, consider the following vision for Oak Knoll Academy: Oak Knoll Academy provides a distinctive and high quality education in the liberal arts tradition, coupled with the development of a clear moral orientation. Students will develop virtuous characters, which will be reflected in their daily lives, and receive a well-rounded academic education that will prepare them for high school and beyond. Field trips and excursions provide realism to the curriculum, while athletics are used to develop physical fitness, as well as to teach the value of effort, teamwork, and camaraderie. The aims are to introduce students to the great achievements of Western Civilization, instill a sense of virtue, foster respect for every person, and develop a desire to improve the society in which they live, as well as provide a set of useful skills. Competence with character will help the students to have full, rich, meaningful lives. The school recognizes that parents have the primary responsibility for the development of their children, and that it is only their chosen partner in this regard. Hence, the school will help create a community of parents, through social events and group meetings, to assist them in the intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual development of their children. Dedicated teachers, small class-sizes and a safe learning environment will allow students to receive individualized attention and to be stimulated with the excitement of learning. This statement provides a clear vision of what Oak Knoll Academy hopes to become and how it will go about doing so. Anyone reading the description will have an understanding of what the school is trying to achieve, the type of environment that it establishes, and what is expected of students and parents. Although many people prefer shorter vision statements perhaps just the first two of the above sentences this author leans toward longer ones to better describe the future. With the lengthier description in mind, parents, students, teachers, administrators, and others, will have a more complete idea of what the school hopes to become and do, and how they might contribute. It is a better guide for decision making, especially when problems emerge or when conflicting opportunities arise. In order to develop an appropriate vision, begin by recalling the mission and identifying the value that the school can provide. Then develop a description or vision of how the mission will be achieved, of what will improve and how it will be done because the school exists. Since the mission is broad, there can be a variety of ways that it may be achieved. The vision is one such way.

A vision is important for giving everyone a sense of what the future can be like. If it is appealing, it can motivate people to support the organizations leadership and to work to fulfill the vision. If it is unappealing, it can demotivate people, and they will work only so far as they obliged, without having the desire to go beyond what is expected to achieve a significant end. The vision and mission complement each other. The mission specifies the fundamental purpose for the existence of the school, while the vision is more specific of what the future will be like. The mission and vision together provide statements, broad though they may be, for determining whether the schools programs and activities are appropriate, for developing goals and a strategy for achieving them, and for measuring progress of how well the aims are being achieved. They are the basis upon which all policies, actions, and activities of the school should be aligned. If something is in line which the mission and helps attain the vision, it should be retained; if not, it should be eliminated. A good deal of discussion has been devoted to mission and vision because these are the foundations for everything else that is done. These two items set the destination for the schools organizational and management journey. Then, a strategy should be developed to set a course toward the desired ends. It will be a map of what must be done to achieve success. Measures should be developed for each of the elements in the strategy map, which can be used to determine if progress is being made toward their achievement. The measures provide a basis for managing the strategy by taking appropriate action when satisfactory progress is not being made. Finally, the strategy is executed by selecting and conducting specific activities associated with each of the elements. That is the way that the people at the school follow the strategy map toward the destination..

variety of ways by: curriculum-based examinations, performance on standardized national tests, such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, success in national or regional spelling bee or math competitions, and performance in local competitions against students from other schools. The second aspect relating to the development of virtuous characters can be assumed to be achieved if students practice certain virtues in their daily lives. For example, it may be determined that students should be polite toward their elders, considerate of others, honest, humble, and so forth. These virtues are demonstrable, and can be observed by teachers, parents, and others who are in contact with the students. Surveys of parents can be used to determine if they are satisfied that their children are developing the appropriate moral attitudes that they desire. The first set of outcomes relate to student achievement. This, after all, is why the school was formed. The school, however, cannot accomplish this, if it does not continue to exist. Therefore, there must be a second set of outcomes that relate to the school itself. If the school is to prosper, then the enrollment must continue to increase in each succeeding year. New families and additional students must be attracted to the school. A variety of measures can be used to determine the growth, as well as potential growth. These include the number of children currently enrolled, the number of families who have children enrolled, the number of new families added in the past year, the number of families who have preschoolers, and the number of inquiries about the school, among others. In addition to enrollment, the schools resources, especially financial resources, must continue to grow. This can be done through the receipt of more tuition and fees as the enrollment enlarges, by increased donations, and from prudent management of the funds that are available. While the latter does not necessarily imply greater resources, it can reduce general overhead and make more of the resources available for the educational mission. A given strategy might stress one or more of these ways. In practice, school officials probably would utilize all of these means. Suitable measures for tracking the resources might include the amount of tuition and fees, the level of donations, the size of the budget, the percentage of the budget that is allocated to fixed costs, such as mortgage payments or salaries, and the percentage of fixed costs covered by tuition and fees. The two types of outcomes are not unrelated. The continuation and growth of the school will depend on how well the current students do. If the school is producing graduates who have strong academic skills, are getting into good high schools, and have the character development proposed, new parents are more likely to enroll their children in the school. Hence, in addition to increasing resources and effective marketing, the performance of the present students 3

