There are always multiple obstacles that can significantly diminish the overall efficiency of any project plan. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze all the factors that may stay behind potential barriers to its successful implementation. Given the complexity of the project plan and the holistic approach expected to prevail in all stages of its fulfillment, there are numerous spheres that may be exposed to certain risks. Significant changes that affect the organizational structure of an institution always lead to various issues ranging from increased expenditures to employees’ diminished motivation and resistance to changes. A dedicated analysis is needed in order to find the most appropriate solutions to problems that may arise.
One of the essential issues that should be addressed while implementing the plan is centered around the employees’ perception of the efficiency and urgent nature of the changes that the project plan implies. Therefore, it is of significant importance to provide all employees that may be affected with a substantial body of evidence proving the benefits to a hospital in general. It is crucial to underpin the strong correlation between a hospital’s performance and employees’ salaries.
Given the importance of measures listed in the project plan, the only issue that might make employees anxious is their pay. Factors such as lack of cooperation among the medical team, lack of motivation in nurses, lack of a holistic approach, and lack of support organizations could be barriers to holistic care (Babaei & Taleghani, 2019). Therefore, employees that are most likely to be exposed to increased amounts of stress should be comforted with the available data on the ultimately positive outcomes of the changes.
The next barrier that can significantly undermine the way the desired changes are implemented is related to deadlines. Although the project plan contains estimates of the time that is necessary for each step, it is clear that numerous unforeseen factors may result in delays. Therefore, it is crucial to provide extra guidelines that will explain to employees all the details of combining old and new methods. Sipes (2020) claims that nursing education did not have informatics competencies; thus, current managers, administrators, or NEs may not be fully prepared to lead or use change in the use of health information technology. Therefore, encouraging employees to actively participate in the implementation of different stages of the plan and teaching them basic IT skills should also be considered instrumental for the eventual success.
Different new strategies and approaches should be used while implementing the project plan. White et al. (2021) name careful planning, execution, evaluation, and broad dissemination among the measures that are instrumental for a successful outcome. Dang et al. (2021) pinpoint the increased importance of dissemination plans, audience-specific recommendations for internal and external dissemination venues, pros and cons of different types of dissemination. Thus, collecting data and evidence continue to play a crucial role in mitigating potential barriers.
There are multiple barriers that may undermine the rapid and efficient implementation of the project plan. Nevertheless, solutions provided in this work allow for an enhanced understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the plan and may eventually contribute to future changes. Therefore, it is vital to stick to the original plan that includes stipulations on the required actions if specific difficulties arise. Nevertheless, additional efforts are needed to secure the payments, keep employees engaged and motivated, and provide precise guidelines for cases when deadlines cannot be met.
References
Babaei, S., & Taleghani, F. (2019). Compassionate care challenges and barriers in clinical nurses: A qualitative study.Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 24(3), 213–219.
Dang, D., Dearholt, S. L., Bissett, K., Ascenzi, J., & Whalen, M. (2021). Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice for nurses and healthcare professionals: Model and guidelines (4th ed.). Sigma Theta Tau International.
Sipes, C. (2020). Project management for the advanced practice nurse (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing.
White, K. M., Dudley-Brown, S., & Terhaar, M. F. (Eds.). (2021). Translation of evidence into nursing and healthcare (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing.