Accountability Planning Matrix
For 11 years, we have utilized an Accountability Planning Matrix, to ensure that our plans and performance are aligned with our values and the constituencies we serve. The matrix helps us structure and evaluate each of our major programs.
This matrix is a tool for budgetary analysis and strategic goal planning. It is reviewed every two years, and requires every major program of the university to be based on clear goals, with an action plan for achieving those goals, a process for evaluating results and making decisions about the future of the program.
In each case, we use the matrix to identify the role of expenditures and the anticipated impact on the university’s principal constituents – students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Each unit ties segments of its budget to individual cells in the matrix, so there is clear accountability for spending tied to the values being supported and the constituent groups being served.
Long before the current recession, we’ve had the matrix in place as a useful framework for prioritizing spending and providing accountability.