Goals, Themes and Key Activities

With an idea of what the future can be, one should ask what outcomes or goals may be set whose accomplishment would demonstrate that the mission and vision are being fulfilled. As one specifies these outcomes and the various elements that will lead to their accomplishment, one also should consider how the success of these goals can be determined, that is, how they can be measured. Without a way to assess progress, one cannot effectively manage the operation. For Oak Knoll Academy, the mission states that students are to be educated in two ways: to possess rigorous academic skills and to possess virtuous characters. The first aspect can be assumed to be achieved if the students master the curriculum that is developed. This can be measured in a Lawrence P. Grayson, 2004

is a key to future institutional growth. The interrelationship of the two sets of outcomes is illustrated in the strategy map shown on the centerfold of this pamphlet. These two thrusts, student achievement and institutional prosperity may be considered to be two themes that carry through everything that is done. Policies, activities, hiring of teachers and administrators, identification of target groups of parents to market to, approaches to potential donors, and so on, must all be aligned with one or both of these themes. If something is not so aligned and does not contribute to the achievement of one or more of the proposed set of outcomes, it should not be undertaken or discontinued, if already in place.

the mission and type of education it can offer. In some instances, there also are community members and licensing agencies which have an interest in the school and the quality of education it offers. Each group has different concerns, and each must be satisfied if the school is to continue and to prosper. For Oak Knoll Academy, the primary stakeholders are the students, parents, and donors. For the students, it is important that the school climate is focused on academic learning and the inculcation of personal moral values. The two aspects of this element are essential if the students are to master the curriculum and develop virtues that become part of their daily lives. Fulfilling only one part of this mission will not do. Oak Knoll is a special type of institution, concerned with the development of the whole student: intellectually and behaviorally. If the school excels in academics, but does not develop character, it is like the best of the public schools, but no better. If it succeeds in molding a childs character, but provides a tepid academic preparation, it may be working more like a youth organization, such as the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. Oak Knoll must excel in both aspects of student development if it is to successfully achieve its mission. The degree that the school climate is appropriate can be measured by assessing parent views, by the amount of time that is given to inculcating values, and how the character development aspects are made a part of the entire curriculum and daily life in the school. Parents are a key group to be satisfied, as they have chosen this school because of its complete approach to education. They want a solid academic preparation for their children, as well as desiring that they learn and practice personal moral values. While all parents are concerned about the education their children receive, the parents of students at Oak Knoll Academy are more likely to be actively monitoring their childrens progress for they have freely chosen a comprehensive approach to education. The parents also are more likely to be involved in the schools activities, serving as volunteers and partnering with teachers to provide the type of education they both seek for the children. As noted in the vision, the school will make an overt effort to involve the parents by creating a community of parents by conducting social events and group discussions for parents. While concerned about the quality of the educational experience their children will receive, the parents also will be concerned about the cost to them. The tuition and fees must be within their means. Most parents who select a school like Oak Knoll Academy are willing to sacrifice to have their children attend, but at the same time they can only afford so much. It is common for these parents to have several children who will be attending school at the same time. Hence, the tuition and fees must be kept reasonable. How well the parents are involved and satisfied can be measured by the number of parents who volunteer, the number of volunteer hours that parents devote to the school, whether they 4

