Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Food Service Manual for Health Care Institutions
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resources needed to achieve these plans. Tactical plans are plans that translate the strategic
plans into specific goals for specific units within the organization, plans that departments will
carry out in the short term. Once goals and strategies are written, they are evaluated to determine
whether and how they best fit the organization and their potential for leading the organization
to success. Selection of strategies should reflect a balance between the organization’s
potential for taking advantage of opportunities or overcoming threats and the values of its
management and established mission.
In addition to forming the basis for department planning, the identification of goals and
strategies for the entire organization requires upper management to form and be responsible
for specific action plans at their level. An example of an objective and action plan is the development
of the organization’s long-term capital expenditure plan. This budget is based on the
need for resources identified in both the long-range strategic planning and the departmental
planning process. The long-term capital budget must be approved by the governing body
or board. The capital budget is the organization’s action plan for fiscal and other resource
allocation.
Action plans focus on how the goal and objectives of the strategic planning process are to
be accomplished. Department directors can expect to become involved in this phase when the
chosen strategic alternatives affect their departments or are relevant to all managers throughout
the organization. For example, the planning committee may decide that the institution
must improve its management competence at all levels and, therefore, establishes a plan for
organization-wide management training.
Action plans include designating the person (or group) responsible for completing the
activities, along with specific statements of the measurements used to identify when the objective
has been met. Time lines are specified for each step in the action plan to ensure that
objectives are met according to the established strategic plan.
Phase 3: Implementing, Evaluating, and Modifying Goals and
Action Plans
Once an organization knows its mission, vision, values, and strategic direction, it has a strong
foundation for implementing operational planning and setting objectives. However, an organization
concerned with long-term success will not stop at implementation but will continue to
gather information, evaluate its mission in light of that information, and adjust its strategic
plan as necessary.
Strategic thinking moves with the environment; as the environment changes, the organization
must respond and adapt accordingly. An example is a change in an organization’s financial
status, a real issue for many institutions across the country. Even organizations that were
once in financial trouble but managed to recover have to modify their strategic focus for future
advancement, not just recovery.
Middle Manager’s Role in Strategic Planning
Although information collection is important to strategic planning, much of it also is valuable
to operational planning. Department managers must be aware of what is being monitored or
surveyed in their organizations and use these data in operations planning. Upper management
must communicate to department managers and staff the organization’s future direction and
provide regular updates on goal accomplishment. Providing communication on these issues is
important to having a highly committed and motivated workforce.
During the early phases of strategic planning, middle managers are often a source of data,
reports, and knowledge for strategic planners. If appropriate for the alternatives being considered,
department directors also may be asked to respond. For example, the food service director
might be called on to find outreach contracts for the delivery of nutrition services in