STRATEGIC PLANNING IS A SYSTEMATIC METHOD OF DEVELOPING

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2 by Rose Seavey, MBA, BS, RN, CNOR, CRCST, CSPDT President/CEO of Seavey Healthcare Consulting STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS FOR CENTRAL SERVICE LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Discuss the rational for developing a strategic plan for Central Service 2. Identify the important steps in the strategic planning process 3. Describe the benefits the department derives from developing, implementing and ongoing monitoring of a successful plan STRATEGIC PLANNING IS A SYSTEMATIC METHOD OF DEVELOPING long-term plans to attain objectives by anticipating and adapting to expected changes. Many significant changes that confront healthcare facilities can be anticipated and, to the extent practical, they should be addressed. An overview of the process, with an emphasis on the role of Central Service (CS) managers and their human resources function, is desirable; this is because the people dimension of planning is important as plans are developed and implemented. Strategic plans are those developed to focus resources, set priorities and guide the CS department in the selection of a path to growth. Strategic plans also encompass strategies for how best to reach that goal. Effective, well-developed strategic plans help the manager allocate the department s available resources, communicate the department s goals and help set priorities to ensure everyone is working toward the desired outcome. ASSESSING THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS Many procedures can be used to develop strategic plans, and numerous consultants and consulting firms offer their services for organizations in need of assistance. For the purposes of this article, we will consider the steps noted in Figure 1. This figure summarizes steps in a basic strategic planning process and highlights the human resources concerns of CS managers in each step. The steps in Figure 1 suggest a roadmap for strategic planning that emphasizes human resources: STEP 1: Consider the facility s mission. Healthcare facilities create mission statements to describe what they do. Mission statements are usually a one- This series of self-study lessons on CS topics was developed by the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM), and can be used toward CRCST re-certification or toward nursing credits. Pfeidler Enterprises and IAHCSMM both offer grading opportunities. Earn Continuing Education Credits Online: Nursing Credit: Pfiedler Enterprises will award nursing credit for this Self-Study Lesson Plan. Pfiedler Enterprises is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP 14944, for 1 contact hour. Obtaining full credit for this offering depends upon attendance, regardless of circumstances, from beginning to end. Licensees must provide their license numbers for record keeping purposes. The certificate of course completion issued at the conclusion of this course must be retained in the participant s records for at least four (4) years as proof of attendance. In order to receive credit you must go to and complete the test, evaluation and registration forms. Once completed, you will be directed to print your certificate of completion. IAHCSMM Credit: IAHCSMM will award credit for this Self-Study Lesson Plan toward the renewal of a CRCST certification. To receive IAHCSMM credit, please visit for online grading (nominal fees will apply). Each 20 question online quiz with a passing score of 70% or higher is worth two points (2 contact hours) toward CRCST re-certification of 12 CEs. More information: For questions or problems about Nursing Credits available for this lesson plan, please contact tonia@pfiedlerenterprises.com. For questions about IAHCSMM Credit available for this lesson plan, please contact us at or mailbox@iahcsmm.org.

3 Figure 1 GENERAL STEPS IN PLANNING PROCESS Step No. Activity Human Resources Concerns 1 2 Consider the facility s mission Scan the environment 3 Analyze the situation 4 Determine long-term goals 5 Establish strategies Identify interim objectives Assign responsibilities and time lines Communicate the plan Monitor the plan; take corrective action as needed Celebrate a successful plan Repeat the planning process Central Service managers represent their department in staff meetings to discuss their facility s mission and the planning and revision process for it. Discussions about the mission must be addressed in new employee orientation sessions. Central Service managers must keep current with healthcare trends and how, if at all, they relate to current and future personnel needs. They share insights with other facility leaders and suggest procedures to keep current with trends and the potential organizational changes that trends suggest. Central Service managers participate in the situation analysis process. Their input is critical because of the human resources implications of many situations that may affect their department. Human resources perspectives suggest current and future staffing needs for the facility and department. Central Service managers should suggest revisions, if needed, to the organizational structure. They should plan professional development opportunities to update staff about critical human resources issues as priority goals are identified. Central Service managers can help to develop necessary planning programs. They can facilitate the recruitment and selection of new and/or retraining of existing staff to assure that the necessary human resources are in place to implement preferred strategies. Central Service managers can review current staffing plans and recent employee appraisal results to move towards attainment of short-term objectives. They can implement benchmarking and/ or data gathering procedures to assess where we are, and to measure movement towards objectives. Employee appraisal methods may be needed to address and maintain plan responsibilities and time lines. If specific staff members are required to implement a plan to attain an objective, their efforts and successes should be evaluated. Then their performance can be measured by the extent to which required efforts were successful. Departmental newsletters, information on the facility s intranet, bulletin board displays and pay check stuffers can inform employees about the status of long- and short-term plans. If progress is delayed because of turnover, vacant positions, and/or the need for training/retraining, Central Service managers can use human resources tactics to address them. Central Service managers may plan departmental activities to celebrate the successful attainment of plans. Central Service managers know that the planning process is ongoing and the impact of change is continuous. sentence statement detailing the reason an organization or program exists. These statements are often used to help with the decision-making process regarding priorities, actions and responsibilities. 