5 year strategic plan template with a worked example

5 year strategic plan template

A 5 year strategic plan sets the few long-range priorities an organization will fund and the yearly milestones that show whether those priorities are on track. It is owned by the chief executive or president and agreed with the governing board, the senior team and the people who fund the capital projects in it.

Horizon: 5 years4 priorities · 11 outcomes

Use this template

What this 5 year strategic plan template includes

ContextThe situation, the challenges to solve, and what is deliberately left out.
Mission and 5 year visionThe purpose of the organization and what will be different in five years.
Year-by-year milestonesWhat must be true at the end of each year for the five-year targets to hold.
Major investmentsThe capital projects and commitments the plan depends on.
Planning assumptionsThe external conditions the plan relies on, reviewed every year.
Priorities and measuresThree to five priorities, each with an owner, outcomes with a baseline and target, and the initiatives behind them.

5 year strategic plan example

A complete 5 year strategic plan for a fictional organization: public community college with two campuses serving 9,000 students.

Worked example5 year strategic plan

Organization	Public community college with two campuses serving 9,000 students (600 staff)
Ambition	By 2031, be the college where four in ten new students finish a credential within three years and the region's hospitals and manufacturers hire first.
Horizon	5 years

Context

Where we are and what we are choosing

Headcount enrollment has fallen from 11,200 in fall 2019 to 9,000, and the number of local high school graduates is projected to drop another 6% by 2031. Only 27% of first-time students complete a credential within three years, and 55% return for a second fall. From FY29 the state will tie 25% of its appropriation, about $7.4 million, to completions instead of enrollment. Meanwhile the nursing program turns away 200 qualified applicants a year for 80 seats, and regional manufacturers report 400 unfilled technician jobs. The north campus carries $42 million of deferred maintenance, the east campus uses 45% of its classroom hours, and the operating budget is $78 million.

Challenges

Funding is about to follow completions, and nearly three in four new students leave without a credential.
The programs with the strongest job demand are capped by lab space and clinical faculty, while 11 programs graduate fewer than eight students a year.
Reserves cover 9% of annual operating expenses, too thin to absorb another enrollment drop or a failed capital request.

We will focus on

Completion first: advising, course maps and first-year math and English, because every retained student also stabilizes revenue.
Health sciences and advanced manufacturing, the two fields where employers will co-fund seats and graduates earn a living wage.
Adults aged 25 and over, the only local population that is growing.

We will not

Building student housing or adding athletics to compete with the regional university for recent high school graduates.
Offering bachelor's degrees, even though state law now allows it and some trustees favor it. The accreditation and faculty cost would take money from completion.
Opening a third site in the southern county. Those students will be served online and through evening sections at partner high schools.

Mission and 5 year vision

Mission	We give every resident of our district an affordable route to a credential that leads to a good job or a transfer with junior standing.
5 year vision	In 2031, 38% of new students complete within three years, up from 27%. Enrollment is back above 10,000 because students stay, not because we recruit harder. The health sciences center graduates 260 nurses and allied health workers a year, and reserves can absorb a bad year without layoffs.

Year-by-year milestones

Year	Theme	Milestone
FY27	Fix the first year	Corequisite math and English replace all standalone developmental courses; advisor caseloads fall below 450; bond measure drafted
FY28	Commit the capital	Bond passes and state capital is awarded; health sciences center breaks ground; 11 low-completion programs closed to new students
FY29	Adapt to the new formula	First year of performance funding earned at 85% or more of the maximum; retention reaches 61%; new student information system live
FY30	Open and fill	Health sciences center opens with a 140-seat nursing cohort; 20 employers sponsor apprentices; reserves reach 15%
FY31	Prove the result	Three-year completion at 38%; headcount at 10,200; maintenance backlog down to $24 million; next plan drafted from results

Major investments

Investment	Cost	Start	Payback
Health sciences center, east campus	$38 million: $22 million state, $12 million bond, $4 million gifts	FY28, opens fall 2029	115 more health graduates a year from FY31
Advising expansion, 16 advisors	$1.3 million a year	FY27	Breaks even at 190 more retained students a year
Student information system replacement	$6.5 million over three years	FY27	Retires two systems costing $900,000 a year; makes degree audits possible
North campus renewal	$18 million, state maintenance funds	FY28	Cuts the backlog from $42 million to $24 million
Advanced manufacturing lab equipment	$3.2 million, half from employers	FY28	Apprenticeship fees cover running costs by FY30

Planning assumptions

The state holds the performance share of its appropriation at 25% from FY29. If it rises to 40%, the advising expansion is brought forward a year and funded from reserves.
Local high school graduates decline 6% by 2031. If the drop is closer to 10%, the adult learner target rises by 300 students to hold total enrollment.
Voters approve the $12 million bond in November 2027. If it fails, the center is built in two phases, simulation labs first, and the nursing cohort caps at 110 seats until FY32.
Partner hospitals keep funding six clinical instructors and guaranteeing placements. Without them, nursing expansion stops at the number of placements we can secure ourselves.
Tuition rises no more than 3% a year and the base state appropriation stays flat in dollars. A cut of more than 5% triggers a review of the north campus renewal schedule.

