Step 3 - Identify Priorities

"Identify Priorities" is the third step of the DOH 5-Step Performance Improvement Process. After analyzing data in Step 2, your team will have identified strengths and opportunities for improvement, and is ready to identify priorities to work on.

Why identify priorities?  Strategically selecting priorities using data allows your team to maximize the potential of the organization's human and financial resources, and get the most "bang for your buck". Choosing priorities to work on does not mean that efforts toward all other goals cease, or that performance gains in other areas can or will not continue!

Focusing on the chosen priorities - the "critical few" - provides a better chance to improve these priorities' processes and outcomes. Communicating these priorities within your organization creates clarity among team members, which is necessary for everyone to work together toward common goals.

Getting Started
There are so many things to work on...how should your team choose priorities? When discussing potential priorities, it is important to consider existing initiatives or priorities your CHD or Central Office Program is currently working on, as well as the current environment of the department and/or the community. Priorities generally fall into two categories: (1) noted areas of low performance your team wishes to improve; and (2) noted areas of high performance your team wishes to sustain and/or further improve.

There are certain points your team should consider when identifying priorities:

• Does data support the identification of this as a priority?
• Does this potential priority support the Governor's priorities?
• Does this potential priority support the current Department (DOH) priorities?
• Does this potential priority support priorities introduced from higher organizational levels (i.e., your Deputy, CHD Administrator/Director, Division Director, Bureau Chief, Office Director, etc.)?
• Does this priority support or validate your CHD or CO Program's strategic plan?
• Does this priority support priorities identified by the community (CHDs)?
• Does this priority support those of the County Commission (CHDs)?
• Will your CHD or CO Program be able to address this potential priority and also meet our Legislatively-mandated priorities?
• Does your team's CHD or CO Program have financial resources (budget) to effectively address this priority?
• Does your team's CHD or CO Program have the necessary resources (staff, technical resources, etc.) to effectively address this priority?

In addition to answering the above questions, your team may use specific quality tools and techniques (e.g. Pareto chart or multi-voting) to further refine the list of priorities to the "critical few" to be addressed in the plan(s) of action.

Visit our Data Sources page for links to many more data sources, as well as other resources you may find helpful.

What's Next
At the conclusion of Step 3 your team will have a list of "critical few" priorities and is ready to create and implement plans of action to address them ("Create and Implement Plan of Action" - Step 4).

Have a question? Need help getting started?
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Page Revised 11/2010