IPS Leadership Team

This week the agency directors, Chuck Shoopman and I are meeting in Cookeville for two days to begin updating the IPS Strategic Plan. As you know, the UT system has been working on an updated system plan for the last six months. All staff have received updates on this process and still have an opportunity to provide input on the system web site. Simultaneously, each of the agencies has updated its strategic plan. Each used a process that worked best for its envirnoment, but basically employees, a variety of customers and the advisory committee had an opportunity for input. Then, each employee's annual work plan was developed and should be tied to the strategic plan.


The IPS strategic plan joins these two ends of the spectrum. The institute doesn't have a plan separate from the agency plans. The institute plan seeks to find common opportunities across the institute and provide resources and opportunities for our agencies to provide improved services to our customers. The goals in the institute plan link the agencies to the system. Once we have a draft IPS Strategic Plan developed, all employees will have an opportunity to provide input.


When the entire process falls into the place, there should be a clear link from each employee's work plan to his/her agency plan, to the IPS plan and to the System Plan. So, each employee knows if he/she is accomplishing the work plan they are also accomplishing the University of Tennessee mission. That's how great organizations operate and that's how we want to operate.

Make sense?