Priorities and measures

Priority 1Owner: Provost

Get more students to a credential

Completion is the mission, and from FY29 it is also the funding formula. Most students who leave do so in the first year, before finishing college-level math and English.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
First-time students completing a credential within three yearsMilestones: 29% by FY28 · 32% by FY29 · 35% by FY30	27%	38%	FY31
Fall-to-fall retention of first-time studentsMilestones: 58% by FY28 · 61% by FY29 · 64% by FY30	55%	66%	FY31
New students passing college-level math and English in year oneMilestones: 36% by FY27 · 44% by FY28 · 50% by FY29	31%	55%	FY30

Initiatives

Replace standalone developmental courses with corequisite support sections
Cut advisor caseloads from 650 to 300 students and assign every new student an advisor before registration
Group all programs into nine pathways with a default term-by-term course map
Run a degree audit each term and contact every student within 15 credits of finishing

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Priority 2Owner: Vice President for Workforce and Health Sciences

Grow the programs regional employers are short of

Nursing turns away 200 qualified applicants a year and manufacturers cannot fill technician jobs. These are the programs where demand, wages and employer co-funding all line up.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Nursing and allied health graduates per yearMilestones: 150 graduates by FY28 · 165 graduates by FY29 · 180 graduates by FY30	145 graduates	260 graduates	FY31
Career program graduates employed in their field within six monthsMilestones: 64% by FY28 · 68% by FY29 · 72% by FY30	61%	75%	FY31
Enrolled students aged 25 and overMilestones: 2,950 students by FY28 · 3,200 students by FY29 · 3,500 students by FY30	2,790 students	3,800 students	FY31

Initiatives

Build the health sciences center and expand the nursing cohort from 80 to 140 seats
Sign apprenticeship agreements in mechatronics and industrial maintenance with 20 employers
Award credit for prior learning for military, industry certifications and licensed practical nurses
Move evening career programs to eight-week terms with one fixed schedule per cohort

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Priority 3Owner: Vice President for Student Affairs

Close the completion gap for low-income and part-time students

Pell recipients complete at 21% against 27% overall, and part-time students, who are 58% of enrollment, are the least likely to return. The overall target cannot be met without them.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Pell recipients completing a credential within three yearsMilestones: 24% by FY28 · 28% by FY29 · 32% by FY30	21%	35%	FY31
Fall-to-fall retention of part-time studentsMilestones: 41% by FY28 · 44% by FY29 · 47% by FY30	38%	50%	FY31

Initiatives

Convert the six highest-enrollment pathways to zero textbook cost
Open one basic needs office per campus for emergency grants, food and benefits applications
Offer drop-in evening childcare at the east campus four nights a week
Clear balances under $500 that block re-enrollment, funded by the foundation

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Priority 4Owner: Vice President for Finance and Administration

Put the college on a stable financial footing

Reserves of 9% and a $42 million maintenance backlog leave no room for error in the first years of performance funding. Money has to move from under-enrolled programs and empty rooms to the priorities above.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Unrestricted reserves as a share of annual operating expensesMilestones: 11% by FY28 · 13% by FY29 · 15% by FY30	9%	17%	FY31
Fall headcount enrollmentMilestones: 9,100 students by FY28 · 9,400 students by FY29 · 9,800 students by FY30	9,000 students	10.2K students	FY31
Deferred maintenance backlogMilestones: $36M by FY29 · $30M by FY30	$42M	$24M	FY31

Initiatives

Close 11 programs that graduate fewer than eight students a year and teach out current students
Build the class schedule from pathway demand to raise east campus room use from 45% to 65%
Run the November 2027 bond campaign and the state capital request as one case
Replace the student information system and retire the two systems it duplicates

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Blank 5 year strategic plan template

The same structure with a prompt in every field. Copy it, or download it as a Word or Excel file.

