DEVELOPING A TECHNOLOGY PLAN "VISION STATEMENT"

by
Michael D King
Reference: Tech "N" TuIt

The goal of the technology steering committee meeting will be to write a vision statement that provides

direction for future technology planning. To accomplish this process, the site-based steering committee

members will develop both a mission and vision statement. These statements will be the nucleus for all

future planning. A vision statement expresses in broad terms about what will happen in the future, while a

mission statement describes how the vision will be fulfilled.

The vision/mission planning process should be tied directly to the school’s central purpose of

educating students and improving learning. In order for this to occur, the steering committee will need to

analyze and review their deep beliefs about knowledge and learning and how technology can be

integrated to support the vision of school improvement. Outlined in Exhibit 1, a sample agenda has been

prepared to help steering committee members reflect their beliefs regarding the integration of technology

into education.

Checklist for Developing A Vision Statement

 What roles do we desire and see for the future of technology and education in our institution and
community?

 What will our classrooms of the future look like and include?

 How will instruction be delivered?

 How and at what levels will students achieve?

 How will the community be involved?

 What do we envision for our learners in the future?

Checklist for Developing A Mission Statement

 What must we do to make our vision come true?

 What is learning, according to our definition?

 What does learning look like while in progress?

 What is different about learning with technology?

 What must we do to develop, implement, and continually improve the quality of instruction and
learning using technology?
 What are desired student benefits and outcomes?
 What characterizes our learners?

Sample Mission Statement

To demonstrate how a vision mission statement would be constructed an example is provided of a

completed vision/mission statement in (Exhibit3 Mission Statement Sample). Notice that the mission

statement in Exhibit 3 reflects how the school will use, integrate and support student learning and

success through the use of technology.

Exhibit 3
SAMPLE OF MISSION STATEMENT
______________________________________________________________________________
NAME OF SCHOOL will use technology as one of many tools to improve learning opportunities for students. The
effective use of technology will support and strengthen our core curriculum, by providing additional resources for
instruction. The integration of technology as a part of our daily instruction will further motivate our students as they
strive for high academic standards. By integrating technology into the curriculum, we will prepare our student for the
workplace of tomorrow.

V
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VISION AND
ISION AND
ISION AND
ISION ANDM
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MISSION
ISSION
ISSION
ISSION
The vision and the mission of an organization emerge from important social, economic,

spiritual and political values. They are meant to inspire and promote organizational

loyalty. Vision and mission are those parts of an organization that appeal to the heart;

that is, they represent the organization’s emotional appeal. They motivate people and
draw upon staff and stakeholders’ hopes and aspirations. In this sense, the vision and

mission of an organization provide inspirational motivation.

Clarifying the vision and mission are important in both private and public sector

organizations. Private sector organizations often identify the importance of serving their

customers, and have created visions and missions to support this theme. In the public

sphere, schools, hospitals and even line ministries have begun to see their roles in

terms of service to the public, and have developed vision and mission statements that

support such ideas.

At issue for many organizations is not only to write but to then live the statements.

When vision and mission statements are not lived up to, the result is not to enhance

motivation but to foster cynicism. Assessing an organization’s motivation primarily

involves looking at its mission, since this is more closely linked to what the organization

wants to do. However, in examining the mission, the link to the larger vision, as well as

more operational components, must also be assessed.

Definition
Definition
Definition
Definition
An organization’s vision defines the kind of a world to which it wants to contribute.

Visions lie beyond the scope of any one organization. They represent the hopes and

dreams of organizational members. The vision describes the changes in the prevailing

economic, political, social or environmental situation that the organization hopes to bring

about.

Missions, on the other hand, are a step in operationalizing the vision, an organization’s
raison d’être. The mission is an expression of how people see the organization
operating. It exists within the context of the vision, and begins the process of

operationalizing the vision into more concrete actions. In this context, the mission lays a

foundation for future action and guides the organization’s choice of strategies and

activities. Some of the main reasons for an organization to have a vision and mission

expressed in clear statements are to:

•

Promote clarity of purpose

•

Function as a foundation for making decisions

•
Gain commitment for goals
•

Foster understanding and support for its goals.

