Before finalizing the objective and tactics, see how well they meet some agreed- upon criteria, such as the following:
› Do the objective and tactics help us fulfill our mission? › Is this tactic related to our goals and objectives? › Do we have, or can we obtain, the resources needed to meet our objective? › Is the strategy measurable, and are its results meaningful to the organization?
Step 7: Measuring Success
The final developmental component of the strategic plan is the measurement system. You need to know whether your strategy is working and whether you are achieving your goals. Define indicators that will be monitored to measure progress. Good per- formance measures focus employees’ attention on the factors most critical to success. The indicators should focus on outcomes (accomplishments), not processes (the work that was done). In other words, the measurement system should not simply evaluate whether a tactic was completed; it must also tell you whether the tactic achieved the desired goal. For example, if the goal is to use technology to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of clinical nutrition services, use of technology is a tactic and efficiency and cost-effectiveness are outcomes. In this situation, you could use a com- bination of productivity data, quality measures, and financial data (expenses) as indicators. The measurement system should define the indicators, target values, how the information will be collected, who will collect it, and how often the indicators will be evaluated. Figure 8.4 provides a template for your measurement system.
FIGURE 8.4 Measurement system worksheet Strategic Plan Measurement System GOAL: Indicator