Strategic Health PlanningDr. Grace N. MurindwaFebruary 2012

Outline of PresentationIntroduction to Strategic Planning

WHAT is Strategic Planning

WHY Strategic Planning

HOW to conduct Strategic Planning

IntroductionThe origins of strategic planning were in the military where a strategy was the process or the skills in planning and conducting a military campaign

Later, the corporate world, adopted it to enhance and expand business enterprises

Health sector introduced strategic planning very recently

What is Strategic PlanningA Strategy is a long term plan for future success or developmentStrategic planning is therefore a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions to guide an organisation

A management tool constituting a set of decisions about What to do, Why to do it and How to do it.

What is Strategic PlanningIn health sector, strategic planning enables us to:Have a clear sense of direction for all partners, setting common objectivesIntentionally set goals (planning)Focus our energies on points of common agreementsMake fundamental decisions and tough choices (it is impossible to do everything)Work towards targeted achievementsDo a better job in the final analysis

Why Strategic PlanningStrategic planning supports strategic thinking and strategic management

Strategic Thinking:- Are we doing the right thing??- Do we understand the environment well?- Are we creative enough to handle the changing environment?- Is our relevance at stake??

Why Strategic Planning

TO DO A BETTER JOB !!- Work towards the same goal- Focus our energies- Assess and adjust direction

How to conduct Strategic PlanningBUILDING A FOUNDATIONThe Pre-requisites of strategic planningStrategic plan period

BUILDING THE SUPRASTRUCTURE (steps in strategic planning)

Pre-requisites for strategic planningMust be an inclusive process:Include all those with a stakeBuild relationships and Team spiritFacilitate information exchangeBuild uniformity of purpose

Clarify roles

Pre-requisites (cont.)MISSION: A shared sense of Purpose and DirectionIf you dont know where to go, it doesnt matter which way you goWhat is the purpose of our existence?What is our collective intention?

VISION:- What will success look like?- Sharing the success image!!- The driving force behind success!!

Strategic Plan PeriodDetermine the strategic plan period 5 Year Plan10 Year Plan

Make sure to harmonise the plan period with national and district planning frames

Steps in Strategic PlanningConduct a situational analysis/assessment

Identification of critical issues

Developing strategies, goals and objectives

Costing and financing of the plan

Implementation and Monitoring of the plan

Conducting a Situation AnalysisGetting to know ourselves and our environmentProcess involves Compilation of organization profileConduct a thorough SWOT Analysis of the organisation;Strengths (internal)Weakness (internal)OpportunitiesThreats

Identification of Critical IssuesDerived from the SWOT AnalysisExploit the existing strengthsFocus on weaknesses Examine the external forces criticallyPolitical, economic, social, technological, demographic and legalCritical IssuesWhy are they critical /Justify the choicesWhat would be the consequences of not responding to them?

Development of StrategiesAnswer the question of HOW to address the critical issuesSpecify expected general and specific results Goals and Objectives)Requires time, flexibility and extensive consultation plenty of dialogueChoices of strategies is influenced by possibility of harnessing the existing strength and taking advantage of available opportunities to address the issuesInnovation and Creativeness contribute to the outcome

Costing and Financing the PlanCosting the priority strategiesCapital ExpenditureRecurrent ExpenditureFinancing of the Plan - determine the financial resources available from all sources for implementing the planReconcile the estimated costs with the available resources from all sources to determine whether there are adequate resources or funding gapsPropose strategies for bridging the gaps or using the surplus

Implementation and MonitoringImplementation arrangements for the planRole of different stakeholdersOperationalization of the plan

Monitoring framework for the planDetermine and agree on key indicators for assessing progress and their targets for the plan Determine sources of dataSupervision of plan implementationReporting arrangements and timelinesReview process to assess progress of implementation (JOINT with all stakeholders)Evaluation of plan (external) midterm and end

Strategic Planning SummaryEstablish a clear purpose and sense of directionExamine self and the environmentApply strategic thinkingDetermine Critical Issues needing redressEstablish appropriate strategiesCost and determine the financing plan Propose implementation arrangementsTranslate the strategies into actions

Thank You