Standard 5.3: Strategic Plan

Standard 5.1

Standard 5.2

Standard 5.3

Standard 5.4

Return to domain 5

Standard 5.3: Develop and implement a health department organizational strategic plan

Strategic planning is a process for defining and determining an organization's roles, priorities, and direction over three to five years. A strategic plan sets forth what an organization plans to achieve, how it will achieve it, and how it will know if it has achieved it. The strategic plan provides a guide for making decisions on allocating resources and on taking action to pursue strategies and priorities. A health department's strategic plan focuses on the entire health department. Health department programs may have program-specific strategic plans that complement and support the health department's organizational strategic plan.

Required documentation by measure

Keep these considerations in mind when selecting documentation for this standard:

Strategic planning process can be led by staff or by outside agency
If the health department is part of an umbrella agency, it must be actively involved in the planning process
Strategic plan should be linked to the health improvement plan for the community and the QI plan for the agency

Measure 5.3.1 A: Conduct a department strategic planning process

Required Documentation	Examples
1. Description of elements of planning process

Measure purpose: to assess the health department's strategic planning process.

Measure 5.3.2 A: Adopt a department strategic plan

Required Documentation	Examples
1. Health department strategic plan

Measure purpose: to assess the department's completion and adoption of a department strategic plan.

Measure 5.3.3 A: Implement the department strategic plan

Required Documentation	Examples
1. Annual reports of progress

Measure purpose: to assess the health department's implementation of its strategic plan