The following sample plan shows an OR department with four operating rooms, arranged in an H formation, and designed for general surgery. The rooms are able to accommodate a wide range of surgical procedures, such as appendectomies and orthopedic surgery.

Because of the number of operating rooms, specialized operating rooms are not an option. This type of OR department would meet the needs of a small city hospital, district hospital, or outpatient clinic. A real-life implementation begins with an observation and understanding of real-world workflow. In order to establish work sequences starting in the planning phase, workflows have been created for the staff, the patients and the materials. These are helpful for designing an efficient flow of work within the department.