NURS6241 Strategic Planning in Healthcare Organizations
Week 1 Discussion
Differentiating Strategic, Operational, and Tactical Planning
Continuous planning is an important activity for any organization that aims to evolve to stay current in its industry and serve its intended purpose. There are several types of planning used by nurse executives: strategic planning, operational planning, and tactical planning. Each type of planning usually occurs at different management levels and over different periods of time. A clear understanding of the differences between each type of plan will aid you next week in selecting a meaningful strategic issue for your Strategic Plan.
By Day 3
In your own words, differentiate between an operational plan, a tactical plan, and a strategic plan. Provide an example of each.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days, and explain why it would be beneficial for a nurse executive to be knowledgeable about and involved in each of the examples that your colleague provided.
NURS6241 Strategic Planning in Healthcare Organizations
Week 2 Discussion
Strategic Planning Issues
Identifying a strategic plan issue is an important first step in creating a strategic plan, but if there isn’t already a clear issue to be addressed, how can you determine what may make a meaningful impact on a community or organization? The answer is to consider the mission and/or vision of the organization, and then continue to ask questions until you arrive at an issue you feel confident will improve the organization in some way. Investigate to see if there is a particular segment of the organization that is underperforming or is not effectively meeting the needs of the population it is designed to meet.
Are there notable organizational achievements, successes, or failures that could be built upon or addressed? How are current and future trends in the industry likely to affect the organization? What strategic steps can be taken so that the organization is most likely to be successful in achieving the changes? Although it may initially feel like there are more questions than answers, delving into the current state of an organization will aid you in selecting a meaningful strategic issue.
For this Discussion, you will select and provide a summary of the strategic plan issue you wish to use for your Strategic Plan. You will have the opportunity to receive peer feedback before officially submitting your Strategic Plan issue for instructor approval in this week’s Assignment due on Day 7 of Week 2.
Note: Please try to submit your initial and response posts early this week to allow time to submit your Assignment by Day 7.
To Prepare:
Review this week’s Learning Resources and the document How to Identify a Strategic Plan Issue.
Identify a strategic plan issue that has significant impact on your organization and/or community. Consider the following as you work to identify an issue:
Historical analysis of issue
Explanation of how evidence from the literature supports the need to address this issue (Note: Include appropriate resources.)
Past attempts by various individuals and groups to address this issue
Stakeholders who should be included in the strategic planning process
Financial implications for the organization
By Day 3
Post a summary of a strategic plan issue present in your organization or community for which you will develop a Strategic Plan.
Include the following:
Explain the steps you used for identifying this particular issue.
Discuss why your proposed issue is important and/or how the issue may add value to your organization/community.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by offering suggestions to refine or clarify their topics as a strategic plan issue.
You will incorporate peer and Instructor feedback from this Discussion and use the Strategic Plan Issue Template to submit your Strategic Plan issue for Instructor approval by Day 7 of Week 2.
NURS6241 Strategic Planning in Healthcare Organizations
Week 3 Discussion
The Influence of Mission and Vision on Planning
As you read the following mission statements, think about what you might deduce about each organization:
“To transform the nation’s health through the power of pursing” (American Nurses Association)
“The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.” (American Red Cross)
“The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.” (Southwest Airlines)
“To inspire hope and contribute to health and well-being by providing the best care to every patient through integrated clinical practice, education and research” (Mayo Clinic)
“To exploit technical innovations for the benefit of military medicine by developing, demonstrating and integrating across a variety of technology portfolios, including telehealth, medical simulation and training, health IT, medical robotics, command and control, computational biology and mobile solutions” (Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center or TATRC)
“Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” (Google)
An organization’s mission describes its core purpose. In partnership with the organization’s vision, which communicates a future-focused direction, the mission provides a basis for planning and decision making at all levels of the organization. For this Discussion, you compare mission and vision statements from multiple organizations and consider how these statements relate to planning.
To prepare:
Review the information related to the planning hierarchy and mission and vision statements in this week’s Learning Resources.
Research the mission and vision statements of three different types of organizations: a for-profit healthcare organization, a not-for-profit healthcare organization, and an organization outside of healthcare. As you examine the organizations’ mission and vision statements, consider the following:
How effectively do the mission statements articulate the organization’s purpose?
How effectively do the vision statements reflect future aims?
Do the mission and vision statements convey who (which groups) the organizations serve? Do they indicate obligations to various stakeholders?
Are the statements an appropriate length?
What do you glean about how leaders in healthcare and in other industries envision and convey mission and vision?
What do you discern about the interdisciplinary nature of crafting mission and vision statements by looking across organizations, including those outside of healthcare?
Identify key insights you have gained by comparing the mission and vision statements of these three organizations.
Consider how an organization’s mission and vision relate to the planning hierarchy. For each organization you have selected, think about how the mission and vision could or should influence planning. What elements of each mission and vision stand out as especially significant?
By Day 3
Post a comparison of the mission and vision statements of the three organizations selected. Explain how specific elements of each organization’s mission and vision statements might inform planning in that organization. Include references/links for the organizations’ mission and vision statements in your post.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional resources.
