Temper of the Times
our new strategic plan needs your input

Douglas C. Thomson
CEO, Canadian Orthopaedic Association

In 2000, the COA embarked on a process of self-renewal by updating its strategic plan, which was presented to the membership in early 2001. That plan set a new Mission for the COA:

• achieve excellence in orthopaedic care for Canadians

To accomplish this Mission, two primary goals were established to help focus the COA's efforts and resources:

• develop, support and maintain outstanding and committed surgeons

• advocate for adequate and accessible resources for patients

Flowing out of the Mission and primary goals were four strategic objectives:

• advance professional fulfillment

• promote and provide education

• communicate and inform

• advocate for national standards

How have we done since the strategic plan was adopted by the membership at the Annual Meeting in London in June of 2001? Pretty good, all things considered. Here are some highlights from what turned out to be a most successful strategic plan:

• Membership has increased by 18%.

• "Canada in Motion" was launched in 2001 and extended through 2002. This advocacy programme was widely credited with raising the profile of joint arthroplasty at Health Canada and leading to the inclusion of hip and knee replacement as one of the five wait-time priorities.

• The COA was among the founding organizations in the national Wait Time Alliance (WTA). So far, messaging for the WTA in print and electronic media has reached over 20 million Canadians.

• The National Standards Committee has developed two critically important reports on manpower and wait times, which have been referenced by governments across the country.

• A new interactive web site was developed to better deliver COA educational resources to our members.

• The COA Bulletin printed nearly twice as many pages in 2006 than it did in 2000, and a monthly communiqué keeps members informed of important news and happenings.

• In the past several years, the COA Annual Meeting has evolved into a first-class, hands-on, educational event attended by more members than ever before.

So, if the last plan was so good, why then do another one now? The COA Board needs to confirm whether our strategic plan is still relevant or needs change. If a strategic plan is a roadmap to guide the organization, then it's now time to take stock and get our bearings. Without a fresh map, the Board and staff could wander off course, based on out-dated assumptions. We will be using a widely-accepted five-step process to complete the strategic plan.

From l to r: 2nd President-Elect, Dr. Peter J. O’Brien; President-Elect, Dr. Marc J. Moreau; CEO, Doug Thomson; Past President, Dr. Robert B. Bourne; President, Dr. Brendan D. Lewis.

Step One - Getting Ready
Board and staff will perform five important preliminary tasks to pave the way for an organized process:

• identify specific issues that the planning process should address

• clarify roles (who does what?)

• create a planning committee

• develop an organizational profile

• identify what information must be collected to help make sound decisions

This is where you come in. By the time you read this, you will have been asked to complete our on-line survey. For the process to be truly representative, it's absolutely critical that we hear from you. Please complete the survey, and do not hesitate to contact any members of the COA Executive with any other thoughts or views.

Step Two - Articulating the Mission
An organization's ability to articulate its Mission reflects its focus and intent, and describes an organization in terms of its:

• purpose - why we exist and what we seek to accomplish;

• business - the main activity through which it fulfills this purpose; and

• values - the principles and ethics that guide the profession

Step Three - Situational Assessment
Current information gained from the membership survey will help assess the COA's strengths, weaknesses and overall performance. From this analysis will emerge the critical issues that the strategic plan must address.

Step Four - Developing Strategies, Goals and Objectives
Once we have affirmed our Mission and identified critical issues, the next step is to decide what broad approaches (strategies) are to be taken and what general and specific results should be sought (the goals and objectives). This step can be complicated and sometimes require additional information or a re-evaluation of conclusions reached in step three.

Step Five - Completing the Written Plan
Once the Mission has been articulated, critical issues identified, and goals and strategies agreed upon, the final document can then be drafted and presented to the COA's Board for adoption. The Board will be looking for a document that can be translated into specific actions and that provides sufficient detail to answer questions about priorities and directions.

The Mission that was embraced with the last strategic plan is by no means complete. Meanwhile, the political scene has shifted in some predictable ways (a Conservative minority government) and in other ways that were less so (environmental concerns trumping health care concerns as the top political issue) - not to mention an upcoming change of leadership at the CMA. The debates over some combination of public and private delivery of health care and timely access to orthopaedic care are bound to continue. How to provide some relief to subspecialties squeezed by the focus on hip and knee arthroplasty? Should the COA have a "green" policy, given the temper of the times? Where should the first physician assistant pilot programme take place?

Our discussions within the COA now must guide our actions as a profession for years to come. And turbulent times are likely ahead. Even if our fundamental course is correct, we need to hear from as many you as possible to be confident enough to navigate any rapids coming up around the bend.