1. NGS2017
Our Strategic Direction
THE NATIONAL GRADUATE SCHOOL
OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT
This material is protected by United States copyright laws. You must treat this publication like any other proprietary material. No part of this material may be copied,
photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium by individuals or organizations outside of The National Graduate School of Quality
Management without prior written consent from the National Graduate School of Quality Management. For information, please call 800.838.2580 or visit www.ngs.edu.
©2014 ◦ The National Graduate School of Quality Management
Celebrating20YEARSofQualityEducation
-successyoucanmeasure

2. Our Strategic Plan: NGS2017
This is the NGS Strategic Plan for 2014 through
2017. Our plan sets broad new goals in five
important areas that align our vision, mission, and
objectives.
 It defines how NGS can be unique and
compete in the higher education market.
 It articulates NGS’ future direction and how
we will position with college for success.
 It provides the framework for decision-making,
resource allocation, implementation and
measures of success.
2
Applying our
tools, knowledge,
experience and
innovative
passion to the
transformation of
our school
…
Our #1 priority
is
student success
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan

3. The National Graduate School of Quality
Management has a unique place in the country’s
higher education landscape.
We offer quality concepts-enhanced business
education for leaders and managers who aspire to
make a measurable difference in their organizations.
Our graduates will be organizational heroes by
deploying tools and techniques that will increase
organizational effectiveness, ROI, competitiveness, and
performance.
Our students travel a unique, outcomes-focused
educational journey with NGS, culminating in the
integration of their newly acquired knowledge, skills,
and attitudes in a process improvement project in their
work place.
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 3
Dr. R. Clinton Miner
President
“Coming
together as a
High
Performance
Team for the
future of our
School and
students!”

4. • Our Mission: to advance knowledge and best practices in
Quality Systems Management and create innovative
models with enterprise-wide significance
• Our value propositions:
• Competency-based, experiential learning
• Student-focused, “where everyone knows your name”
• High-touch, personal engagement
• Integration of knowledge and skills through
substantive end-of-program workplace project
• Quick, efficient, personalized issue resolution
• Our school: small, non-profit college, where
students, alumni, faculty, staff, and partners
advance Quality Systems Management through
education and research
• Our students: working professionals from all industry,
business, non-profit and government sectors
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 4
Dr. Zeita Merchant
DBA, MPA, MSQSM
Lieutenant Commander,
U.S. Coast Guard
Recent NGS Graduate
• Pervasive
quality theme
• Programs for
professionals
• Efficient, without
loss of
substance
• Military-friendly

5. NGS is
transforming
itself to
remain
relevant for its
students,
alumni and
the community
and to
enhance its
financial
stability
NGS2017 requires that we:
• Change the status quo mentality
• Create new: processes, approaches, culture,
transparency, structure
• Anticipate the future; avoid crises management
• Articulate a clear vision with actionable,
flexible strategy
• Be all-inclusive: the entire NGS community has
ownership; key stakeholders involved
• Ensure continuous improvement of governance
• Maintain fiscal responsibility and accountability
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 5

6. Fundamentals of NGS 2017
Strategy
 Articulating our future course and embarking
on our 3rd decade
 Transforming ourselves to remain relevant and
competitive
 Leveraging what makes NGS unique in the
educational landscape
 Focusing on transparency, on being high touch,
on each student’s success
 Taking on the challenges
 Entrenchment attitude
 Establishing an ongoing critical mass of students
 Burned bridges and relationships
 Transitioning the Board of Trustees
 Organic history; improve structure and processes
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 6

7. NGS2017 outlines
the transformation
of NGS, the
continuous
improvement of
our School.
It creates responses
to environmental
and organizational
pressures, the
evolving higher
education
landscape, and it
focuses on NGS
opportunities.
NGS2017 tenets:
 Inclusion approach : NGS community involvement
 Our future: agile planning to realize our opportunities
 Our brand: continuously improved quality
 Our finances: enrollment growth to ensure long-term
financial viability; smart cost management
 Our footprint: online, hybrid, on-campus offerings; new
programs, markets, including international partnerships
 Our portfolio: comprehensive, diverse, scalable
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 7
Faculty and staff Students Alumni Industry Military Associa-
tions
Experiential Competency-
based
Structured
personal
experiences
Integrative
“Do”
performance
Flexible programs Certificates Services Center of
excellence; NIIMS

8. NGS2017 Goals
Goal 1 – Fiscal: sustained financial stability
Goal 2 – Enrollment: 500 degree students; 400
certificate participants
Goal 3 – Processes: defined, transparent, compliant,
continuous improvement
Planning & decisions Curriculum Development
Faculty Development Student services
Quality delivery Customer Relations
Goal 4 – Expand and diversify the NGS portfolio
Center of Excellence: NIIMS Expanded certificate programs
Workshops and seminars Quality academic programs
Goal 5 – Expand the NGS footprint and diversify market
segments
Community colleges Military
Industry Cooperate with alumni
New locations/new sectors International
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 8

