Develop a strategic plan for a department or division within a health care organization, taking a balanced scorecard approach.
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.
A minimum of four departmental strategic priorities, one from each balanced scorecard domain (financial, customer, internal processes, learning and growth).
- Graphical representations showing alignments between the departmental strategic priorities and the organization’s strategic plan.
- Strategic Plan Format and Length
- Format your document using APA style.
Be sure to include:
A title page and references page.
An abstract and running head are not required.
- Appropriate section headings.
Your appraisal should be 4 pages in length, excluding the title page and references page.
- Use the following section headings to ensure thorough content coverage and flow.
- Departmental Strategic Priorities.
- Effects of Organizational Policies.
- Add your balanced scorecard and graphical representations of priority alignments as appendices.
- Evaluation
The following tasks correspond to the grading criteria in the assessment scoring guide, so be sure to address each point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.
- Determine departmental strategic priorities.
- Include at least one strategic priority for each balanced scorecard domain (financial, customer, internal processes, learning and growth).
- Why are these priorities important?
Are these priorities feasible?
For example, do they reflect departmental objectives, available resources, and a specific time frame?
Explain.
- Evaluate the effects of organizational policies on departmental strategic priorities.
How do existing policies hinder or facilitate what you hope to accomplish?
- Align departmental strategic priorities with elements of an organization’s strategic plan.
- Represent the alignments graphically in a crosswalk table, Venn diagram, or any other format that clearly illustrates the alignments.
- Create a balanced scorecard for a department or division.
Each scorecard domain must include an objective, performance metric, benchmark target, and prospective initiative.
- Submit your balanced scorecard as an appendix in your assessment.
- Communicate clearly and concisely in a form and style appropriate for the audience and for the substance, purpose, and context of the message being conveyed.
- Consider the needs of your audience.
Be succinct and mindful of communication best practices.
- Carefully review your materials to avoid errors that could distract the audience and make it more difficult for them to focus on the substance of your strategic plan
- Attached the previous assessment
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
In developing a strategic plan for a department or division within a health care organization, a balanced scorecard approach is crucial. This approach enables the department to align its priorities with the overall organizational goals and objectives. Additionally, it allows for the assessment and measurement of performance across different domains. This strategic plan should encompass the department’s priorities in the financial, customer, internal processes, and learning and growth domains, ensuring coherence with the organization’s strategic plan.
Answer:
To develop a strategic plan for a department or division within a health care organization, a balanced scorecard approach is recommended. This approach provides a comprehensive framework for aligning the department’s priorities with the organizational strategy. By considering the financial, customer, internal processes, and learning and growth domains, the department can ensure a well-rounded strategic plan.
Four departmental strategic priorities should be established, one from each balanced scorecard domain. These priorities should be based on the organization’s strategic plan and align with its goals and objectives. The financial priority could focus on cost optimization or revenue generation, considering the financial sustainability of the department. The customer priority may emphasize patient satisfaction and engagement, aiming to provide exceptional care and service. The internal processes priority may target the improvement of operational efficiency and quality metrics. Lastly, the learning and growth priority should focus on staff development and continuous learning to enhance the department’s capabilities.
These priorities are important because they reflect the department’s objectives and contribute to the overall success of the organization. Each priority should address specific challenges or opportunities within the department, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively and efficiently. Feasibility is essential when determining the priorities, taking into account available resources and a realistic timeframe for implementation. It is crucial to evaluate whether the priorities align with the department’s capabilities and external factors that may impact their achievement.
Existing organizational policies can either hinder or facilitate the departmental strategic priorities. Evaluating their effects is crucial to identify any barriers or obstacles that may impede progress. If certain policies hinder the department’s ability to achieve its priorities, strategies should be developed to address and mitigate these barriers. On the other hand, policies that facilitate the priorities should be highlighted and leveraged to ensure successful implementation.
To align departmental strategic priorities with the organization’s strategic plan, graphical representations can be used. These representations, such as a crosswalk table, Venn diagram, or other formats, visually illustrate the intersections and alignments between the department’s priorities and the organization’s goals. This ensures clarity and promotes a shared understanding among executive leaders and stakeholders.
In addition to representing alignments graphically, a balanced scorecard should be created for the department or division. Each scorecard domain (financial, customer, internal processes, learning and growth) should include an objective, performance metric, benchmark target, and prospective initiative. This ensures that the department’s priorities are measurable, allowing for ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement.
Overall, an effective strategic plan for a department or division within a health care organization requires a balanced scorecard approach. By aligning priorities with the organization’s strategic plan, evaluating the effects of policies, and using graphical representations, the department can effectively communicate its strategic objectives and drive successful outcomes.
