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The University of North Texas has a long history of implementing a broadly based planning process described as an "integrated community approach." This process uses the state's vision, mission, and goals as the basis for institutional planning. Evaluation of the institution's strengths, weaknesses, potentials, opportunities, and challenges are matched with the state's goals to create an institutional plan. This plan is continually revised as the assumptions on which it is based change (see below for current Planning Assumptions).

The University has designed a planning process that uses the expertise and resources of faculty, staff, and students. The university community is represented by the 28-member University Planning Council (UPC). The UPC recommends institutional values and goals, identifies distinguishing characteristics of the University, and recommends action plans that maintain the institution's distinctiveness while meeting its long-term goals. These recommendations also identify long-term and short-term facility priorities and projects. Draft plans are presented to the university community for feedback and a final draft is submitted to the Chancellor. The Chancellor presents appropriate plans to the UNT/UNTHSC-FW Board of Regents.

Each university academic and administrative unit uses the institutional plan to generate its individual action plans. These unit plans are tied to the preparation of annual budget requests. The University Budget Committee meets with appropriation managers to determine which proposals are most likely to help the University achieve its strategic goals. A draft university budget is discussed with the UPC and Faculty Senate representatives for feedback before finalizing the budget request to the UNT/UNTHSC-FW Board of Regents.

The UPC's standing Assessment Committee uses quantitative and qualitative measures to annually assess the University's progress in implementing its action plans and strategic goals. This assessment process uses benchmarks as targets for all strategies. Some of these benchmarks are the outcomes and outputs specified by the Legislative Budget Board as the performance measures for senior universities. Others are based on historical data and/or the best practices of comparable Texas universities. The UPC annually reviews the institution's progress toward achieving these benchmarks and makes recommendations that will help the University achieve or exceed its targets.

The circular process of setting goals, evaluating progress toward meeting priorities and goals, and revising goals and action plans is the hallmark of planning at the University of North Texas. The involvement of all segments of the institution helps to ensure that the many complex and diverse programs and services provided by UNT are considered for incorporation into the implementation phase of planning