From Five-Year Strategies to Real-Time Action

I’ve spent a lot of time lately writing about how technology and real-time data are changing healthcare. The ability to see, in the moment, where capacity exists or when systems are under strain is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s become essential. And the same is true for how we plan.

For years, healthcare organizations leaned on the familiar three-to-five-year strategic plan. These glossy documents looked good on a shelf but often couldn’t hold up when the world shifted. The pandemic, workforce shortages and rapid advances in health IT showed us just how fragile long-term plans can be.

The reality is that the ground under us is moving too quickly. Technology is advancing faster than our strategies can keep up. Policy and funding—from NHSN bed connectivity to CMS digital health initiatives—shift with every budget cycle. Workforce shortages ebb and flow year by year, sometimes month by month. The old model of waiting years to revisit strategy doesn’t match the pace of change.

That’s why more leaders are turning to an annual, adaptive approach. Instead of chasing a rigid horizon, this model focuses on what can realistically be accomplished in the next 12 to 18 months, while leaving room to pivot when conditions change. Real-time data becomes more than an operational tool; it becomes a compass for strategy, signaling when it’s time to shift priorities. And because the horizon is shorter, staff can more easily see how their work connects to tangible outcomes, which builds momentum and buy-in.

This idea ties back to themes I’ve written about before—hospital capacity dashboards, and the way technology and policy must move together. Visibility only matters if it leads to timely action. Strategy works the same way. When it’s treated as a living discipline—responsive, adaptive, and informed by real-time insights—it stops being about predicting the future and starts being about being ready for it.

The long-term vision is still important, but it’s the short-term adaptability that keeps organizations relevant and resilient. In a world that changes daily, strategy has to move just as fast.

How is your organization rethinking planning? Are you still tied to five-year cycles, or have you embraced a more dynamic model?