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JRCERT Update
Strategic Planning: A Roadmap to Success
at the JRCERT
Leslie F Winter, MS, R.T.(R)
n organization’s level of success often can be weaknesses – an internal factor and demonstrates
attributed to its strategic planning process. areas for improvement in the organization
Strategic planning is the ability to formulate opportunities – an external factor identifying
Abusiness strategies, implement them, and areas for growth
evaluate their effect on an organization’s objectives. threats – an external factor that might be
1
Strategic planning rose in popularity in the 1950s, and detrimental or competitive for an organization
has improved continually in quality. The Joint The SWOT analysis should be a collaborative process
1
Review Committee on Education in Radiologic with most staff participating. If the completion of the
Technology (JRCERT) prioritizes strategic planning. SWOT analysis is difficult with a large group, the group
To improve processes, the process and subsequent can be divided into smaller groups and a facilitator can
initiatives are reviewed 3 times per year; however, report findings from each group.
major revisions and analysis generally are made every
4 to 5 years. Implementation
To achieve the goals of the organization, various
Strategic Planning Steps strategies and operational objectives should be
A strategic planning process should be unique for implemented using action plans. An action plan is
every organization to help determine what works best a particular task that leads to the attainment of an
for it and its staff. Typically, there are 3 steps to creating operational objective and strategy. These strategies or
a strategic plan. objectives should be attainable in approximately 1 year
to progress toward fulfilling the organization’s goals,
Strategy Formation and Data Collection and the completion of multiple strategies and objectives
An organization needs to assess its current state assure that the goal of the organization is accomplished.
(internal), as well as its market and audience (external). Notably, the workload to implement and perform these
The current state of the organization should be deter- action plans should be distributed equitably to ensure
mined before it can consider its future state. Data that each staff member is accountable for the success of
should be collected and analyzed to determine the the strategic plan.
organization’s state, which could take a few weeks
to months, especially if the data is comprehensive. Evaluation
Comprehensive data collection includes numerous The plan should be evaluated periodically, progress
data points from multiple sources to help increase made should be noted, and any metrics for success
the validity of the data, or the triangulation method. should be identified. This evaluation will ensure that
Once this information is analyzed, it is time to the organization is following the strategic plan and the
develop the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and process is achieving the desired outcomes. If there is
threats (SWOT) analysis of the organization: little to no progress, then the objectives might need to
strengths – an internal factor that demonstrates be adjusted or revised. Like the organization, the stra-
the strengths of the organization tegic plan is not a static entity and should be a dynamic,
RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGY, September/October 2021, Volume 93, Number 1 113
Reprinted with permission from the American Society of Radiologic Technologists for educational purposes.©2021. All rights reserved.
