Planning Careful and committed strategic planning, where an organization defines its mission, identifies directions, develops a unified

approach, prioritizes long- and short-term goals, assigns accountabilities, and allocates financial resources, provides the surest path to success. Planning is the process of formulating objectives and determining the action items that must be deployed in obtaining them. No modern health care organization can be effective without an overall plan of action. A strategic plan helps the organization to develop an action-oriented approach and identify the pieces needed to build a successful laboratory operation. Several points should be considered when planning. The more far-reaching the laboratorys mission is defined, the greater the challenge. One constant (whenever the paramount resource of an organization is the experience of its people) is the absolute necessity to include the input of the staff. The objective of planning is to set an achievable course of action by establishing an environment where day-to-day activities are well-controlled, measurable, and thoroughly understood by employees at every level of the organization. Selecting a Planning Group A knowledgeable and motivated group from within the laboratory should be assembled to create and administer a strategic plan. This group must include key people from all functional areas. In a large and comprehensive pathology laboratory, the group should include executive-level representatives, as well as key administrative and support leaders. Physician directors, laboratory

managers, and supervisors are ultimately accountable for meeting the goals and objectives of the plan, so they should make up the core of the planning group. Individuals possessing a strong working knowledge of policies, procedures, technology, and processes should also participate in the planning process.

Environmental Analysis The planning process must begin from a point firmly grounded in reality. If assumptions about the operational environment are not accurate, the resulting strategic plan will be fatally flawed. Therefore, an environmental analysis should be performed at the very beginning of the planning process. An environmental analysis is a systematic review of the internal and external factors that influence the operation of the laboratory. An honest environmental analysis forces an organization to face reality, thereby setting a tone for the planning process. In this analysis, the administrative staff seeks to answer questions such as: what kinds of services should we be offering the community 5 years from now? How will these services be different from those offered currently? What kinds of resources (instruments, equipment, buildings, patient rooms, employee personnel) will we have to acquire in order to provide these future services? How will we finance the purchase of these resources? Accurate data should be gathered from every possible source. This data should include financial information, capital equipment inventories, quantifiable personnel data, and laboratory-specific performance data Goals, Objectives, and Strategies

Planning seeks to produce a list of goals, objectives, and strategies that will guide management decisions for a pre-determined period of time. A goal is an end or an outcome that the organization hopes to attain. An objective is a specific aim taken toward achieving a goal. A strategy is an artful means to a defined end. A practical implementation timeline should be developed. For most modern medical laboratories, a planning horizon of 18 months to 2 years is practical. A planning horizon that is too distant will be impacted by dramatic changes in technology and the economy that will undoubtedly occur before the planning period is complete. A planning horizon that is too short will not permit the organization adequate time to accomplish its goals. Prioritization In planning, as in all other aspects of effective management, it is necessary to assign priorities by weighing the importance of the tasks at hand to determine which have the highest level of immediate precedence. Therefore, planning is often a struggle between must do and want to do decisions. Certain clinical activities are at the center of the laboratorys existence. Planning for these situations should and must always revolve around how to perform those activities better