1 As an example, the Mayo Clinic s mission statement is To inspire hope and contribute to health and wellbeing by providing the best care to every patient through integrated clinical practice, education and research. 2 What the facility intends to do and how it intends to do it should drive any planning process within the organization. Ownership of the mission is improved as employees provide input during mission statement development. CS managers should publicize and support the organization s mission statement. They should disseminate information about the organization s mission to all staff members, including new hires during orientation sessions. Healthcare departments, such as CS, may develop their own departmental mission statement that aligns with the organization s to further guide the

4 NURSING LESSON PLAN decision-making process. A department that creates its own mission statement should involve frontline employees, and that mission statement should be based on the organization s mission, values and philosophy. STEP 2: Scan the environment Effective CS managers are aware of what s going on in their industry, organization and community. They read printed and electronic healthcare publications, are active in professional organizations, including the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management (IAHCSMM), and participate in community organizations, such as their local CS chapters. They think about their department in societal, administrative, economic and political contexts, and they keep a finger on the pulse of other changes on the horizon. They focus their attention on patients, employees and any trends impacting the profession, and share pertinent information with other leaders. Prudent CS managers know and understand the most current regulations, standards, published guidelines and recommended practices that help drive the facility and departmental missions. They establish a network of professional colleagues locally and nationally to better communicate and share ideas and/or concerns regarding the profession. STEP 3: Analyze the situation CS managers should participate in situation analysis processes to methodically evaluate past, present and future economic, political, social and technological data that may affect the facility. Recognizing internal and external forces may influence the organization s performance and strategic choices. This can be done by using a structured planning method that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization, otherwise known as a SWOT analysis. This basic and straightforward model is a useful technique for understanding strengths and weaknesses, and for identifying both opportunities and potential threats. 3 Planners should identify: (a) Strengths (e.g., what advantages does the organization have?) and how to increase them. (b) Weaknesses (e.g., what could be improved?) and how to overcome them. (c) Opportunities that might be best given the strengths and weaknesses (e.g., what interesting trends are surfacing?). (d) Threats (e.g., what obstacles are present?) and how they can be overcome. 3 Input from the organization s department managers, including CS, is vital in this planning process because of the many situations that may affect their department and the need for resources (e.g., staffing, equipment, space or technical needs). A specific departmental SWOT analysis can be a useful tool in the budget planning process. Being aware of departmental opportunities and threats can help in recognizing necessary tools and steps needed to improve patient and employee safety, while protecting the facility s bottom line. STEP 4: Determine long-term goals Results of the SWOT analysis can help managers establish short- and longrange goals that are in concert with the mission (Step 1). Planners can then consider how to use their facilities (or departmental) strengths to take advantage of opportunities, while addressing and working on correcting weaknesses. Input about human resources is critical as managers emphasize current staff capabilities, competencies and needs, and advocate the human resources-related implications of the goals. STEP 5: Establish strategies Strategies should be developed in order to attain the goals identified in Step 4. Example: a goal may be to develop sterile instrument processing procedures for a new clinic associated with the facility. There may be several ways to implement this facility change, each with several pros and cons. After deliberation, the best chosen way can be implemented using long-range planning, which encompasses the next several steps in the planning process. STEP 6: Identify interim objectives Goals developed by long-range planning are meant to be attained within several (three to five) years. Interim objectives, often referred to as short-term goals, specify how much of the longer-term goal should be attained during a shorter time (usually within one year). If a longterm goal of the new clinic, (Step 5) is to increase the number of outpatients served by a specified number, interim goals of CS (including space, equipment and staffing needs) can be defined. Human resources personnel can help ensure that trained and competent staff are available to support the additional workload. Human resources personal may use benchmarks to measure existing work/staffing methods and assist the department in developing data gathering systems to monitor progress toward that long-range plan. STEP 7: Assign responsibilities and timelines Short-term/interim objectives identified will not be accomplished unless staff are aware of the objectives and outcomes and are held accountable to address them. Often, these tasks must be accomplished in addition to other assigned responsibilities. If not properly addressed and managed, this overload can create challenges and additional stress, and hinder attainment of objectives or goals. A progress reporting method must be established to help determine when corrective actions may be needed to revise the method(s) used to achieve the objective.