Whereas the vision locates the organization within a cluster of organizations, it is the

mission that answers the questions: Why does this organization exist? Whom does it

serve? By what means does it serve them? Those responsible for the performance of

an organization increasingly recognize the benefits of clearly and simply communicating

the direction in which their organization is going. Such descriptions of the organization’s

future, whom it serves, what it values, and how it defines success can have a powerful

impact on the organization’s personality.

A tool that identifies the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of an organization.
Specifically, SWOT is a basic, straightforward model that assesses what an organization can and
cannot do as well as its potential opportunities and threats. The method of SWOT analysis is to
take the information from an environmental analysis and separate it into internal (strengths and
weaknesses) and external issues (opportunities and threats). Once this is completed, SWOT
analysis determines what may assist the firm in accomplishing its objectives, and what obstacles
must be overcome or minimized to achieve desired results.

When using SWOT analysis, be realistic about the strengths and weaknesses of your
organization. Distinguish between where your organization is today, and where it could be in the
future. Also remember to be specific by avoiding gray areas and always analyze in relation to the
competition (i.e. are you better or worse than competition?). Finally, keep your SWOT analysis
short and simple, and avoid complexity and over-analysis since much of the information is
subjective. Thus, use it as a guide and not a prescription

strategic gap analysis

Hide links within definitionsShow links within definitions

Definition
Forecasting technique in which the difference between the desired performance levels and the
extrapolated (see extrapolation) results of the current performance levels is measured and
examined. This measurement indicates what needs to be done and what resources are required
to achieve the goals of an organization's strategy.

Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/strategic-gap-analysis.html#ixzz14Nidl4Qn

In business and economics, gap analysis is a tool that helps a company to compare its actual
performance with its potential performance. At its core are two questions: "Where are we?" and
"Where do we want to be?" If a company or organization is not making the best use of its current
resources or is forgoing investment in capital or technology, then it may be producing or
performing at a level below its potential. This concept is similar to the base case of being below
one's production possibilities frontier.
The goal of gap analysis is to identify the gap between the optimized allocation and integration
of the inputs, and the current level of allocation. This helps provide the company with insight
into areas which could be improved. The gap analysis process involves determining,
documenting and approving the variance between business requirements and current capabilities.
Gap analysis naturally flows from benchmarking and other assessments. Once the general
expectation of performance in the industry is understood, it is possible to compare that
expectation with the company's current level of performance. This comparison becomes the gap
analysis. Such analysis can be performed at the strategic or operational level of an organization.
Gap analysis is a formal study of what a business is doing currently and where it wants to go
in
the future. It can be conducted, in different perspectives, as follows:
1. Organization (e.g., human resources)
2. Business direction
3. Business processes
4. Information technology
Gap analysis and new products
The need for new products or additions to existing lines may have emerged from portfolio
analyses, in particular from the use of the Boston Consulting Group Growth-share matrix, or the
need will have emerged from the regular process of following trends in the requirements of
consumers. At some point a gap will have emerged between what the existing products offer the
consumer and what the consumer demands. That gap has to be filled if the organization is to
survive and grow.
To identify a gap in the market, the technique of gap analysis can be used. Thus an examination
of what profits are forecasted for the organization as a whole compared with where the
organization (in particular its shareholders) 'wants' those profits to be represents what is called
the 'planning gap': this shows what is needed of new activities in general and of new products in
particular.
What isGap Analysis?

Your next step is to close the gap. Firstly decide whether you view from a strategic or an
operational/tactical perspective. If you are writing strategy, you will go on to write tactics - see the lesson
on marketing plans. The diagram below uses Ansoff's matrix to bridge the gap using strategies:

You can close the gap by using tactical approaches. The marketing mix is ideal for this.
So
effectively, you modify the mix so that you get to where you want to be. That is to say you change price, or
promotion to move from where you are today (or in fact any or all of the elements of the marketing mix).