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Chapter Assessment and Planning Session. “All of the brothers commented on how well CAPS worked for our retreat and for our chapter as a whole.” August 2009. What is CAPS?.
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“All of the brothers commented on how well CAPS worked for our retreat and for our chapter as a whole.” August 2009
What is CAPS? • A tool to help the chapter identify its goals and begin to plan its program for the coming year, based on an assessment of the past year. • Developed in 2007-2008 as a completely new approach to chapter self-evaluation and planning.
No, WHY Are We Doing This? • To review current chapter operations. • To evaluate how well the chapter has met its goals. • To set new goals for the upcoming year. • To help unify the chapter and gather input from multiple perspectives. • To motivate the members to get the job done!
What CAPS is Not • Comprehensive, point-by-point analysis of chapter operations. • Tool for planning every activity for the coming year • Just a new name for the CPPC
Key Features of CAPS • Won’t take all day! (3-4 hrs) • Relies on input developed in small groups • Considers what works well and what could be done better when planning ahead • Treats planning and evaluation as a cycle, not a straight-through process • Focused on the chapter deriving real benefits from time well spent, rather than focused on reporting.
The Process: Comments from CAPS “The advisors facilitated the program, so that the entire membership in attendance could fully participate in the program.” “I was amazed at how easy it was to run and how the chapter membership got involved in it.”
Ideal time to Hold CAPS: Spring • Natural break-point in chapter operations • End of school year - offers vantage point for reflection • After officer elections - provides some definition in terms of who will be responsible for carrying out plans
Who Should Participate? • Designed for participation by all chapter members. • At a minimum, all chapter officers should attend. • Chapter advisors are also welcome, and can help facilitate.
Where and How Long? • Can be held anywhere, on campus or off. • Need space for the whole chapter to come together, but also for small groups. • Small groups need space to discuss ideas without disturbing others, and need some flat space (wall, white board or easels) for placing Post-It notes.
Methodology: Comments from CAPS “They had no problem in identifying specific areas that the chapter was doing well at, as well as the specific areas in which the chapter program needed revision.” “The process made it easy for them to analyze where we needed to go in the chapter, and to create the goals to make it happen.”
The CAPS Methodology CAPS relies on three key elements: • Small groups • Participating, not observing • Affinity diagrams • Get people moving and thinking • Freedom to provide input and perspective • Ability to find common ideas and themes • Leadership • Facilitation of the meeting, not domination
The CAPS Process • What’s our vision? • What works in our Chapter? • What could be improved? • Discuss possible goals • Evaluate • Follow-up
What’s Our Vision? • Where is the chapter going? • Do we have commonality? • The best vision statements are kept brief • Use the Vision Statement Worksheet
What’s Our Vision? “To choose a direction, a leader must first have developed a mental image of a possible and desirable future state of the organization.” • A vision statement translates this mental image into a view of a realistic, credible, attractive future for an organization – a condition that is better in some important ways than what now exists. A vision describes what’s unique about the chapter and sets forth a road map and standard of excellence that clarifies what the chapter wants to be and where it wants to go.
What’s Our Vision? The best vision statements are brief! Sample vision statements: • Disney: “We create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment for people of all ages, everywhere.” • Caterpillar: “An admired global leader making progress possible.” • APO: “To be recognized as the premier service-based leadership development organization.
What Works in Our Chapter? • Time for small groups to engage – use the Post-Its and build affinity diagrams • What works so that we can KEEP DOING WHAT WE DO BEST! (AND MAYBE IMPROVE IT) • Focus on key functions of the chapter: Leadership, Friendship, Service, Communications, Membership, and Recruiting/Pledging (New Member Education).
What Could Be Improved? • More affinity diagrams! • Consider what should be Improved, Started, Continued as is, or Eliminated • Take into account feedback from “How Does Your Chapter Rate?”
Discuss Possible Goals • Small groups now help identify where the chapter goes from here! • Review the Goal Setting Guidelines for background on setting positive goals and using the SMART (and SMARTER) approach • Possible SMART goals should be drafted using the SMART goal worksheet for each item identified to Improve or Start • Discuss and write a statement addressing items to either be Continued or Eliminated. • Review and refine goal statements, combine or integrate statements.
Evaluate Before leaving, identify the next steps: • Individual officers review suggested goals for their areas of responsibility and prepare action plan. • Executive committee meets to compile overall chapter action plan. • Plan shared with the chapter as a whole and put into action for the coming year.
Evaluate Make sure an evaluation is completed by all participants, and also complete the chapter evaluation for submission online. Closing statements should thank the participants, facilitators and guests. Any other comments or statements should NOT reopen disucssions or delve into chapter business.
Follow-Up CAPS is worthless if you don’t take something away from it and act on it in a timely manner. • Follow-up means follow through • Use the After CAPS Checklist
Follow-Up • Individual chapter officers review their suggested action items and goals, and build their own action plans • Chapter officers meet to compile the overall chapter action plan • Share the plan with the chapter • Put it into ACTION! • Hold mid-year review to assess progress, make modifications and celebrate successes.
Follow-Up Do it again next year!
“I was most impressed at how CAPS, in its own subtle way, made the chapter membership come together as a team and work through the solutions together so that no one felt left out and everyone had a voice in the future…”
For more information on CAPS Go online: http://www.apo.org/show/National_Programs/Leadership/CAPS Contact Charlie Zimmerman • charliez@aol.com • (309) 444-7301