The book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom that provides us with moral instructions on living a life pleasing to God. In the Scripture for this week’s devotional, we read about the value of planning as it is a benefit to those who take the time to assemble a plan. A plan helps people to identify their mission, the course of action to accomplish that mission, and identify potential barriers that could lead to the inability to complete the mission. In contrast to the one who takes the time to assemble a plan is the one who is in a hurry, which is described in the second part of the verse. Unfortunately, the one who is in a hurry and does not take the time to plan will experience unsuccessful outcomes.
The wisdom offered in our Scripture about planning applies to this week’s learning on healthcare evaluation, research, and strategic planning. In order for leaders and managers to evaluate their programs or conduct research, they must first create a strategic plan. The strategic plan is the framework they will use in establishing the mission; vision; core values; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis; strategic objectives; operational/tactical objectives; and measurable indicators and timeline.
By having a well-executed strategic plan, leaders and managers rely upon the established measurable indicators to determine whether programs are meeting their defined goals. If not, leaders and managers are able to make the necessary adjustments to ensure that the programs are on target to meet the ultimate operational objectives once the program ends. This is extremely important especially when an organization receives grant funding to establish or support a program’s operations. The grantor expects that the grantee will be able to realize and measure specific program objectives at the end of the program.
In reflecting on this week’s Scripture, take the time to develop a plan prior to embarking upon a task. You may think that you are just completing a simple task and that it does not require a strategic plan; however, the application of numerous resources to complete multiple tasks to be completed over the course of a year requires a strategic plan. Thus, your plan helps you to be accountable for the utilization of resources and to ensure a successful outcome.
As you embark upon the learning for the week, consider the following questions:
- What is an issue in the healthcare industry that you could address by employing the goal-based strategic planning model?
- What would be the advantages of using this model versus not having a plan?
- Reflect on the importance of planning as articulated in the weekly Scripture.
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