As the first activity of nearly every planning process, the environmental assessment (EA) sets the tone for
strategic and clinical program planning and reveals how the remainder of the planning process is likely to
unfold. When the EA assessment has not been sufficiently conceptualized or is not well organized, it can
easily take strategic and clinical program planning off course immediately. Understand the full scope of an
EA, including which components are most critical for informing good strategic decisions. Particular emphasis will be placed on the external environment and competitor assessment. Take home an inventory of relevant sources for select EA components.
You will learn to:
1. Identify components of a comprehensive environmental assessment.
2. Understand which EA components warrant the most effort and attention in your planning process.
3. Practice translating EA findings into the three major outputs of an EA (competitive advantages and
disadvantages, future conditions forecast, and identification of critical planning issues).