All organizations fight against the impulse to focus on problem solving over the kind of improvements that result in high-impact, long-term improvements. Realizing that it is time to step back and think strategically is only half the battle. Sometimes you really need an external resource to help you identify the opportunities and craft a new plan.

As we say in the consulting business, "Perspective is worth 20 IQ points."

The consultants of Accredit Consulting has been using applying the tactics of Appreciative Inquiry for medical schools and other organizations for many years. Appreciative Inquiry is a process that looks to identify and amplify those things that are working well in an organization, building on strengths and finding opportunities for collaboration and then identifying the gaps where new talents or processes are required.

Accredit Consulting provides expert opinion, outside perspective, and best practice processes to identify opportunities not only for improvement but for the development of differentiating excellence . This work should begin well before the regular accreditation process, as it can take years to make changes to curriculum, admissions or other aspects of the program and then record the results.

Where we are now, where we can be, what path we should take.

The Strategic Assessment provides an opportunity to catalog the present state of affairs as compared to the industry and to internal strategic goals. Through this process we establish a shared empirical understanding of what is working, what needs to be improved, and how to prioritize new initiatives and opportunities. Accredit Consulting employs Project Management Institute (PMI) methodologies with a five-step process to accomplish a Strategic Assessment. The deliverables of this process are tools that can be updated easily for future assessments and through changes in organizational strategy. The five steps of the Strategic Assessment are:

• Catalog: The present assets, spending, budgets and needs of the organization are captured and cataloged as are the strategic desires of the stakeholders. This is a snap shot of the organization as a collection of resources and goals.
• Map: The present processes, both human and technological, are mapped, including decision points and criteria. This is a snap shot of the organization as it presently operates and how the items in the Catalog interrelate.
• Metrics: Current success metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the organization are checked against industry benchmarks and new KPIs are developed based on organizational priorities. This phase produces the rubric by which plans will be judged and produces an expanded version of the Map.
• Forecast: The strategic directions and assumptions of the organization, the market, and supporting organizations are outlined and matrixed, giving multiple views of how decisions made today will effect the future state as determined by the Metrics.
• Recommendation: A set of recommendations is generated that outlines the steps and changes to bridge the gap between present and future states. Budgetary and staffing levels are outlined as well as options, if applicable.