OHS conducts a strategic audit to determine three basic key strategic questions: 1) Where is the hospice organization now? 2) If no changes are made, where will the hospice organization be in one year, two years or five years? Are the answers acceptable? 3) If the answers are not acceptable, what specific actions should management undertake? What risks and payoffs are involved?
In order to determine the above OHS, will assesses the following:
- Current Situation
- Current Performance to include how the hospice did during the past year
- Strategic Posture to include an analysis of mission, objectives, strategies and policies.
- Corporate Governance
- Board of Directors to include who they are, what do they contribute, what is their level of involvement.
- Top Management to include what are the chief characteristics, knowledge, skills and backgrounds and management style, interaction with other levels of the hospice organization and the ability to cope with future changes and challenges.
- External Environment: Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)
- Societal Environment to include the environmental forces affecting both the hospice organization and the industry.
- Economic
- Technological
- Political-legal
- Sociocultural
- Task Environment to include the forces driving competition.
- Summary of External Factors to include the forces and factors that are the most important to the organization and the industry.
- Internal Environment: Strengths and Weaknesses (SWOT)
- Corporate Structure
- Corporate Culture
- Corporate Resources including marketing, finance, research and development, operations and logistics, human resources, information systems.
- Summary of Internal Factors
- Analysis of Strategic Factors
- Situational Analysis
- Review of Mission and Objectives
- Strategic Alternatives and Recommended Strategy
- Implementation
- Evaluation and Control
- Situational Analysis
OHS provides a formal report for the hospice that summarizes the results of the audit and recommended strategies.
These comprehensive documents are typically 50 to 60 pages and provide valuable information that can be updated by the Hospice annual to have a continual strategic plan in place.