9. Stable fiscal
and financial
stewardship as
core strategic
tenet
Goal 1 - Financial stability
• Improved budget and forecasting
capabilities
• Financial review process implemented
• Revamp internal cost control procedures to
manage budgeted expense items
• Reduce Indirect Costs and increase revenues
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 9
2014
Stabilize
$400K
2015
$500K
2016
$750
2017
$1.0 Million

10. Goal 2 - Enrollment: planned,
purposeful growth
• Sustain annual enrollments of 500 degree
students (by 2017)
• Sustain annual enrollments of 400 certificate
students (by 2017)
• Continue optimizing offerings to key military
and government clientele
• Develop viable programs in Europe (2015)
and Asia (2016)
• Develop a supportive and active Alumni
group
• Manage marketing resources judiciously
• Enhance brand and program recognition
Sell the advantages of an NGS degree
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 10

11. Planning and
decision
processes (1/3)
Goal 3 - Defined and mapped
processes
 Complete process definition and mapping for
all critical planning and decision cycles (end
FY 2015)
 Quick, flexible cycles: implement just-in-time
course/service delivery
 Dash-board decision-support metrics for Board
of Trustees and ELT
 Ensure all processes are transparent,
published, owned by the community, and
compliant
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 11

12. NGS 2.0
(2/3)
Maintain:
- quality
programs and
services
- student focus
- high touch
culture
- high-
performance
team
Goal 3 - Defined and mapped
processes
 Fine-tune the NGS core organization to fulfill
all necessary business processes efficiently,
accurately, and with absolute focus on student
success and satisfaction
 Focus on essential academic programs
 Use staff augmentation resources to grow
certificate programs without impact to
academic programs
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 12

13. FDMP, CD, and
CRM (3/3)
Goal 3 - Defined and mapped
processes
Faculty Development and Management Program
 FDMP objective: trained, credentialed, engaged, further best
practices, excellence in teaching, high interaction with students
Curriculum Development
 CD objective: quality, experiential learning, competency-based,
focused on promoting, synthesis, integration, and application
Customer Relations Management
 CRM objective: organizational transparency, quick, effective
problem resolution/ prevention, retention, attracting new students
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 13
Selection/training CPD Coaching Remediation
Admin support
and functions
Defined/disciplined ISD
process
Need-based
competencies
Interactive
methodologies
Continuous
improvement
Strong
assessment
tools
Post-
graduation
assessment
Voice of the
community
Personalized RM
Supports student
needs and success
Fosters networking
Improves tracking
and resolution of
student issues
Overall process
improvement
Promotes word-of-
mouth marketing

14. Center of
Excellence (1/3) Goal 4 - Portfolio goals
Center of Excellence for Quality Management
• Promotes QSM as a discipline
• Fosters research, publishing, and community of
knowledge building
• Offers access to experts, consulting resources,
references, and best practices
• Extends the mission of NGS into research and
development activities
• Accelerates the expansion of the NGS footprint,
especially overseas
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 14
NGS
CENTER OF
EXCELLENCE FOR
QUALITY
MANAGEMENT

15. Goal 4 - Portfolio goals
Expanded portfolio of certificates based upon
needs of the community
• Retain current portfolio of Six Sigma programs
• Develop new non-credit programs aligned with core
business
• Implement a development and delivery cycle that
allows for fast responses to project opportunities
• Gain authorization to award academic credit as
appropriate for certificate courses
• Apply academic best practices to certificate
programs
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 15
Certificates
(2/3)
Supplements
and creates
synergies with
degree
programs

16. Academic
programs (3/3) Goal 4 - Portfolio goals
Quality academic programs
 Develop and field tools that assess the performance
of our graduates in the work place
 Implement Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) of
the curricula based upon assessments, stakeholder
input, best practices, and research
 Train faculty in effective teaching methods in
asynchronous and synchronous delivery
 Focus on competencies: teach to, assess, integrate
 Revise specialization content and build flexibility
into MSQSM and DBAQSM
 Expand portfolio and gain permission to offer core
general education courses at BSC level
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 16

17. Goal 5 - Footprint and market
segment goals
• Educational partners
- Extending relationships with professional associations
- Articulation agreements with community college
- Relationships with institutions without doctorate
programs
• Military
- Establish MOA with military installations
- Expanded offering of certificates for military and
government organizations
• Industry
- Expansion beyond “traditional” targets, e.g. high
technology, biotech, services
• Better win-win relationship with alumni
• New locations/new market sectors
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 17

18. securing
the
financial
future
NGS2017 Financial plan elements
 Rebuild and protect financial reserves
with a threshold increase each year
 Increase volume and contain costs
 Select best NGS-friendly locations
 Assess activities at the fully-loaded rate
 Leverage information technology
business-effectively
 Diversify targeted markets
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 18

19. Ongoing Steps
• Functional supervisors develop the operational
plans and measurements
• Executive Leadership Team (ELT) develops
Financial Plan
• ELT develops a Dashboard as a tool to assess
progress
• ELT reviews/assesses progress quarterly
• ELT provides the BOT the Dashboard and
assessment quarterly
• Publish a NGS2017 update to the NGS
community each quarter
• ELT monitors and adjusts the NGS2017 based
on the continued relevance of each goal
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 19

20. NGS2017:
Transforming for success
NGS Transformation Initiatives and Strategic Plan 20