Your plan5 year strategic plan

Organization	[Describe your organization in a few words, with its size]
Ambition	[One sentence on where you want to be at the end of the plan]
Horizon	[How long the plan runs, for example 12 months]

Context

Where we are and what we are choosing

[Where things stand today: the facts that make this strategy necessary]

Challenges

[A problem the strategy has to solve]
[A problem the strategy has to solve]

We will focus on

[Something you are choosing to concentrate on]
[Something you are choosing to concentrate on]

We will not

[Something you are deliberately leaving out]
[Something you are deliberately leaving out]

Mission and 5 year vision

Mission	[Your mission]
5 year vision	[Your 5 year vision]

Year-by-year milestones

Year	Theme	Milestone
[Year]	[Theme]	[Milestone]
[Year]	[Theme]	[Milestone]
[Year]	[Theme]	[Milestone]

Major investments

Investment	Cost	Start	Payback
[Investment]	[Cost]	[Start]	[Payback]
[Investment]	[Cost]	[Start]	[Payback]
[Investment]	[Cost]	[Start]	[Payback]

Planning assumptions

[An assumption and what would change if it proved wrong]
[An assumption and what would change if it proved wrong]
[An assumption and what would change if it proved wrong]

Priorities and measures

Priority 1Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

Priority 2Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

Priority 3Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

Priority 4Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

How to adapt it

01
Start from the one or two things that take five years to change, such as a building, a funding formula or a completion rate. If everything in the draft could be done in 18 months, write a shorter plan.
02
Write the year five targets first, then work backward to what must be true at the end of each year. A milestone table that reads as a list of launches, with no results, will not tell the board whether the plan is working.
03
Cost every major investment and name its funding source and start date. A capital project with no identified money is a wish, and it should sit in an appendix until funded.
04
List the outside conditions the plan depends on and write down what changes if each proves wrong. Review the list every year with the board before the budget is set.
05
Fix the five-year targets but reset the annual milestones each year. Keep a record of every change so the plan's history is visible.
06
Replace the outcomes with your own baselines from the last audited or reported year, not from the best year on record.

How to run it

A plan only works if it is reviewed on a rhythm. This is the cadence the example assumes.

Check-in	Outcome owners update progress and confidence weekly.
Review	Priority owners review outcomes and unblock initiatives monthly.
Reset	Leadership revisits priorities and targets quarterly.

Tability keeps this cadence for you. Each priority becomes an objective, each outcome a key result with its baseline and target, and each initiative a tracked task. Owners get a check-in reminder and the plan shows what is on track.

Track this plan in Tability

Still comparing tools? See the 10 best strategy software tools.

Common mistakes

Spreading effort evenly across five years. Capital projects and culture change are front-loaded, and a plan with nothing hard in years one and two usually has nothing delivered in year five.
Treating enrollment or revenue forecasts as facts. A five-year plan without written assumptions cannot be corrected when one of them breaks.
Adding priorities each year without removing any, so the plan grows from four priorities to twelve by year three.
Setting only year five targets. Without interim milestones, nobody can say in year two whether the plan is behind.

Questions, answered.

What should a 5 year strategic plan include?

It should include a mission and a concrete picture of year five, three to five priorities with measurable outcomes, year-by-year milestones, the major investments with cost and funding source, and the assumptions the plan depends on. Add what the organization has decided not to do, because that is what protects the priorities when new ideas arrive.

Is five years too long for a strategic plan?

Five years is right when your main investments take that long to pay off, as with buildings, new academic programs or infrastructure. It is too long for organizations whose market changes yearly. If you use a five-year horizon, set annual milestones and review the assumptions every year so the plan can adjust without being rewritten.

How do you write a 5 year strategic plan?

Begin with an honest diagnosis using current numbers, then set a small number of year five targets. Work backward to annual milestones, cost the investments, and write down the assumptions. Test the draft with the people who will fund and deliver it before the board approves it. Most of the time should go into choosing what to leave out.

How often should a 5 year plan be reviewed?

Review progress on outcomes monthly at leadership level and quarterly with the board. Once a year, before budgeting, revisit the assumptions and reset the next year's milestones. The five-year targets should change only when an assumption has clearly failed, and the change should be recorded with the reason.

What is the difference between a 5 year plan and an annual plan?

A 5 year plan sets direction, long-range targets and the large commitments that span budget cycles. An annual plan sets the specific work, budget and owners for the next twelve months. The annual plan should be drawn from the current year's row in the five-year milestones, so that each year's work adds up to the long-range result.

5 year strategic plan template

Get the Word file

What this 5 year strategic plan template includes

5 year strategic plan example

Context

Mission and 5 year vision

Year-by-year milestones

Major investments

Planning assumptions

Get more students to a credential

Grow the programs regional employers are short of

Close the completion gap for low-income and part-time students

Put the college on a stable financial footing

Blank 5 year strategic plan template

Context

Mission and 5 year vision

Year-by-year milestones

Major investments

Planning assumptions

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

Get the Word file

How to adapt it

How to run it

Common mistakes

Questions, answered.

What this 5 year strategic plan template includes

5 year strategic plan example

Get more students to a credential

Grow the programs regional employers are short of

Close the completion gap for low-income and part-time students

Put the college on a stable financial footing

Blank 5 year strategic plan template

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

How to adapt it

How to run it

Common mistakes

Questions, answered.

Related templates

Strategic plan template

Strategic plan example

Corporate strategy template