Case one. Evolution of a strategic plan: an organizational perspective.

The practice of strategic planning, both in business and healthcare, greatly expanded during the 1970's. Many process models were proposed and applied to determine environmental threats and opportunities, to identify achievable goals and to predetermine achievable courses of action. Developing and maintaining a strategic planning process is described as a requirement for healthcare organizations. This case report is a study of the successful evolution of a planning process which the author presents as a model for other institutions. The case describes the development of a formal process for strategy formulation, based on economic definitions of strategy, under what Ansoff would consider ideal conditions. It is unique in that it ties the process to product line management implementation.