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From Plans to Progress: Celebrating Implementation Success

April 2025 | Courtney Thornton

Behind every successful implementation plan initiative are dedicated implementation plan contacts. This February, we gathered for breakfast to appreciate their hard work and celebrate the university’s implementation plan progress, including completed initiatives. 

The featured speaker at this year’s breakfast event, Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement Services Jeff Baynham, led the implementation of University Advancement’s new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. He reiterated the importance of celebrating achievements throughout their project — not just on “go live” day. Throughout the 22-month effort, Baynham ensured milestones were celebrated. He thanked team members with smaller everyday kindnesses like handwritten notes (sometimes from unit leadership), recognition at team and division meetings, and PAWS and Say Thanks cards.

In Institutional Strategy and Analysis, we are building an evidence-based framework for successful implementation plan initiatives at NC State. The framework emphasizes clarity, plans, engagement, readiness, progress and continuity. The act of recognizing achievements – big and small – is a cornerstone practice related to progress. 

Although we’re only in the first year of the current three-year implementation plan, several Contacts have met major initiative milestones that we are eager to celebrate now. They include:

  • Unit-level strategies that utilize the latest Employee Engagement Survey results (Initiative 9.3);
  • Implementation of a modern Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) platform for University Advancement (Initiative 12.3); and
  • Institution of a committee and community of practice to advance NC State’s Partner Engagement Strategy (Initiatives 14.1 and 14.2).

We look forward to applauding future progress as our implementation plan continues.

Have an achievement to celebrate? Need ideas?  

  • PAWS and Say Thanks is a quick and easy vehicle to appreciate outstanding work and achievements. 
  • UHR’s Recognition Toolbox provides “best practices, no / low-cost ideas, and University-specific spending guidance for creating a culture of recognition and appreciation at NC State.” This page also includes guidance on appropriate funds that may be used for low-cost recognition.

Interested to learn more about practices that foster successful initiatives at NC State? Contact Genevieve Rockett, Implementation Specialist, Institutional Strategy and Analysis at gcrocket@ncsu.edu.