Strategic Planning and Decision Making

What is the purpose of a strategic plan?

To set a clear pathway for an organization’s development, success, and future direction.

Why is having a clear strategic plan essential for a business?

It guides growth, decision making, and long-term organizational success.

What timeframe does a strategic plan typically cover?

3–5 years.

How is strategic planning described as a process?

Dynamic, evolving, and continuous.

What is the main goal of strategic planning?

To advance the organization.

Why is stakeholder and leadership buy-in important for a strategic plan?

Because a viable and dynamic plan requires commitment for successful implementation.

What organizational elements must be considered during strategic planning?

Mission and vision.

What does SWOT analysis evaluate?

An organization’s internal and external environment.

What are strengths in a SWOT analysis?

Internal assets or characteristics that enhance capacity for growth or change.

What are weaknesses in a SWOT analysis?

Internal conditions or characteristics that hinder or restrict growth.

What are opportunities in a SWOT analysis?

External events or environmental changes that may positively affect the organization.

What are threats in a SWOT analysis?

External actions or events that may harm organizational growth or competitiveness.

What does PESTEL stand for?

Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal factors.

What is the purpose of asking “what if” questions during planning?

To generate potential scenarios.

Why are potential scenarios visualized in strategic planning?

To anticipate desired and undesired future outcomes.

Why should multiple scenarios be debated?

To evaluate merits and risks of different possible futures.

What type of scenarios should ultimately be selected?

Those that maximize growth and minimize risk.

What are strategic goals?

Measurable statements indicating what an organization intends to achieve over 3–5 years.

What are objectives?

Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound targets that support goals.

What does SMART stand for in objectives?

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

What is a cost leadership strategy?

Focusing on being the most efficient producer.

What is a differentiation strategy?

Creating unique products or services.

What is a focus strategy?

Targeting a specific market segment.

Why must criteria for success be established for goals?

To evaluate whether goals are achieved effectively.

What is involved in implementation of strategies?

Putting strategies into action with stakeholder support.

Why is monitoring necessary after implementation?

To determine if goals are met, inappropriate, or require changes.

What does continuous assessment focus on?

Identifying successful strategies and making improvements.

Why is decision making integral to management?

Managers make many decisions every day that affect operations.

What is data-based decision making?

Using data to inform and support management decisions.

What are operational decisions?

Decisions related to daily operations.

What are budget decisions?

Purchase and financial allocation decisions.

What are staffing decisions?

Decisions related to hiring, retention, and workforce management.

What are process decisions?

Decisions related to workflows and procedures.

What are marketing decisions?

Decisions related to promoting services or products.

What are productivity decisions?

Decisions related to efficiency and output.

What are contingency-based decisions?

Decisions made in response to unexpected situations.

What is data in data-driven decision making?

Pieces of information used for thoughtful decision making.

What is the first question to ask when using data for decisions?

What do you want to know from the data?

What does KPI stand for?

Key Performance Indicator.

Why are reliable data collection systems important?

To ensure data accuracy.

Why must managers decide how much data is enough?

To avoid unnecessary delays in decision making.

Why should existing data sources be explored first?

To avoid reinventing the wheel.

What types of questions can existing data help answer?

Staff turnover, competency measurement, and client satisfaction.

What is the first step in developing a data collection plan?

Identifying a method.

What are common data collection methods?

Interviews, surveys, polls, and ongoing data collection.

How can existing data collection systems be improved?

By adding additional parameters.

Why is a timeline important in data collection?

To ensure timely analysis and decisions.

What is a data review plan?

A structured process for analyzing collected data.

What should be considered when collecting data?

Using the most suitable and objective method.

Why is innovation balanced with objectivity in data collection?

To ensure valid and reliable results.

Why is measuring evidence-based practice important for managers?

To ensure quality and effective client care.

Why should client interactions be measured?

To evaluate service quality and outcomes.

What makes a data source reliable?

Being accurate, consistent, and trustworthy.

Why must data be up to date?

To ensure decisions reflect current conditions.

What is a data dictionary?

A reference that defines data elements consistently.

What tools support business intelligence?

Technology-driven analytics tools.

What technologies contribute to modern data collection?

Smartphones, wearable devices, and smart home or office technology.

What are quantitative data?

Numerical data that can be statistically analyzed.

What are qualitative data?

Descriptive, non-numerical data.

What are mixed methods?

A combination of quantitative and qualitative data.

Why is minimizing data errors important?

To ensure accurate analysis and conclusions.

What is sampling bias?

When a sample does not accurately represent the population.

Why should subjectivity be minimized in data analysis?

To maintain objectivity and validity.

What are common data quality control strategies?

Verifying data entry processes and checking for errors.

Why must managers plan for missing data and outliers?

To avoid distorted results.

What is the purpose of data analysis?

To extract meaningful information for decision making.

Why must appropriate statistics be selected?

To accurately interpret data patterns.

What is an example of a descriptive statistic?

Mean customer satisfaction by gender.

What is an example of a percentage-based analysis?

Percentage of admissions by season.

Why should decisions be presented to stakeholders?

To share findings and gain input.

Why is stakeholder input important?

To support informed and collaborative decisions.

What is a dashboard used for in management?

To track ongoing data and performance indicators.

What data might be included on a private OT clinic dashboard?

Client satisfaction, census, quality of life scores, and testimonials.