Organizational Perspectives
An organization consists of a variety of relationships and concerns that can be viewed from several perspectives. It often involves both tangible assets, such as a building, furniture, books, supplies, and finances, and intangible assets, such as quality of the students, motivation of the teachers, and commitment of the parents, among others. Some of its concerns are short-term, such as paying the monthly bills, assuring that classes begin on schedule, and maintaining the building so it is clean and safe for the children, and some are long-term, such as assuring that students are educated to a degree that they are admitted to competitive high schools, increasing the enrollment to a given level, and gaining a reputation in the region as a high-quality educational institution. Thus, it is necessary in developing a strategy to view the organization and its aims from several perspectives. Common ways, although not the only ones, to view a school are from the perspective of its stakeholders, that is, from the point of view of the students, their parents, and donors to the school; from a financial perspective of its revenues, expenses, endowment, and so forth; from the perspective of the instructional and administrative processes that are necessary to operate the school; and from the perspective of the organizations capacity, that is, from the quality of its teachers and administrative staff, the abilities of its Board of Directors and their leadership, and from the types of culture that is established. These different perspectives will be considered in turn.

Stakeholders Perspective
A school has a variety of stakeholders, or as might be referred to in business, customers. First, there are the students who are there to learn, and who are central to the purpose for which the school was formed. Then, there are the parents of the students, who have selected the school for their children, pay the tuition and fees, and might even do volunteer work at the school. Further, there are people who make donations to the school because they are committed to Lawrence P. Grayson, 2004

continue to provide new ideas for improvements in the school, and whether they enroll additional children. The third group of stakeholders is people who make donations to the school. The donors are very important both to cope with the high start-up costs involved in beginning a school, and for keeping the tuition at affordable levels. The donors are often committed to the principles upon which the school was founded, and are enthusiastic about the vision of what the school can accomplish. They are willing to provide money or other resources, as long as there is reasonable progress toward the achievement of the vision. Their satisfaction and commitment can be measured the number of donors, changes in the number of donors, the size of donations, and by direct discussions with donors, either individually or in groups at donor-events.

focus on efficiency or productivity, such as improving the cost structure by eliminating unnecessary expenses, or reducing costs by competitive bidding or comparison shopping, or increasing the asset utilization such as by sharing occasionally-used instructional resources among a number teachers. Second, there is the opportunity to expand revenues, perhaps by renting some of the facility when it is not being used by the school. For instance, a hall could be made available for community meetings on weekends, or a community hall or gymnasium could be utilized on Sundays for religious services by a congregation that does not have its own church. In these and other ways, additional revenues can be generated.

Financial Concerns Perspective

Every new enterprise has limited capital for what it wishes to achieve. A school is no different. Hence, it is important to target the financial resources that are available for the accomplishment of the goals that have been set. Sound financial management is always important, but is especially essential in the start-up years. At Oak Knoll, every dollar that is spent should be accounted for by its effect on one of the two themes: improving student achievement or increasing the financial strength of the institution by enrollment growth or increased donations. Parents and donors, as key stakeholders, are very concerned about efficient financial management. Parents want to assure that tuition and fees can be kept reasonable, while still providing the type of education that Oak Knoll advertises. Donors want to assure that their money is not being wasted, and that when they make a donation it will be utilized in the most effective way possible. The soundness of the financial management can be measured by variances between planned budgets and actual expenditures, fund balances, the percentage of the budget allocated to overhead, and the degree of reliance on outside donations for operating costs. There may be a variety of activities, other than those directly related to instruction, which could be supported and still be considered appropriate fiscal management. For example, increased enrollments may require additional classroom space, and so putting on an addition to the building would be an appropriate expenditure. Similarly, one might support a special dinner for large donors, with the expectation that additional donations would be forthcoming. Supporting a dinner, however, to celebrate the end of the school year probably would not be an appropriate use of limited funds. Sound financial management may incorporate at least one of two approaches, and usually both. First, it may Lawrence P. Grayson, 2004 5

