title: Information technology strategic planning: art or science?
abstract: It had been almost a decade since the hospitals that make up the Daughters of Charity Health System (DCHS) had engaged in a formal information technology strategic planning process. In the summer of 2002, as the health system re-formed, there was a unique opportunity to introduce a planning process that reflected the governance style of the new health system. DCHS embarked on this journey, with the CIO initiating and formally sponsoring the information technology strategic planning process in a dynamic and collaborative manner The system sought to develop a plan tailored to encompass both enterprise-wide and local requirements; to develop a governance model to engage the members of the local health ministries in plan development, both now and in the future; and to conduct the process in a manner that reflected the values of the Daughters of Charity. The DCHS CIO outlined a premise that the CIO would guide and be continuously involved in the development of this tailored process, in conjunction with an external resource. Together, there would be joint responsibility for introducing a flexible information technology strategic planning methodology; providing an education on the current state of healthcare IT, including future trends and success factors; facilitating support to tap into existing internal talent; cultivating a collaborative process to support both current requirements and future vision; and developing a well-functioning governance structure that would enable the plan to evolve and reflect user community requirements. This article highlights the planning process, including the lessons learned, the benchmarking during and in post-planning, and finally, but most importantly, the unexpected benefit that resulted from this planning process.
authors.affiliation: Daughters of Charity Health System, Los Altos, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hutsell
authors.forename: Lulcy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mancini-Newell
mesh_terms: D002410:Catholicism; D016542:Chief Executive Officers, Hospital; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D003660:Decision Support Systems, Management; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006752:Hospital Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016519:Hospitals, Religious / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007324:Institutional Management Teams; D007857:Leadership; D008923:Missouri; D009096:Multi-Institutional Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D010934:Planning Techniques; D014481:United States