5 STEP 8: Communicate the plan The long-range plan and the process necessary to attain the goals should be communicated to all staff members. Involving employees at the planning stage facilitates staff buy in, which helps goal objectives be more easily reached. Soliciting input from the affected staff and utilizing their ideas can help the organization s plans become ours (the employees) rather than theirs (the top leaders) as the staff takes ownership of the objectives. CS managers can help with frequent communication regarding the short- and long-range plans. STEP 9: Monitor the plan; take corrective action, as needed Monitoring requires current and applicable data. There is good news when plans are being implemented according to targeted schedules; however, when that s not the case, corrective action is required. The role of CS managers in this step depends upon the implementation challenges that may require corrective action. Note: This and the previous step can occur almost simultaneously because communication is required to indicate progress, note implementation challenges and facilitate corrective action. STEP 10: Celebrate a successful plan Responsibility (accountability) cannot be delegated, but success is not possible without the effective performance of one s subordinates. CS managers should be responsible and held accountable if plans are not attained. Goals can only be successful with the cooperation and assistance of frontline staff members who actually complete the necessary work. Short- and long-term successful goals should be recognized and celebrated with the team members. Successful attainment of short- and long-range goals should be celebrated. Acknowledgement of staff accomplishments can range from a simple verbal or written thank you, celebratory cake or department pizza party, to additional time off, a pay increase or a monitory award, such as a bonus. STEP 11: Repeat the planning process The aforementioned planning process should be part of an ongoing plan. CS managers know the impact of change on a healthcare facility is ongoing; therefore, a three- to five-year planning horizon is often used. Each year, planners should move one additional year into the planning horizon, so there are always long-term (three- to five-year) goals. It is likely that a healthcare facility will have several (or more) goals addressing different dimensions of the mission. In some instances, the organization s mission may shift slightly as the organization adopts new/different activities and offerings. A CS departmental mission statement should broadly define its own role in helping the organization attain the broader mission, and its plans should be rolled up to become part of the facility s master plan. Many benefits that can be gained from a successful strategic plan. The ability to engage in succession planning is one of these benefits. Strategic planning can create an effective process for recognizing, developing and retaining leadership talent. Promoting existing staff into a leadership position can help maintain important institutional knowledge and experience. Existing staff members who are instrumental in the success of the plan, have strong communication skills, are competent in their duties and have a solid understanding of the business aspects of running a department can be good candidates for managerial succession. Strategic plans should benefits employees. Employees with a clear understanding of where the plan is going and who demonstrate initiative in helping the department reach the determined goals have a professional/career advantage. An effective plan helps match employee strengths with the tasks most important to the plan s success. Effective plans also help ensure that everyone is working toward the same outcomes. Employees who are recognized as vital to the plan and are recognized for their abilities and contributions may feel more self accomplished and have the desire to advance within their profession. Celebrating success can motivate employees and encourage them to recognize their importance in the success of the plan and encourage them to work harder toward its successful completion. IN CONCLUSION In today s competitive healthcare environment, the systematic methods of a strategic plan can provide a look into the department s future. A comprehensive strategic plan can help everyone focus on the department s objectives, while also providing a sense of direction. Strategic planing also provides a basis for accountability and can be the key to gaining control of the department s future. When everyone is focused on and actively working toward the desired outcome, the department should continue to grow as an asset to the organization and the community served. REFERENCES 1. Top Nonprofits. 50 Mission Statements from Top Nonprofits. com/examples/nonprofit-mission-statements/. Accessed 8/15/ Mayo Clinic Health System. Mission, Vision and Value Statement. mayoclinichealthsystem.org/locations/ eau-claire/about-us/mission-vision-and-valuestatements. Accessed 8/15/ Mind Tools. SWOT Analysis: Discover the New Opportunities, Manage and Eliminate Threats. article/newtmc_05.htm. Accessed 8/15/2015.