Instructional and Administrative Processes Perspective

The key activities under instructional and administrative processes relate to delivering value to students, as well as marketing the institution to a wider audience of parents and potential donors. A primary objective is that the curriculum is sound. This may be judged by how well it compares with curricula at schools having similar objectives to Oak Knoll Academy, and by having the curriculum reviewed by an external group of knowledgeable individuals. A second objective is that the instruction is effective. This may be determined by how well the students master the subject matter as measured by tests, how well prepared they are when they advance to the next grade, and by what parents perceive about their childrens learning. A third objective is that the facilities are safe and well maintained. This can be judged by periodic inspections by the Board of Directors, the number and type of deferred maintenance requests, and reports of required inspections by groups such as fire and licensing authorities. Another important item under this general category is the development and execution of a communications and marketing plan. If enrollment at the school is to expand, then parents of potential future enrollees must be identified, targeted, approached and sold on the idea that their children should become students. This does not mean advertising to large numbers of undifferentiated people, most of whom would have no interest in the school. Undifferentiated mass communications is expensive and not very effective. Rather, targeted communications means identifying the parents who would be most interested in what Oak Knoll has to offer, determining how best to reach them, preparing informational items that effectively present what the school stands for, communicating with them, and following up with the most likely candidates. Image is most important. Most people are very busy, and receive large numbers of unsolicited communications. If they are to read a communication, and then make

contact for further information, the communication must appeal quickly to their interests and concerns. In this case, image and appearance are as important as content. Oak Knoll Academy should develop a logo that visually presents what it stands for. A simple example might be an ancient Greek oil lamp surrounded by a wreath of olive branches to represent academic learning and the value of virtue. These items could be encircled by the words truth, wisdom and virtue, which would clearly state what the school stands for. A good logo is easily recognizable, communicates a message, is remembered, and quickly will identify future communications from the school.

or staff, communications with parents, and so forth. There must be a culture at the school that promotes the mission and vision. In the case of Oak Knoll Academy, the culture must advance the inculcation of values and character development in the students, promoting a partnership between teachers and parents for the joint education of the children, and assuring a focus on the liberal arts, not simply as subject to be learned, but as ways to lead ones life. The culture must be one of performance and accountability for achieving the desired outcomes for the students and for the school.

Strategy
There is no single strategy that will assure success in accomplishing the mission. Rather, there are appropriate strategies that can be effective if properly executed. A way to develop a strategy is to connect key elements that have been identified to assure that they are aligned and leading to the desired outcomes. For example, at Oak Knoll Academy, the school outcomes of expanding enrollment and increasing resources cannot be achieved unless the student outcomes of having the students master the academic curriculum and exemplify virtuous characters are achieved. While the student outcomes are the prime reason why the school exists, they become both ends in themselves and means toward other desired outcomes. The student and school outcomes, however, are dependent upon the stakeholders being satisfied and committed. The teachers and staff must create a climate at the school that is focused on learning and the development of virtues. Parents must be involved and committed to, not just satisfied with, what the school is doing. The parents are the best emissaries for advertising the school and bringing in other parents. Further, the donors must be satisfied with the direction of the school and what is being accomplished, so that they will continue to support the school. Donors and other stakeholders are more likely to be satisfied if the financial management of the school is sound and efficient. No one wants tuition to increase or to know that their donated money has been inappropriately used. The stakeholders also will be satisfied if the school is operating as advertised, that is, if the curriculum is sound, the instruction effective, and the facilities are safe and well maintained. And there must be a well conceived communications and marketing plan in place to reach new potential parents and promote the school. Finally, the capacity of the organization to implement the strategy must be in place. The Board must provide effective leadership. The teachers must be dedicated and satisfied with what they are doing. The administrators and staff must be competent, and everyone must be focused achieving the mission.

Organizational Capacity Perspective

The base upon which everything rests is the capacity of the organization to execute the strategy that is created, to be able to develop and operate effective instructional and administrative processes, to assure that the financial management is sound, and to involve and satisfy the various stakeholders. Organizational capacity must be continually assessed and improved. It consists of a number of interrelated aspects. First, the people who are involved as Board members, administrators, teachers, or staff -- must have the appropriate skills, training, knowledge and desire to fulfill their respective roles, and they must be carefully matched to the duties to be fulfilled. The Board members must be able to provide effective strategic leadership for the school. The teachers must be dedicated, knowledgeable of their subject matter, understand how to teach children, and gain satisfaction from their roles and duties. The administrators must be competent, able to gain the respect of the teachers, staff and parents, and be alert to ways to continually improve the operation of the school. Second, effective use must be made of technology and information systems. This is particularly true in todays society. The school can determine how, and even if, it wishes to use technology in the classroom for instructional purposes. But whether technology becomes part of the curriculum or not, it can be effectively used for record-keeping, communications among the staff and with parents, in reaching out via the World Wide Web to market the school to prospective parents, and in a variety of other administrative and outreach tasks. Third, there are a series of intangible concerns that must be present for the school to be effective. These may be referred to as organizational capital, and include the ability of all aspects of the organization to be aligned toward the accomplishment of the goals. This means that everything that is done should contribute to the desired outcomes, whether it is a policy, expenditure, curriculum modification, new procedures, Board decision, the hiring or promoting of teachers

