1 - CONCEPT PLANNING Flashcards
the process of dealing with or controlling things or people
Management
key elements of a laboratory organization
Strategic planning, marketing, human resource management, and quality management
Functions of Management
- Planning
- Organizing
- Staffing
- Directing
- Controlling
- Management function that clarifies the process of attaining the desired goals of an organization
- Considered as the thinking and analyzing portion of the management process
Planning
Nature of Planning
- Associated with “strategic planning”
- Has a time frame of usually 3-7 years
- Forecasts the future success of an organization by matching and aligning its capabilities with its external opportunities
Long-range Plans
Nature of Planning
- This covers daily to annual plans
- Also known as operational planning
Short-range Plans
Importance of Planning
- To establish coordinated effort
- To reduce uncertainty
- To reduce overlapping and wasteful activities
- To establish the goals and standards that facilitate control
Benefits of Good Planning
- Positive financial results
- Improved organizational performance
* Good plan + appropriate implementation = better performance - Maximized employee skills
- Well-utilized laboratory equipment and materials
Qualities of a Good Planner
- Has good judgment, imagination, foresight, and experience
- Has the ability to evaluate laboratory opportunities and hazards
- Proficient in determining objectives
- Able to accept changes
Hierarchy of Plans
- Mission
- Objectives
- Policies
- Procedures
- Rules
Hierarchy of Plans
- States the purpose of the organization and its reason for existence
- Presents the scope of the business and what makes it distinct from similar operations
- Reflects the culture and values of the laboratory enterprise
Mission
Hierarchy of Plans
- State how and when the goal of the organization will be accomplished
- Must be explicit, measurable, observable, and attainable (SMART)
Objectives
Hierarchy of Plans
- Plans reduced to instructions
- Direct the employees’ behavior toward the mission of the organization
- May be common to all institutions or specific to only one
- May serve as the company’s internal control
Policies
Hierarchy of Plans
- Plans that establish the acceptable ways of accomplishing a specific task
- Describes a sequence of steps that must be followed
- Guides to action, rather than to thinking
- Detail the exact manner in which a certain activity must be accomplished
Procedures
Hierarchy of Plans
- Plans that define specific action and non-action
- Generally included as part of policies or procedures
Rules
Types of Planning
- Strategic Planning
- Tactical Planning
Types of Planning
- Process by which high-level decisions are made
- Based on long-term projections
- Includes:
1. Deciding on the objectives and the need to modify existing objectives
2. Allocating resources to attain these objective
3. Establishing policies that govern the acquisition, use, and disposition of these resources - Involves analyzing strengths and weaknesses of the organization, as well as its competitive opportunities and threats, and then determining how to position the organization to compete effectively in their environment
Strategic Planning
Types of Planning
- Detailed, day-to-day operation plans used to meet the immediate needs of the laboratory (short-term)
- Works to meet the long-term strategic plans
Tactical Planning
The Planning Process (Steps of Planning)
- Identify Goals
- Evaluate the Current Situation
- Establish the Time Frame
- Set the Objectives
- Forecast Resources Needs
- Implement the Plan
- Create a Feedback Mechanism
The Planning Process (Steps of Planning)
- Goal – an end that the organization strives to attain
- Guides and identifies where or what the organization wishes to be
Identify Goals
The Planning Process (Steps of Planning)
- The organization must know where it stands (where you are and how you got there)
- Essential in determining:
1. Where you are going/your company’s direction
2. If you are on the right track - Must include all personnel involved in the project in the decision-making process
- To short-circuit this process is to miss important information and advice and risk overlooking important obstacles that may later appear obvious
Evaluate the Current Situation
The Planning Process (Steps of Planning)
- Time – key element in determining if a plan is realistic
- Period of time should be acceptable for each plan to achieve its goals
- Enables managers to plan where they want the organization to be in 1-5 years
Establish the Time Frame
The Planning Process (Steps of Planning)
- The first steps in laboratory planning is the establishment of general goals (such as mission statement) and specific objectives by the laboratory staff
Set the Objectives
- short-term standards that allow the manager to achieve its goals, step-by-step
- Serves as a specific benchmark to know whether standards were met
Objectives
goals are set by the top managers which flow down through the organization and departments
Traditional goal setting
the use of mutually-agreed goals and objectives for the purpose of management and performance evaluation
Management by objectives (MBO)
general and qualitative statements of overall philosophy of the organization
Goals
Five basic characteristics of a good objective
SMART
The Planning Process (Steps of Planning)
- Considers the availability of current resources and the possibility of obtaining the additional assets needed by the organization
- Ensures arrangements for the acquisition and use of appropriate equipment, instruments, supplies, workspace, and personnel
- Determines the feasibility of goals and objectives
- Influenced by the development of the laboratory’s operational and capital budget
Forecast Resources Needs
The Planning Process (Steps of Planning)
May include strategies for anticipating and overcoming any obstacles or impediments
Implement the Plan
The Planning Process (Steps of Planning)
- Utilizing a system to check on the progress of the organization
- Using the information gathered by the system, the plan may be changed to better achieve its goals
- Information can be obtained and corrections introduced through several avenues:
1. Formal meetings between managers and coworkers
2. Monitored standards of performance
3. Informal meetings and conversations with staff and customers
4. Analysis of the nature and types of problems encountered
Create a Feedback Mechanism
Essential Factors in Laboratory Planning
- Past Experience
- Market Potential
- Competition
- Hospital/Laboratory Relations
- Regulatory and Accrediting Forces
- Laboratory Trends
- Medical Trends
- Socio-political Trends
Essential Factors in Laboratory Planning
- The totality of an organization’s awareness is based upon the prior observations and participations of its membership
- Careful assessment must be made in order to determine what is valid from what is not
Past Experience
Essential Factors in Laboratory Planning
The known or estimated expenditures for given services in a given local or as projections of these expenditures contingent upon specific plans and anticipated developments
Market Potential
Essential Factors in Laboratory Planning
An analysis of most market potential areas will usually disclose a relatively consistent set of competitive forces
Competition
Essential Factors in Laboratory Planning
Include difficulties and problems that result between those responsible for providing laboratory services and those accountable for administering overall hospital policy
Hospital/Laboratory Relations
Essential Factors in Laboratory Planning
The laboratory industry has been subjected to a large and ever-increasing number of regulations and performance standards
Regulatory and Accrediting Forces
Essential Factors in Laboratory Planning
Serve as a valuable indication of consensus thinking within the industry and, as such, provide an important means by which one’s own thinking and practices may be influenced
Laboratory Trends
Essential Factors in Laboratory Planning
The pattern of test requests is a useful indicator of the relative value with which the physician perceives the wide range of laboratory services
Medical Trends
Essential Factors in Laboratory Planning
Events that have been already affected hospital laboratories include the legalization of unions in non-profit institution and the legislations of equal job opportunities
Socio-political Trends
