Assessment Instructions: Strategic Planning

• Develop a 5-10 year strategic plan for achieving specific health care quality and safety improvements, based on the analysis you completed in Assessment 1. Use either an AI approach or your SWOT analysis and a chosen strategic planning model.
  Introduction
  Evaluation of strategic choices is important. The methods for selecting strategic alternatives help leaders organize significant issues to support decision making. However, it is important that the techniques do not make the decision. Rather, leaders should use the techniques to reveal the inherent situation and to organize their thought processes. This assessment provides you with an opportunity to evaluate and apply some of the techniques for successful strategy development and implementation.
  Note: You will use your care setting environmental analysis as the basis for developing your strategic plan in this assessment.
  Preparation
  The feedback you received on your care setting environmental analysis has been positive. Consequently, you have been asked to select one of the potential improvement projects you noted in your analysis and create a full, 5–10-year strategic plan to achieve the desired quality and safety improvement outcomes. You will develop your strategic plan, using either an AI approach (addressing the design stage), or by building on your SWOT analysis and applying a strategic planning model of your choice.
  How you structure your plan should be based on whether you are taking an appreciative inquiry approach or using a specific strategic planning model. Regardless of the approach you choose, the requester of the plan has asked that you address the key points outlined below in the strategic plan requirements. In addition, your plan should be 5–8 pages in length.
  Note: Remember, you can submit all, or a portion, of your draft plan to Smarthinking for feedback before you submit the final version for this assessment. However, be mindful of the turnaround time for receiving feedback, if you plan on using this free service.
  As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.
  Strategic planning models aid in setting goals, establishing time frames, and forging a path toward achieving those goals. Consider the strategic planning models you are familiar with:
  
  • Which model would you choose to create goals and outcomes that could address the area of concern you identified in your Assessment 1 SWOT analysis?
  • Why is this model the best choice among alternatives?
  • How does goal setting through appreciative inquiry provocative propositions differ from goal setting in the strategic planning model you selected?
  • Additional Requirements
    Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide, so at a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.
    Writing, Supporting Evidence, and APA Style
  • Write clearly, with professionalism and respect for stakeholders and colleagues.
  • Integrate relevant sources of evidence to support your assertions. 
    • Cite at least 3–5 sources of scholarly or professional evidence.
  • Format your document using APA style. Use the APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX]. Be sure to include: 
    • A title page and reference page. An abstract is not required.
    • A running head on all pages.
    • Appropriate section headings.
    • Properly formatted citations and references.
  • Proofread your writing to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult to focus on the substance of your analysis.
  • Strategic Plan
  • Develop strategic goal statements and outcomes that reflect specific quality and safety improvements for your care setting. You should have at least one short-term goal (just-in-time to one year) and one long-term goal (five years or longer). 
    • Determine realistic timelines for achieving your goals.
    • Explain how your short-term goals support your long-term goals.
  • Note: For plans based on an AI approach, the goal statements and outcomes are provocative propositions that may be refinements of the positive, yet attainable, goals that you proposed during the dream phase of your inquiry. For plans based on a SWOT analysis, the goal statements and outcomes are specific, measurable, and applicable to the area of concern in your analysis for which you proposed pursuing improvements.
  • Justify the relevance of your proposed strategic goals and outcomes in relation to the mission, vision, and values of your care setting.
  • Analyze the extent to which your strategic goals and outcomes, and your approach to achieving them, address: 
    • The ethical environment.
    • The cultural environment.
    • The use of technology.
    • Applicable health care policies, laws, and regulations.
  • Explain, in general, how you will use relevant leadership and health care theories to help achieve your proposed strategic goals and outcomes. 
    • Consider whether different theories are more applicable to the short-term or long-term goals of your strategic plan.
  • Evaluate the leadership qualities and skills that are most important to successfully implementing your proposed plan and sustaining strategic direction. 
    • Identify those leadership qualities and skills that are essential to achieving your goals and outcomes and sustaining strategic direction.
    • Identify those leadership qualities and skills that will have the greatest effect on the success of your plan.
  • Competencies Measured
    By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
  • Competency 1: Evaluate qualities and skills that promote effective leadership within health care organizations. 
    • Evaluate the leadership qualities and skills that will be most important to successfully implementing a strategic plan and sustaining strategic direction.
  • Competency 2: Apply strategies to lead high-performing health care teams to meet organizational quality and safety goals. 
    • Develop strategic goal statements and outcomes that support the achievement of specific quality and safety improvements for a care setting.
    • Justify the relevance of proposed strategic goals and outcomes in relation to the mission, vision, and values of a care setting.
  • Competency 3: Apply cultural, ethical, and regulatory considerations to leadership decision making. 
    • Analyze the extent to which strategic goals and outcomes address the use of technology and the ethical, cultural, and regulatory environments.
  • Competency 4: Integrate leadership and health care theories into the role of the nurse leader. 
    • Explain how relevant leadership and health care theories will be used to help achieve proposed strategic goals and objectives.
  • Competency 5: Communicate with stakeholders and constituencies to build collaborative partnerships and create inclusive work environments. 
    • Communicate analyses clearly and in a way that demonstrates professionalism and respect for stakeholders and colleagues.
    • Integrate relevant and credible sources of evidence to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style.