Introduction
- Description of the organization’s strategic plan as it pertains to quality improvement.
Design a balanced scorecard for the organization to measure quality.
Evaluation of the scorecard comparing it with the priorities of your organization.
Definition of the value of a balanced scorecard and suggestions for improvements that my organization may need.
Explanation of each measure in the scorecard in terms of standardized data definitions.
Evaluation of external benchmarks and a projection of goals for the next three years.
Conclusion
- Description of how the balanced scorecard reflects the strategic plan of the organization and nursing’s role therein.
Abstract
This document contains a report related to strategic planning pertaining to the Center for Allied Health Nursing Education (New Jersey). A summary of its strategic priorities aligned to quality improvement will be tendered; a balanced scorecard represented of quality improvement measurements designed to show consistency with national standards will also be presented. An attempt at explaining how each measure in the scorecard is consistent with standardized data definitions will be undertaken too. Finally an evaluation of external benchmarks and a three year goals’ projection will be articulated. In concluding the value of scorecard will be briefly outlined while a description of how the balanced scorecard reflects the strategic plan of my organization and nursing’s role therein is discussed.
Introduction
Description of the organization’s strategic plan as it pertains to quality improvement.
A description of the Center of Allied Health and Nursing strategic plan as it pertains to quality improvement embraces an explanation of its seven strategic priorities. The organization itself emerged from increasing health care demands inclusive of a steep population growth; diminishing interest of new students within the health care industry along with an aging workforce and baby boom bubble. As such, the focus was towards ‘developing and offering educational programs that (i) provide students with comprehensive instruction and training and (ii) reinforce the humanistic aspects of care in the area of healthcare’ (Strategic Plan, 2013).
Core values are focused towards quality improvement being committed to providing a holistic learning environment, which embraces scholastic, one-on-one practice along with relevant community involvement. Precisely, the organization aims to ‘(i) inform, (ii) inspire and (iii) motivate students’ (Strategic Plan, 2013). These virtues propel the Center for Allied Health Nursing Education towards its instituting and executing its quality improvement ventures by imparting professional excellence in their students. Also, leaders envision the center as being ‘a dynamic, outward looking institution whose faculty, staff, students and community are actively engaged in addressing the needs of demand occupations. Our instructional techniques should promote excellence, lifelong learning and community responsibility and our learning environment should be innovative, challenging, and intellectual’ (Strategic, 2013).
The seven strategic priories, which support quality improvement in my organization are quality instruction; demand occupation education; faculty and staff; organizational and occupation structure; media equipment and facilities and completion, placement and licensure outcomes. Quality instruction encompasses, which objectives of which, continue to implement instructional programs that accomplish three objectives: (i) inform, (ii) inspire and (iii) motivate is a main feature. A measure of success includes establishing a curriculum file containing standard set of books, lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations and educational objectives and goals (Strategic, 2013).
A main objective of the Demand Occupation Education strategy is to continue to identifying ‘additional communities in states with a need for nurses and expand campuses. A measure of success include new programs and placement rates’ (Strategic, 2013).While maintaining ‘a diverse student population whose characteristics enrich the learning environment is a major objective of the Enrollment and Student Support Services strategy with admission referral rates a measure of success’ (Strategic, 2013) on the scorecard.
‘Ensuring demographic, geographic diversity among the faculty’ (Strategic, 2013) is one of the guiding objectives pertaining to strategic priority four faculty and staff. ‘Faculty and staff participation in Professional Development Activities’ (Strategic, 2013) is considered a measure of success. Finally, aligning ‘organizational and administrative structure in a manner that promotes the quality of program outcomes and ensures effective utilization of resources’ (Strategic, 2013) becomes a major objective pertaining to Organizational and Administration Structure strategic priority. Evidently, ‘meeting quantitative and qualitative programmatic outcomes’ (Strategic, 2013) is a measure of success.
Importantly, one of the overall goals of strategic planning of the Allied Health Nursing Education Center is to ‘maintain progress through evaluation of old assumptions and support for new innovation’ (Strategic, 2013), which is expected to keep the organization in alignment with credential requirements. According to the requirements of New Jersey credential agency for healthcare educational institutions there are biannual accreditation requirements pertaining to maintain high output standards for re-licensure to operate as an educational institution. These strategies are deliberately aligned to maintain these standards (The State of New Jersey, 2013).
The Council on Occupational Education quality standards program includes becoming eligible for licensure to operate a postsecondary institution by the state higher education authority where the school is located. Otherwise, the school administration must obtain a federal license. Secondly, the school must show a one year history enrollment record pertaining to the license obtained or seeking. Third the Center for Allied Health Nursing programs must be of an occupational nature exclusively (Council on Occupational Education, 2013).
Also they must be offered at certificate; diploma or associate degree level. Institutions which offer Bachelor’s or graduate level programs cannot be accredited by the Council for Occupational Education (COE). Finally, the institution must satisfy the financial stability of the Commission’s criteria. These are specifically outlined in Standard 7 criteria 12-15. To maintain their accreditation annual reports must be tendered to the council pertaining to attendance; grades; graduation rates and financial management. Complying with mandatory council workshops organized for staff; documentation of activities deemed necessary by the council and scheduling of annual advisory meeting are a few additional standards established by Council on Occupational Education (Council on Occupational Education, 2013).
