Unit 5 – Individual Project

Running head: BEST PRACTICES IN STRATEGIC PLANNING

Deliverable Length: 1,500–2,750 words

Assignment Description

Your instructor has returned your Week 4 Individual Project Key Assignment, improve on your overall first submission or draft. Additionally, you have had the opportunity to perused and analyzed your Key Assignment.

Below is the first submission of the Unit -4 Individual Project that needs to be worked on

Introduction

Strategic planning is the most challenging exercise in an organization. Strategic planning enhances an organization’s decision-making and how to gain a competitive advantage over other companies. A strategic plan depends on an organization’s vision, mission, goals, and existing structure. A strategic plan gives way to an organization on how to handle different situations to achieve its goals. A well-written strategic plan embodies a vision of the organization, the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, individuals responsible for the change, and the financial resources needed to achieve an organization’s goals. The whole organization should be involved in fulfilling the strategic objectives of that particular organization (Verardo, 2019). The managers and the subordinates should embrace a strategic plan for the organization to remain relevant. The discipline for which the strategic management is developed is emergency management department.

Agencies of the Strategic Management Planning Group

The stakeholders play critical roles in strategic management and planning. Some facilitators ensure the strategic management and planning process if followed to the latter. Some individuals provide opinions about the plan. Finally, the decision-making individuals use the available data to come up with the right decision for the company. The stakeholders have different roles which they participate in for the success of the company. The stakeholders include; executive director, board of directors, staff, clients, funders, community leaders, competitors, and collaborators.

• The executive director- is the chief planner of the entire strategic planning process. The executive director brings the staff and the planning committee on the same road to the strategic planning process. He/ she can write the strategic plan or execute the responsibilities to someone else. The sole obligation of an executive director is to ensure the implementation of the project.
• Board of Directors- the board of directors approves the final strategic plan through a good planning process. Their primary responsibility is to provide the resources for the planning process. They set priorities and goals for the company.
• Staff – a company’s staff are people who are professionals in different fields within the company (Stephen et al., 2017). The staff is familiar with the clients and what their clients’ needs are. The primary responsibility of the staff is to ensure strategic goals and priorities are achieved daily. They collect market data about their clients and provide the information to the project manager, who will develop long-term objectives for the success of the operational plan.
• Clients – the sole purpose of the existence of different organizations is to provide a better living standard for the people of the society. For instance, a non-governmental organization helps feed the hungry, gives the homeless a place to stay, and enriches the cultural life of the people. Involvement of the previous and the recent clients in a strategic plan provides positive insights for an effective strategic plan. Therefore, the client representative needs to be involved in the planning committee.
• Funders are individuals or companies who may want to lend a lending hand in a specific community project. The project funders should be involved in the strategic planning committee to know how their funds are going to be invested.
• Community leaders – community leaders offer valuable information about the organization’s strengths and point out what should be looked at for improvement. The community leaders also give insights on the needs of the society to the organization. Community leaders should be involved in the planning process to build the community through the organization.
• Competitors – companies should involve competitors in their planning process to gain positive insights from their competitors and give competitors an environment for better assessment (Stephen et al., 2017). Also, companies might gain potential collaboration from their competitors.

Identification of the Goals and Objectives.

This is the planning overview process where the vision, mission, strategies, objectives, and company goals are defined. The planning overview process describes the strategic considerations that need to be undertaken to succeed in the strategic plan (Stephen et al., 2017). A well-defined strategic plan consists of a vision. Mission, objectives, strategies, and the action plan lead to a clear strategic plan.

• Vision Statement- a vision statement of the ideal conditions of the organization. The vision statement should address the challenges that face the community. For instance, in a challenging flu season, the group in charge of the vision statement should use phrases such as ‘healthy community, ‘good health for all, ‘Healthy Living,’ and ‘Active Society.’ An effective vision statement should: a) be equally shared by the whole community, b) uplift the community members involved in the planning effort, and c) it should be easy to communicate.
• Mission Statement – The mission statement briefly describes what a group is planning to do and why they should do what they are supposed to do. The mission statement must be a community-based intervention program that will reduce the adverse incidences reported in the community. The mission statement should be a) concise and straight to the point, b) be outcome-oriented, and c) inclusive.
• Objectives – Objectives are specific, measurable positive outcomes from a project. The objectives should address a) the behavioral outcomes from the problematic flu season, b) related community outcomes, and c) the key elements in the planning process, such as a plan to curb the problematic flu among communities and the measures to be taken (Stephen et al., 2017). The objectives should have a time frame for the change to happen.
• Strategies – strategies refer to the mode of action to be undertaken for the implementation to be conducted. Examples of techniques to be undertaken include; building coalitions from member groups, advocating for new projects and policies, organizing teamwork building, and modifying access to the community products and services. Community groups can use various strategies to fulfill the objectives of the group.
• Action plans – action plans describe ways to be implemented for the attainment of the group’s objectives. Action plans should indicate how to be undertaken, define the suitable agents, the time frame, and the resources needed for the project.

Assessment of the Environment Using SWOT Analysis

The SWOT analysis is the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within the environment. SWOT analysis is the primary strategic management planning tool that uses qualitative and quantitative data in the analysis (Stephen et al., 2017). The strengths and weaknesses are the internal factors that affect the environment, while the opportunities ad threats are the external forces.

