ACUP+ Lesson: Strategic Planning for Your In-plant

By Bob Neubauer

Kim Stanford leads a session at ACUP 2026 on crafting a strategic plan.

In late March, about 75 higher-ed and K-12 in-plant managers traveled to Dallas for the 60th Association of College and University Printers (ACUP+) conference, a jam-packed event featuring educational sessions, a vendor exhibit hall, an in-plant tour, and nonstop networking. The program was divided into three tracks — management, mailing, and printing — and one standout management session tackled the essentials of strategic planning.

Kim Stanford (University of Alaska Anchorage) stressed the importance of working with your team to craft a strategic plan that expresses your operation’s purpose, direction, and goals along with the actions needed to achieve them. Everyone on the team should be a part of this process, she said. Emphasize collaboration and how essential it is that everyone participates, she said.

About 75 in-plant managers attended ACUP 2026.

In her first strategic planning meeting, she brought snacks for her team and asked them to consider “Who do we exist for?” and “What’s the result we want to see?” Stanford collected their ideas and narrowed them down, which showed the team that their opinions mattered. They were able to write their mission statement in two hours.

While the mission statement communicates your group’s purpose, she said, it’s also important to have a vision statement that provides insight into what you hope to achieve or become in the future. Along with that, you should list 5-6 core values that reflect the guiding principles and behaviors you expect.

Strategic planning also includes agreeing on your vision, and values. Describe the future you want to create, Stanford said. Define the guiding principles and behaviors you expect. These should become part of your workplace culture.

ACUP 2026 attendees

After identifying your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, Stanford said, work on your strategic goals: Long-term objectives to drive your progress forward. Then come up with action plans to help you achieve each objective. Break down each high-level goal into components and allocate any necessary available resources.

Once your strategic plan is finished, Stanford noted, it’s not finished. You must revisit the plan quarterly.

“It’s an ongoing process, not a one-time thing,” she said.

Celebrate milestones to maintain momentum and morale, she added, and adjust your goals as circumstances change.

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Bob Neubauer Author's page

Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited 200 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.