Practical techniques for strategic planning in health care organizations.

The development of an organizational strategy provides a long-term road map for a health care organization, and is vitally important in the light of current uncertain economic circumstances. The strategy statements provide the bedrock for the entire organization to create and execute tactics for viable future business, prioritize goals, and allocate and coordinate resources. Yet, strategic planning appears to be grossly underutilized, especially in the health care sector. It is often viewed as a ritualistic task that needs to be done.1 Yet executives often commit significant resources to the process. In fact, Taub remarks that a company with over 3000 employees spends on an average, $3.1 million to produce a strategic plan, with little return.2 Strategic planning is a “set of organizational processes for identifying the desired future of the organization and developing decision guidelines”3 and provides a map for how an organization will achieve its objectives and goals. In addition to the obvious benefit of creating a strategic plan for the organization, the process itself, if done well, is powerful in team building and creating the necessary buy-in and enthusiasm for future change and action. It also provides guidance for product and market improvement, and enhancement of operational processes, community engagement and bottom-line productivity.