As a working group, our challenge is to simplify VU's steering cycle. The steering cycle is about agreeing on, establishing and setting VU goals and monitoring their achievement. At the same time, we want to better secure the strategy and our goals in the cycle. The Framework Memorandum and the format for the annual plans are links in that cycle that help determine what the annual plans of the faculties and departments will look like, and how much effort it takes to develop those plans.   

In the spring - when drawing up the Framework Memorandum - we took a first step by providing insight into the policy objectives at central level. That turned out to be a lot. In translating those objectives into a new format annual plan, that format only got longer instead of shorter. To see what helps to create a good annual plan and what does not, feedback was gathered from a number of faculties and services. That was quite a challenge, but together we eventually managed to achieve a 25-30% reduction in the formats.   

What has been improved?  

• Apart from the fact that the format has been shortened, the format distinguishes more between what must be included in each annual plan and what is given as a direction.  
• The focus is now more on ‘what’ faculties and departments will do next year instead of ‘how’ they will do it.  
• A clearer link has been established with the framework memorandum; where relevant for the preparation of the decentralised annual plans, the policy frameworks have been incorporated in the format.   
• The subject of operations has been added to the format. This provides faculties and departments with the space to include their own focal points in this area.

What else has changed in the process?  

The formats are now available two weeks earlier than last year. This is important because every year it proves challenging to fold the preparation of the annual plans around the summer holidays of all colleagues involved. In the coming months, everyone will get to work and the working group, in collaboration with the business controllers of the faculties and services, will see how these adjustments will work out.   

In October, the annual plans of the faculties and services will be determined and the overarching VU annual plan will also be drawn up. We want to ensure that from then on, all annual plans will be available for everyone to consult internally. This way, we will have insight into each other's priorities and we can look each other up in time to collaborate on them if necessary.  

Would you like to know more about the new annual plan format? Then contact Ezra Lodder (BZ) and Sanne Folkerts (FIN), initiators of the annual plan process.