Lawrence P. Grayson, 2004

The logic is simple. It is only when there are dedicated and competent staff operating with effective and appropriate processes aimed at satisfying the needs and desires of all stakeholders, that the overall aims of the school will be achieved. The logic for Oak Knoll Academy is illustrated in the figure shown at the end of this paper. This is termed a strategic map, as it shows not only key goals and essential activities to be done well to achieve those goals, but the relationship of the concerns from each perspective.

should be kept and the length of time they should be retained, levels of proposed expenditures that require competitive bids, signatory authority, who has access to records, the frequency of audits, and so forth. In this way the actions can be aligned with the elements in the strategy and, in turn, with the outcomes that are to be achieved. As the school proceeds, the actual performance should be assessed against the measures. This is the way that those in charge will know if satisfactory progress is being made. If not, then various corrective actions can take place. Measurement provides the basis for effective management and improvement through continual changes in what or who is not performing to par.

The Next Steps

If the people establishing the school conduct their planning to the point of developing a strategic map of what has to be done, as illustrated in the example for St. Philomenas, they will have gone a long way toward having a system for making decisions that are likely to advance the goals of the school. They also will have put in place the basis for a management system that can be used both by the Board and by the key administrators in managing the school. The next step is to establish measures and targets for each of the principal elements on the strategic map. Typical measures for many of the elements have been presented above. For example, in discussing the maintenance of the facility, the number of deferred maintenance requests can be a measure. Maintenance requests can be categorized as to the seriousness of the need: not serious, serious, and very serious. A target might be that all requests categorized as very serious will be acted upon within one day. Similar targets can be established for the other categories. Then the number of requests in each category and the average delay before acting upon them can be counted and used in the management of the facility. Once measures and targets have been established, key actions can be proposed for each element. For example, for the element to assure that the financial management is sound, proposed actions might be to establish policies and procedures for: recording income, the type of receipts that

Concluding Comments
Once a strategy is developed, it must not be cast in stone. Rather, it must be a dynamic development that is revisited regularly to determine its continuing applicability. The mission and vision should remain fixed or the destination will not be meaningful; but the way to get to the destination will change. Unanticipated problems will arise and new opportunities will present themselves, especially as progress is made. For example, as the enrollments continue to increase it may be necessary to expand the building by adding a new wing. This may require hiring an architect, developing plans for the wing, scheduling construction so that it does not interfere with existing school schedules, taking out a new mortgage, and so forth. As the student body increases, it may be decided to introduce a bus service and provide lunches for the students. These are new elements that would be added to the strategy map. Further, some elements may become less critical and can be removed. The procedure presented here is a logical way to developing a strategy for establishing and managing a private school. Although it will not guarantee success, if carried out properly it will improve the chances for success.

Dr. Lawrence P. Grayson is a Senior Associate of the Balanced Scorecard Institute.

Lawrence P. Grayson, 2004

Strategy Map for Oak Knoll Academy Mission: To educate students to possess rigorous academic skills and virtuous characters so that they may lead full and productive lives Student Themes School Themes

Outcomes

Students master curriculum

Students exemplify virtues

Enrollment continues to grow

Resources increase

Stakeholder Involvement

Students are engaged in learning and character development

Parents are involved and enthusiastic

Donors are satisfied and committed

Financial Concerns

Financial management is sound

Instructional and Administrative Processes

Curriculum is sound

Instruction is effective

Facilities are safe and well maintained

Marketing plan is developed and executed

Organizational Capacity

Board provides effective leadership

Teachers are dedicated and satisfied

Administrative staff members are competent

Lawrence P. Grayson, 2004