• Internal assessment – strengths and weaknesses. When assessing internal factors, it is essential to benchmark the quality of a project and its efficiency. Like in the case of a challenging flu season, it is possible to investigate the physicians, hospital administrators, and the patient to find more information about the flu season and the ways medics are handling the situation (Stephen et al., 2017). Qualitative data should be gathered from the physicians and the staff, who might see the strengths and weaknesses of practice within their environment. Therefore, it is essential to collect information earlier before a scheduled meeting is planned. The information received is then reviewed and discussed in the strategic planning committee.
• External Assessment – opportunities and threats. In this step, factors such as demographics, referral patterns, competition, and economic trends are looked at to determine whether they fall under the opportunities or threats. The larger health environment, such as the health care system, should be looked at through oncology market forces. The physicians should be involved in the latest oncology societies at both national and local levels. Monitoring the environment through various associations produces various advantages over the external environment.

Strategic Issues and Strategic Objectives

Strategic issues are the fundamental policies for an organization’s objectives and tactical actions. Strategic issues are defined by a) what the company is, b) what it does, and c) why it does what it does (Verardo, 2019). Identification of the strategic issues leads to the formulation of the strategic goals and strategic objectives. The strategic objectives should be selected from SWOT analysis which will advance the purposes of the company. The strategic objectives should be SMART.

S for specific. The strategic objectives should avoid differing interpretations.

M for measurable. The strategic objectives should be measurable for easy monitoring and evaluation.

A for appropriate where they should be specific to the problems, goals, and the result.

R for realistic where they should be easily achievable and meaningful.

T for time-bound where strategic objectives should have time frames for easy completion.

The best strategic plan integrates a financial planning system for the sustainability of the strategic objectives. Good strategic plans highlight the best approaches to the targeted resources. Tactical financial plans should include a) the list of activities to take place and b) financial resources required.

Evaluating Strategic Approaches

At this stage, the organization identifies the different strategic choices within the organization (Verardo, 2019). A rule of thumb is used to determine the most effective strategy for the organization. It develops three of the strategic decisions and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each choice before settling on one of the choices. There are various strategies, including financial techniques, program service strategies, and fund-raising strategies.

• Financial strategies involve different strategies for funding within the resources of the company. The economic process includes surplus maximization, revenue maximization, full cost recovery, and partial cost recovery.
• Program Service Strategies include maximum utilization of the available clients. These strategies include usage maximization, usage targeting, and producer satisfaction maximization.
• Fund-Raising maximization includes various revenue collection methods such as fees for service, new revenue, legitimation, and reduction.

Resource Management

Resource management refers to the deployment of a company’s resources at the time of need. The best method for allocating resources is functional versus cross-functional allocation. Resource management is the main factor in resource estimation and the management of project human resources. The various resources available in project management include financial resources, human resources, inventory resources, production resources, and information technology resources. The essential resource among the project resources is human resources.

SAMPLE OF MOA EMERGENCY FUNDING FORM

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)

BETWEEN

Department of Health and Hospitals,

AND

EMS PROVIDER NAME:_____________________________________________

EMS Providers receiving HHS Emergency Preparedness Grant Funds must enter into a

Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Health and Hospitals to provide ambulances, air medical transportation, personnel, and equipment in response to a public health emergency.This document is a binding contract as well as a guideline for operations.

I. INTRODUCTION:There is a recognizable need to coordinate EMS Operations in the event of a natural or man‐made disaster or a terrorist attack on the United States, including Louisiana.Agreements for the provision of on‐scene triage, medical care, transportation of patients and evacuees to and from residences and/or treatment facilities will be adopted by the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Providers.

II.EMERGENCY FUNDING:

It is agreed that EMS Provider:________________________________in DHH Region __ will provide medical support to the Department of Health and Hospitals in the form of First Responders, EMTs, Paramedics, and the necessary equipment including ambulances and transportation vehicles at the site of disaster and/or public health emergency.

III. PROCEDURE

1. Enhance patient/evacuee triage, medical treatment, transport, and transfer of care during emergencies and disasters.

2. Reduce the likelihood of death, injury, and/or illness and their related effects to response personnel, victims, and bystanders.

VI. POLICY

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1. EMS members should be a Certified First Responder, EMT‐Basic, EMT‐ Intermediate, or EMT‐Paramedic and will be required to maintain current certification through the National Registry of EMTs and DHH BEMS.

2. Training and qualifications are the ultimate responsibility of each EMS Provider despite training offered by the DHH Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.

The principles and policies of this memorandum of agreement are hereby understood and agreed upon by the Department of Health and Hospitals and EMS Provider indicated below. This will amend any previous MOU/MOA and will remain in effect from the date of the signature by both parties unless modified by the Department of Health and Hospitals by written notice to the EMS Provider.

__________________________ ____________________

DHH REPRESENTATIVEDATE

__________________________ ____________________

EMS PROVIDER DATE

SAMPLE OF POLICY

DETAILED FINANCIAL PLAN FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

References

Kawata, P. A. (n.d.). STRATEGIC PLANNING. National Minority AIDS Council .

Stephen B. Fawcett, K. J.-A. (, 2017). Reducing Risk for Chronic Disease: An Action Planning Guide for Community-Based Initiatives.

Verardo, D. (2019). “Managing the Strategic Planning Process.

Assignment Guidelines:

Review the above Unit 4 Individual Project and complete the following:

• Revise and amend your Week 4 Key Assignment following the task.
• Add a scenario-based planning component to your strategic plan that addresses a public health issue involving a pandemic response.
  • An example that may prove to be helpful was the H1N1 flu outbreak.
  • These types of public health events will require future planning by government agencies.
  • Use this assignment to build a scenario that could affect your agency.
• Be sure to reference all of your sources using APA style.