Develop a strategic plan for a department or division within a health care organization, taking a balanced scorecard approach.
Introduction
Nurse leaders will be increasingly called upon to collaborate in strategic planning as they partner in the redesign of health care in the United States (Institute of Medicine, 2011). To be an integral partner in health care redesign, nurse leaders must be able to leverage political power and data in strategic planning. Analytical tools, such as the balanced scorecard and SWOT analysis, are used to construct a solid, defensible strategic plan.
This assessment provides an opportunity for you to develop both the knowledge and skills required for strategic planning, using a balanced scorecard approach. With insight into the importance of an organization’s political landscape and a comprehensive understanding of the priorities of the organization you are studying, you are well-prepared to develop a strategic plan for a department or division within that organization.
Reference
Institute of Medicine, Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. National Academies Press.
Preparation
For this assessment, remember to use the same health care setting you chose in the previous assessment.
Note: The assessments in this course must be completed in the order presented; subsequent assessments should be built on both your earlier work and your instructor’s feedback on earlier assessments. If you choose to submit assessments prematurely, without considering and integrating your instructor’s feedback, your assessment may be returned ungraded, resulting in your loss of an assessment attempt.
Departmental strategic priorities must align with organizational priorities. To prepare for this assessment, consider how you might best represent these alignments graphically in an attractive, professional manner. For example, you might choose a crosswalk table, Venn diagram, or other format that clearly illustrates these alignments. Be creative in your approach. Use the organization’s colors or design your own color scheme. Keep in mind that these conceptual representations are intended for executive leaders and other stakeholders in the organization and community.
Instructions
Develop a strategic plan that establishes top priorities for a department or division, aligned with the organization’s strategic plan, which you appraised in Assessment 2. Include the following elements in your plan:
• A balanced scorecard for the department or division. The following interactive media may help you in constructing your balanced scorecard:
• Determine departmental strategic priorities.
o Include at least one strategic priority for each balanced scorecard domain (financial, customer, internal processes, learning and growth).
o Why are these priorities important?
o Are these priorities feasible?
o For example, do they reflect departmental objectives, available resources, and a specific time frame?
o Explain.
• Evaluate the effects of organizational policies on departmental strategic priorities.
o How do existing policies hinder or facilitate what you hope to accomplish?
• Align departmental strategic priorities with elements of an organization’s strategic plan.
o Represent the alignments graphically in a crosswalk table, Venn diagram, or any other format that clearly illustrates the alignments.
Full Answer Section
The strategic plan for the nursing department is based on the balanced scorecard framework. The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning tool that helps organizations to clarify their vision and mission, identify their strategic priorities, and develop measures to track their progress.
The balanced scorecard framework has four perspectives:
- Financial: How do we look to our shareholders?
- Customer: How do our customers see us?
- Internal processes: What must we excel at?
- Learning and growth: How can we continue to improve and create value?
Departmental Strategic Priorities
The nursing department's strategic priorities are aligned with the organization's overall strategic priorities. The department's strategic priorities are as follows:
- Financial: Increase patient satisfaction scores.
- Customer: Improve patient safety.
- Internal processes: Implement evidence-based practice.
- Learning and growth: Develop a culture of continuous learning.
Why are these priorities important?
The department's strategic priorities are important because they will help the department to achieve its vision of providing high-quality, patient-centered care.
- Increasing patient satisfaction scores is important because it shows that patients are receiving the care they need and want.
- Improving patient safety is important because it reduces the risk of harm to patients.
- Implementing evidence-based practice is important because it ensures that the department is using the most effective interventions for patients.
- Developing a culture of continuous learning is important because it ensures that the department is always striving to improve its care.
Are these priorities feasible?
The department's strategic priorities are feasible because they are aligned with the organization's overall strategic priorities. The department has the resources and the commitment to achieve these priorities.
Implementation Plan
The department has developed an implementation plan to achieve its strategic priorities. The implementation plan includes the following steps:
- Establish measurable goals for each strategic priority.
- Develop strategies to achieve each goal.
- Identify the resources needed to achieve each goal.
- Implement the strategies and track progress.
- Make adjustments to the plan as needed.
Evaluation Plan
The department will evaluate its progress towards achieving its strategic priorities on a regular basis. The evaluation plan will include the following steps:
- Collect data on the department's performance.
- Compare the data to the department's goals.
- Identify areas where the department is making progress and areas where the department needs to improve.
- Make adjustments to the plan as needed.
Conclusion
The nursing department at [Organization Name] is committed to providing high-quality, patient-centered care. The department's strategic plan is aligned with the organization's overall strategic priorities and is feasible to implement. The department will evaluate its progress towards achieving its strategic priorities on a regular basis.
Balanced Scorecard
The following balanced scorecard shows how the nursing department's strategic priorities align with the organization's overall strategic priorities.
Financial Perspective
- Increase patient satisfaction scores.
- Reduce the cost of care.
Customer Perspective
- Improve patient safety.
- Increase patient satisfaction with the nursing staff.
Internal Processes Perspective
- Implement evidence-based practice.
- Improve the efficiency of the nursing department.
Learning and Growth Perspective
- Develop a culture of continuous learning.
- Attract and retain top talent.
Conclusion
The balanced scorecard provides a framework for the nursing department to track its progress towards achieving its strategic priorities. The balanced scorecard will be used to measure the department's performance on a regular basis. The department will use the information from the balanced scorecard to make adjustments to its plan as needed.