NURS6241 Strategic Planning in Healthcare Organizations
Week 4 Discussion
DQ1 Mission and Vision Statements
You will now review the mission and vision statements for the organization relevant to your Strategic Plan or, if those statements do not already exist, draft new ones. As you prepare to review or draft your mission and vision statements, consider how they will guide the project and ensure that you keep the intended audience in mind.
For this Discussion, you will post your mission and vision statements for Instructor and peer feedback. As appropriate, you should revise your statements based on this feedback for inclusion in Section 1 of your Strategic Plan, which is due by Day 7 of Week 5.
To prepare:
Review the information related to the planning hierarchy and mission and vision statements in this week’s Learning Resources.
If mission and vision statements do not exist for your Strategic Plan organization, you will need to draft them.
If your organization already has mission and vision statements, review them and consider how those existing statements may be tailored to support the development of the mission and vision statements for your Strategic Plan.
Consider the following with respect to your Strategic Plan’s mission and vision statements:
How effectively does this mission statement articulate the organization’s purpose?
How effectively do the vision statements reflect future aims?
Do the mission and vision statements convey who (which groups) the organizations serve? Do they indicate obligations to various stakeholders?
Are the statements an appropriate length?
By Day 3
Post your new or revised mission and vision statements that will guide your Strategic Plan. Explain how the mission statement will guide your Strategic Plan and how your identified issue fits within the mission and vision statements. If your statements are wholly new, explain the steps you took to draft them and your rationale for language and content choices. If your submission is based on pre-existing statements from an organization, include the original statements and explain and justify the changes that you made.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 5
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by offering constructive feedback on the mission and vision statements.
Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the Post to Discussion Question link, and then select Create Thread to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!
DQ2 Preparing for a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis
The SWOT analysis is a major component of the strategic planning process. It provides leadership with an evaluation of organizational performance in relation to competitors and external forces. This evaluation helps leaders capitalize on organizational strengths and improve its weaknesses in order to differentiate itself from competitors.
It is important for a nurse executive to consider how the setting in which it is conducted, and the stakeholders involved, may affect the results of a SWOT analysis. When conducting a SWOT analysis, it is also vital to have comprehensive and objective assessment of each element of the analysis in order to get an accurate understanding of the issues surrounding the strategic plan issue.
To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources, including this week’s media presentation, focusing on the elements of a SWOT analysis.
Think about your Strategic Plan and the data sources you could analyze to conduct a SWOT analysis at your selected location.
Reflect on who else, besides yourself, should be involved in conducting the SWOT analysis related to the identified strategic plan issue.
Consider how values and experiences may influence perceptions related to SWOT analysis. Think about the specific group or organization that is the focus of your Strategic Plan. How would conducting a SWOT analysis in this setting versus another affect the investigation? How would the involvement of certain individuals—and the lack of involvement by others—affect the analysis?
By Day 4
Post an explanation of your plan for conducting a SWOT analysis as part of your Strategic Plan, including data sources that could be used. Explain how the setting and individuals conducting the analysis might influence the process and results of the SWOT analysis.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6 Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by offering constructive feedback or offering another strategy or aspect of analysis that could be included in their SWOT analysis.
NURS6241 Strategic Planning in Healthcare Organizations
Week 6 Discussion
Budgeting and Timeline Tools
As you have been examining this week, budgeting and timeline tools are vital for determining necessary resources and planning for a proposed change. For your Strategic Plan, you use these types of tools to assess resources that may be required for the successful implementation of your Strategic Plan.
To prepare:
Review the information on budgeting in this week’s Learning Resources. Which tools (e.g., Revenue Projection Model, Capital Budgeting Analysis, Depreciation Calculator, Profit and Loss Projection) would be most useful for developing your Strategic Plan?
Review the information on PERT and other timeline tools, in this week’s Learning Resources, including Dr. Huston’s presentation in the media program. Use PERT or another tool to analyze and represent the activities that will need to be completed to successfully plan and implement your proposed change. Be sure to note dependencies (e.g., a task/milestone that must be completed in order to trigger the next step), and realistically assess the minimum time needed to complete the entire project.
By Day 3
Describe the budgeting tool(s) you will use and the steps you plan to take in order to identify the financial resources necessary for your Strategic Plan issue. Explain your rationale for your selected tool(s) and plans.
Explain your plans for outlining the timeline for implementation of your proposed change. Explain which timeline tool(s) you will use and how they will represent the activities needed to successfully plan and implement your project.
Explain how your timeline can allow leeway for variance.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by offering constructive feedback on their budgeting and timeline strategies.
Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the Post to Discussion Question link, and then select Create Thread to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!
NURS6241 Strategic Planning in Healthcare Organizations
Week 7 Discussion
Leveraging Resources and Overcoming Barriers
All change involves a negotiation of resources and plans for overcoming potential barriers to that change.
Think of a significant change you have made in your personal or professional life, such as your decision to enroll in this graduate program. Did you consider what resources would be needed in order to succeed with this planned change? If so, how did you evaluate the fiscal and time commitments you would need to make? How did you assess your readiness to take on the challenges that might lie ahead?
