Whitehorse Community Health Service Australian Centre for Healthcare Governance

1. Whitehorse Community Health Service Australian Centre for Healthcare Governance 2014 Governance Excellence Award Winner

2. ACHG 2014 Governance Excellence Award • The Board challenge: how to ensure what is set at a strategic level is being implemented at an organisational level • This may seem simple, but it is often said that strategy is rendered useless because of failure to implement and execute. • Implementing the strategic plan through quarterly goals: management of Whitehorse Community Health Service (WCHS) organisational performance and accountability • “If companies would invest as much time in their strategy cascade as they do in their budgeting process, most would perform a lot better” Jeroen de Flander

3. ACHG 2014 Governance Excellence Award Implementing strategic plan through quarterly goals The three-year strategic plan was developed in 2013 A one-year business plan then created for the current financial year The business plan was summarised to one-page to be simple and memorable, then widely distributed throughout the organisation. The plan highlights the four key strategic pillars and the major strategic direction for each This one-year plan was then broken down into organisation-wide quarterly goals Quarterly targets were developed for all levels in the organisation, from the over-arching business goals, to management goals, and then individual and program goals At board level this information is reviewed using a traffic light system so the group are clear that long-term projects are being progressed in smaller sub-groups of work, with agreed milestones being ticked off at intervals during the project duration. Three-year strategic plan One-year business plan One-year business plan Summary – one page Quarterly goals - organisation Quarterly targets – each level in organisation (incl Board) Business goals Management goals Program goals Individual goals

4. ACHG 2014 Governance Excellence Award Implementing strategic plan through quarterly goals • Benefits: • Developing timely milestones and achievable levels that allow us to keep track of what can often be complex, long term, strategic goals • Cascading goals throughout levels of the organisation to develop alignment, direction and control • Motivating and aligning staff, as the opportunity to celebrate success occurs quarterly • Ensuring the board is informed and steering the performance and accountability of the strategic goals, and not just the day-to-day activities of the organisation. The strategic plan is top of mind, operational and not simply “set and forget”.