Planning the Work and Working the Plan

Planning the Work and Working the Plan

By: Leadership, Management & Governance Project

This publication attempts to simplify planning by introducing and defining a range of essential long- and short-term planning processes that managers of health programs or health services should implement. We focus on the primary organizational planning process: the development of a strategic plan and its conversion into an operational plan. The chapter sets the stage with a discussion of strategic thinking and then covers each phase of the strategic planning process: analyzing the organization’s internal and external environments, articulating or refining a mission, creating a vision, establishing strategic objectives, formulating strategies, and monitoring and evaluating results. These phases are broken down into their fundamental steps, with definitions, instructions, and tools to help you and members of your planning team to understand and apply each step. The chapter then addresses the critical link between strategic and operational planning and includes supplemental information about budgeting.

This publication is Chapter 5 of Health Systems in Action: An eHandbook for Leaders and Managers.