What activities or milestones functioned as dependencies in your plan? What other obligations, plans, or aspirations did you deprioritize or delay to make available the necessary resources? Did you discover—after you were already invested in this change—that you needed more or different resources to continue on? What stakeholders in your life did you consult with regarding your plans? Did you anticipate that their support, or lack thereof, would affect your success?
As you propose and evaluate changes with an organizational or systems-level impact, it is especially important to consider what resources may be required and what trade-offs may be needed to bring the change to fruition and achieve sustainability. In this Discussion, as preparation for Section 4 of your Strategic Plan, you consider the potential barriers to change and the resources that would be required to implement your proposed change.
To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources that focus on the process of identifying resources for a strategic plan and addressing barriers to implementing a strategic plan change. Conduct additional research as necessary to deepen your thinking about resource identification for strategic planning.
Reflect on the results of the SWOT analysis you conducted for your Strategic Plan (submitted in your Module 2 Assignment) and consider what resources may be needed to address the weaknesses and threats and build upon opportunities and strengths you identified. Evaluate the specific financial, personnel, and time resources that you would need to carry out your proposed change.
Think about how you would leverage the resources you currently have and those you plan to acquire or develop to create the best possible results. For instance, consider the following:
What trade-offs would you need to make to ensure that you have sufficient financial resources? How would you raise capital?
Who would you need to hire or promote, what training should be provided, and/or what workload adjustments would you need to make to have the right personnel in place?
What is a reasonable timeline for adoption and implementation given the parameters of this change and other organizational or group priorities?
Consider insights related to change theory, common barriers to change, and strategies for addressing these barriers that relate to the implementation of your proposed change.
Identify specific barriers you are likely to encounter with your proposed change, including resistance to change. Evaluate strategies that may be used to minimize or address these barriers.
Think about the value of stakeholder involvement in planned change, as well as the specifics of stakeholder participation in your Strategic Plan to champion the change. Who should be involved in strategic planning and at what point? How could they serve as change champions?
By Day 3
Post an explanation of the specific resources (e.g., financial, personnel, time) needed to address the weaknesses and threats and build upon opportunities and strengths you identified through your SWOT analysis. Explain how you would leverage these resources to carry out the change you are proposing through your Strategic Plan. Also, explain the strategies you would use to minimize or address barriers, including resistance to change, related to your Strategic Plan. Explain how you would promote stakeholder involvement for your proposed change and encourage them to become change champions. Finally, explain the potential negative consequences that could arise if stakeholder involvement is not adequately addressed during planning.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional resources.
NURS6241 Strategic Planning in Healthcare Organizations
Week 8 Discussion
Balanced Scorecard
How does an organization gauge whether strategic changes are creating sound business results?
To create a balanced scorecard, a nurse executive will identify performance metrics and an evaluation plan in four major, interrelated areas: finances, customer/stakeholder satisfaction, internal business practices, and plans for future learning and growth. The effective use of a balanced scorecard can facilitate alignment between strategic initiatives and day-to-day operations. Overall success of the change of a strategic plan relies on success in all four important dimensions.
As preparation for Section 6 of your Strategic Plan, in this Discussion, you examine the use of a balanced scorecard to gather data and measure performance related to your planned change.
To prepare:
Review the information in the Learning Resources, including this week’s media presentation, focusing on the development of performance metrics for a strategic plan.
With your Strategic Plan in mind, think about how you would develop a balanced scorecard to measure performance, including the processes you would use to gather appropriate data.
Consider how the use of a balanced scorecard reflects the importance of being able to evaluate progress, assess the impact of planned change on performance, and determine if the costs are justified in terms of the outcomes.
Post an explanation of your plan for creating a balanced scorecard for your Strategic Plan, including the processes you would use to gather data to measure performance. Explain how the use of this balanced scorecard will enable you to evaluate progress, assess the impact of your proposed change, and determine if the costs are justified in terms of the outcomes.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by offering feedback on their balanced scorecard plans.
NURS6241 Strategic Planning in Healthcare Organizations
Week 11 Discussion
Sharing Your Strategic Plan, Reflection, and Wrap-Up
Strategic planning skills will be important to your career as a nurse executive and will also support you when you develop your Capstone project in order to complete your program. Capstone projects are designed to be an authentic learning opportunity that allows you address an organizational need.
In future coursework, you will work with your preceptor to identify a Capstone project with a leadership or management focus, such as addressing staffing, program, or budget issues. You are required to complete 144 practicum hours in your Capstone course, and about half of those hours will be working on a project with your preceptor.
To Prepare
Post the Executive Summary from your Strategic Plan. Identify the challenges you experienced while working on this project. What are the most significant barriers to change that you anticipate for implementation of this project? How will you apply what you have learned in this course in your career? How will this material help you to prepare for your Capstone project?
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by sharing appreciation for your colleagues’ projects and by sharing an insight you have gained from having read your colleagues’ postings.
Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the Post to Discussion Question link, and then select Create Thread to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!
