Our Approach

We will assist you in identifying strategic opportunities or challenges that advance UMass Amherst’s strategic plan goals.

Actions:

• Stakeholders submit a Project Intake Form detailing the association of project priorities with campus strategic goals: Educate, Innovate, Engage, Connect, Steward.
• OIE evaluates submissions for alignment with institutional objectives and feasibility.

Project Sponsors can submit projects using the Project Consultation Request Form.

We will assist you in envisioning the project’s scope, clarifying goals, and ensuring alignment with the University’s strategic plan.

Actions:

• Conduct an intake meeting between OIE and the project sponsor to:
  • Discuss the project’s connection to specific strategic goals.
  • Discuss desired outcomes, success criteria, and measures.
  • Identify gaps or overlaps with existing initiatives.
  • Evaluate capacity, resources, and timeline for feasibility.

We can help you define the governance structure for your project and formalize project alignment with UMass Amherst’s priorities through a comprehensive design and implementation plan.

Actions:

• OIE and project sponsor draft a Project Charter, including:
  • Key stakeholders, project owners, and team members.
  • Defined scope, timeline, budget, and resource requirements.
  • Relevance to the strategic plan with specific, measurable outcomes.

We will help you launch the project with a clear focus on outcomes tied to strategic success.

Actions:

• Host a kick-off meeting to:
  • Align the project team on roles, timelines, and deliverables.
  • Establish collaboration and reporting expectations.
  • Provide resources, training, and tools for implementation.
• Schedule and coordinate regular updates, focusing on milestones and addressing escalations as needed.

We will help evaluate the project’s impact on strategic goals and incorporate findings into future initiatives to address strategic opportunities or challenges.

Actions:

• Implement an assessment and evaluation cycle:
  • Gather and analyze data to measure the project’s contributions to strategic priorities.
  • Verify deliverables and assess outcomes against initial objectives.
  • Archive documentation and integrate findings into institutional reports.

We will assist through leveraging performance dashboards and project reviews to identify future strategic opportunities or address strategic challenges that might hinder success.

Actions:

• Conduct a project review with the team and sponsor to:
  • Share insights with stakeholders, identifying successes, challenges, and areas for improvement.
  • Present a summary of results to OIE leadership and stakeholders.
  • Integrate findings into future planning to promote continuous improvement.