Design of a balanced scorecard for the organization to measure quality.
Generic balanced score card to measure Quality Improvement at Center for Allied Nursing Education (New Jersey)
Balanced Scorecard Framework
Adapted from Kaplan, R., & Norton, D. (2008).
Evaluation of the scorecard comparing it with the priorities of your organization.
Deliberate attempts were made when designing this balanced score card for aligning strategic priorities; objectives, and measurements set forth for achieving each strategy. Essentially, a balanced score card is expected to be a strategic planning and management system. Already the Center for Allied Health Nursing Education has a strategic plan with priorities; objectives; measurements and time line for their achievements. This balanced score card is merely a reflection of these elements in the organizations’ plan (businessballs, 2013).
Precisely, the balanced scorecard approach simply gave a holistic view of the Center for Allied Health Nursing Education Organization by highlighting its mission and integrating strategic priorities, objectives and measurements into one quality education improvement paradigm. This was projected through four pillars undergirding the center; it students/ customers; internal environment representative of its organizational structure; learning and innovation engraved in its aim to, inform, inspire and motive and education, which is the center’s purpose depicted in the Demand Education Strategy (Martin, 2013).
Definition of the value of a balanced scorecard and suggestions for improvements that my organization may need.
Conceptual foundations offered by Robert Kaplan (2010) from Harvard Business School advance that while scorecard designs and implementations are useful devices for organizations it must be understood that before selecting metrics; organizations ought to clearly articulate their intentions regarding anticipated achievements written in each strategy. Further, while the four balanced scorecard (BSC) perspectives offer a framework for expressing strategic objectives they may not be relevant to every organization. The financial objective for example, would be applicable to high level entities with sustained shareholders focusing on increasing revenue through growth productivity and maximizing profits. Alternatively the customer perspective as indicative of the Center for Allied Health Nursing Education intention and goal would be to attract customers; satisfy their needs as well as retaining a flow of such quality and quantity of clients (Kaplan, 2010).
Consequently, the true value lays in its adaptability for the organizations’ purpose. Arguments have been that the original balanced score card emerged from a purely financial paradigm. While Kaplan (2010) admits that this might be so the applications and adaptations to management of any business are immense and valuable. Ultimately, in concluding the theorists emphasized that employee and process performance were critical towards present and long term successes within the organization. Definitely, financial metrics are expected to rise if the company’s performance becomes better. However, to begin focusing on financial metrics to improve performance serious disappointments may be experienced (Kaplan, 2010).
As such, it was discovered that in optimizing long-term shareholder value, organizations were compelled to internalize preferences and expectations of their customers; shareholders, suppliers, communities and employees. The strategic component encompassed executing accurate measurements and management systems. These ought to reflect operational metrics, which can act as major indicators while financial metrics project as lagging outcomes. There should also be a number of alternative metrics measuring the organization’s developmental features responsible for escalation towards high performance in the future. These are some of the modifications which could be considered by the Center for Allied Health Nursing Education (Kaplan, 2010).
However, Robert Kaplan and David Norton (2008) contend that value gaps could exist during strategy development that create discrepancies in the management process. The contention is that when crafting mission statements they must align with strategies for effective execution. It was noted that many organizations mission statements were vague, which predicate obvious value gaps when strategy execution becomes imminent. As such, objectives and strategy priorities may conflict as well as measurements may not adequately reflect the value paradigm of the organization (Kaplan & Norton, 2008).
Explanation of each measure in the scorecard in terms of standardized data definitions.
Evaluation of external benchmarks and a projection of goals for the next three years.
3 year anticipated goals 3 year anticipated goals
Conclusion
Description of how the balanced scorecard reflects the strategic plan of the organization and nursing’s role therein.
In an evaluation of the scorecard comparing it with the priorities of my organization section of this report it was explained that deliberate attempts at aligning strategic priorities; objectives and measurements with those of the Center for Allied Health Nursing Education were undertaken. Precisely the score card used the exact strategic priorities; objectives and measurements offered in my organization’s strategic plan document. To this extent it can be concluded that this balanced scorecard reflects the strategic plan of the organization and nursing’s role therein. Precisely, students are the customers, the internal environment reflects organization’s goal to inform, inspire and motivate, education represents the overall purpose while learning and innovation for the subtle financial ingredients nourishing the organization’s vision.
Reference
Businessballs (2013). Balanced Scorecards. Retrieved on September, 28th, 2013 from
http://www.businessballs.com/balanced_scorecard.htm
Council on Occupational Education. (2013) Accreditation Maintenance Activities. Retrieved
September 28th, 2013 from http://www.council.org/accreditation-maintenance-
activities/
Kaplan, R. (2010). Conceptual Foundations of the Balanced Scorecard. Retrieved on September
28th, 2013 from http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/10-074.pdf
Kaplan, R., & Norton, D. (2008). Developing the strategy: Vision, value gaps and analysis.
Harvard Business School
Martin, J. (2013). The Balanced Scorecard Concepts. Retrieved on September 28th, 2013 from
http://maaw.info/BalScoreSum.htm
Strategic Plan (2013). The Center for Allied Health Nursing Education. New Jersey.
The State of New Jersey (2013).Department of Law and Public Safety. Division of Consumer
Affairs
