Did you know that 2018 marks year 3 of AIHA’s current strategic plan​? Did you even know we had a plan?

Hopefully the answer to the second question is “yes.” But if you were not aware we have a strategic plan and would like to understand why, the short answer is that strategic planning is an important element of running a successful business. It directs and helps focus an organization’s leadership on those mission-critical initiatives deemed to be high priority. A well-constructed plan should contain various top-line metrics that measure success across both external-facing (for example, customer products and services) as well as internal-facing components (customer retention and growth, IT enhancements).

As a refresher, here are the six focus areas laid out for our 2016–2018 planning cycle:

1. Drive AIHA’s content focus and dissemination.
   
2. Customize benefits to maximize value to members.
   
3. Pioneer a coalition to advance IH science and practice.
   
4. Partner to generate and disseminate content.
   
5. Provide diverse support to local sections.
   
6. Align support for all stages of career development.
   

Over the next several blogs I will explain what’s been happening and where we are headed next year vis-à-vis each of these areas.

It’s also worth mentioning that a new strategic planning task force has been formed that will lead the charge in developing our next plan, which will take effect in January 2019. This task force will be led by a seasoned outside strategic planning consultant and comprises a mix of professionals: AIHA Board members Deborah Nelson (task force chair and AIHA president), Cindy Ostrowski (president-elect), Kathy Murphy (vice president), and Dina Siegel (director); and Members At Large Barbara Dawson (an AIHA past president), John Moore (vice chair of the Local Section Council), Georgi Popov (president of the Mid-America Local Section), Melissa Rupert (chair of the Foundation Fundraising Committee), and Jake Shedd (Student Local Section Council officer). Over the coming months, this group will formulate our new plan and present it to the AIHA Board for formal approval at its July 2018 meeting.

Stay tuned for my next installment on our strategic plan. And in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact me​ if you have questions about AIHA’s strategic direction.