The ACS recently launched a new Strategic Plan, designed to advance organizational priorities and provide value to surgeons, the profession, and the patients they serve. The plan has four pillars and one foundational concept. This week, the ACS Brief highlights the foundational concept—Operational Excellence.
Previous articles have examined the four pillars of the new ACS Strategic Plan—Advance Patient-Centered Care and Surgical Quality, Revolutionize and Educate, Innovate and Accelerate, and Unify and Advocate.
The fifth and final component is not a pillar, but a foundation: operational excellence.
Since the earliest days of the ACS, 112 years ago, the work of administrative and technical support has been crucial to the highest achievements of the organization.
This element of the Strategic Plan supports every pillar, in that virtually everything the ACS does can be enhanced through improving the excellence of its operations. More than 450 employees in Chicago and Washington, DC, currently support ACS members and the patients they serve. Through operational excellence, the ACS will support its employees with the right infrastructure, resources, and education so they can implement Strategic Plan priorities effectively and efficiently.
Specifically, the new Clinical Data Strategy and data transformation initiatives will include substantial support to and from employees. Additionally, the ACS is committed to expanding leadership capacity by providing professional development opportunities. Finally, operational excellence means the ACS will focus on excellent financial health via initiatives ranging from an emphasis on cost savings to greater protection via heightened cybersecurity measures.
Operational excellence is the bedrock that will help the ACS uphold all four pillars of the Strategic Plan, as well as its mission, vision, and values—today and throughout the next 112 years.
Read more:
Introducing the New ACS Strategic Plan – Executive Director’s Update (July/August 2025 Bulletin)
Pillar 1: Advance Patient-Centered Care and Surgical Quality (August 5 ACS Brief)
Pillar 2: Revolutionize and Educate (August 19 ACS Brief)
Pillar 3: Innovate and Accelerate (September 9 ACS Brief)
Pillar 4: Unify and Advocate (September 23 ACS Brief)
