Applicability

Another limitation of business planning is that it does not apply to many things we do in public health. Some programs are meant to run for only a year or two. Maybe you have a one-time grant or gift to do a short program with a clear stopping point. These projects don't fit business planning very well. If, however, you want the effort to continue, business planning helps. The business plan format will push you to think five years ahead and analyze factors that would help or hinder sustainability.

A good public health agency should be using business planning as one tool among many. Policy development, for instance, is still the most critical tool for enhancing health in communities but is not conducive to business planning. Business planning is a great tool for designing products and services that generate revenue, but that's only part of the job in public health.

The rest of this section will cover objections to business planning I've heard over the years. Try to guess the response to each issue.