Introduction
Project implementation involves integrating a project plan to produce deliverables for stakeholders or clients. It occurs following the planning phase, when the team has defined the project’s key goals, schedule, and budget. This stage focuses on managing resources and tracking performance to ensure the project stays on track regarding budget and scope. Additionally, it is concerned with handling any unexpected issues in a manner that keeps a project running smoothly.
To effectively implement a project, a project manager must consistently communicate with the team to set and modify priorities as required, while maintaining transparency about the status with clients or stakeholders (Garcia-Dia, 2019). Implementation is the part of the project that connects the planning procedure and the outcomes. A case study exists in which a healthcare system has updated its electronic medical records for nursing assessments. Status updates are discussed in the most recent project meeting, and it is time to start planning for the project’s implementation phase and go live.
Steps Needed for the Project Implementation Phase
The first step in the implementation phase is assessing the project plan. Before implementing, one can evaluate the plan and ensure all team members understand the deliverables. The second step is to execute the plan, as suggested by Jha et al. (2022). When a plan is in place and expectations are set for the team members, it is time to begin working on the project.
The third step is making changes as required (Jha et al., 2022). During any project, it is likely that a manager will need to modify certain aspects as the team implements the project. For instance, I ensured that the project was within the scope.
The fourth step is analyzing project information (Jha et al., 2022). Throughout this stage, it is essential to continuously evaluate the data to determine how the project progresses against the original projections. The fifth step involves gathering feedback from clients, stakeholders, and team members, and then providing final reports to these individuals.
Project Activation Checklist
The first component is client needs, which the manager needs to identify. Correctly recognizing the customers’ needs is the key to guaranteeing that one produces the right product. The second component is a plan, among the most crucial parts of project management. Creating one enables a manager to break the process into specific steps (Jha et al., 2022).
The third component is monitoring, which helps track the progress to maintain the schedule and budget. The fourth component is communication, which is essential for clearly communicating expectations to team members. The last component is collaboration, which promotes the successful execution of the project plan.
Plan to Facilitate the Education and Training
The strategy for providing education and training ahead of the go-live date involves several stages. Initially, trainers must become well-acquainted with the system, as practical change management training depends on their expertise. The next stage is prioritizing training to ensure all stakeholders adopt it (Jha et al., 2022). A common error organizations make when implementing new procedures is expecting employees to fit training into their existing schedules.
The final stage involves establishing clear, realistic deadlines and rollout methods. Employees feel more positive about training requirements when they understand what to expect (Liyanage et al., 2019). If one wants the new software implementation to fail, they can roll out the education programs to unsuspecting employees in a company-wide email at the end of a busy day.
Preparation for Go-Live
The process one must engage in for go-live support preparation is deployment, and the resources needed include experts and funding to support the procedure. Among the key reasons funds are essential to project management is that every project needs to be organized according to a budget. Projects have goals and are planned to meet the objectives while maintaining the budget (Liyanage et al., 2019).
The project manager should have budgeting skills to allocate, predict, and assign expenses to various project areas. They must be able to evaluate a project’s financial stability, economic viability, and commercial profitability via investment appraisals over time (Liyanage et al., 2019). This allows them to forecast the success of the implementation phase in this case.
Plan for Technical Go-Live
The technical go-live is a crucial milestone during project implementation. The plan for the technical go-live is to have it two weeks prior to the actual go-live, allowing sufficient time to address any concerns that may arise. This phase is the genuine configuration validation before the final Go-live (Garcia-Dia, 2019). When a new system is introduced, the moment will come when it is used live (Liyanage et al., 2019). There are cases when clients use the ‘Big Bang’ method, which means that, from one day to the next, they discontinue the old system and start tracking everything in the new system.
The big bang method employed by some users holds several risks. Therefore, it is used by a few. Such risks can be the discovery of bugs or other operational problems, and in such cases, the development team needs to step in and correct these quickly. Another cause of disruption in everyday work can be insufficient training with the new system; users cannot work in the right place. If, in the meantime, it becomes necessary to reconfigure one of the modules due to its ineffectiveness in live mode, this can also introduce additional difficulties and stress for everyone.
A Command Center
A command center is a place dedicated to offering centralized command for a purpose. Businesses or governments can utilize it in many cases, although it is often considered a military facility. The term “war room” is typically used in politics to refer to communication teams of people monitoring and listening to the public and media, responding to inquiries, and synthesizing opinions (Mavi & Standing, 2018). One can select the team, equipment, and physical location to develop a command center for the go-live activation. Additionally, they can choose the metrics and visualizations.
Project Manager
As a project manager, I would handle issues such as inadequate user preparation by ensuring they are well-prepared for a smooth transition. This has to occur in the initial stages of the project. I will need to share information about the goals with them, meaning that the introduction will be less problematic.
The resistance cannot be removed entirely, as there will always be individuals who are more comfortable with the old system’s functionalities (Mavi & Standing, 2018). However, in such instances, the organization’s interests must be prioritized over personal ones. Apart from preparing the users, I would encourage enough system testing to ensure it works as needed. When individuals only wait until the last minute to check whether the system works, it may result in insecurity.
Nurse Informatics Specialist and Plan to Handle Debriefing
A nurse informatics specialist or informaticist offers data concerning new workflows, directs novel technology, and evaluates information quality. Additionally, they provide care teams with a great opportunity for optimal care delivery (Mavi & Standing, 2018). With an extensive clinical background, growing analytics acumen, process and workflow intelligence, and technology savvy, a nurse informaticist is crucial for health systems to leverage data more effectively to meet the needs of team members and patients.
I follow eight steps to ensure I can handle debriefing calls effectively. The first step is to schedule a gathering, prepare a meeting agenda, collaborate on the talking points, and ask open-ended questions. Other steps include modifying the meeting format, capturing key lessons learned, documenting actionable insights, and sharing these learnings with stakeholders.
Area of Greatest Learning: Nurse Informaticists’ Roles
My most remarkable area of learning from this assignment is the role and responsibility of a nurse informatics specialist. I have learned that these professions bring medical information into information technology. They can be described as nurses skilled in healthcare delivery, development, and use of healthcare technology (Mavi & Standing, 2018). With their hands-on patient experience and medical training, nurses are uniquely suited to work with IT professionals to ensure that electronic medical records function effectively in the real world.
With the increasing technology in nursing and medicine, nurse informaticists can play significant roles, including managing the transition from paper to digital records. Another role is to develop information systems in accordance with evidence-based standards of care and ensure that these systems remain up-to-date. Thirdly, to develop electronic health records interfaces that are fit for care while remaining efficient for utilization. The fourth role involves examining EHR information to identify areas where care can be improved and costs minimized. Lastly, I will collaborate with policymakers and government agencies to ensure that legislation and policies support healthcare technology and are compatible with the technological needs of providers and patients.
Conclusion
Project implementation occurs after the planning stage, during which a team determines the project’s main objectives, timeline, and budget. It involves coordinating resources and measuring performance to guarantee that the project remains within its anticipated budget and scope. Before this process, the project manager must establish a user education and training plan.
The plan to facilitate education and training in preparation for the go-live date involves several steps. The first one is for trainers to familiarize themselves with the system. A solid change management training plan requires the trainers to be experts before starting the education. The next step is to prioritize the training to ensure that all stakeholders fully embrace it. Among the most common mistakes organizations make when introducing new procedures is asking employees to find time to attend training. The last step is setting clear and realistic deadlines and rollout methods.
References
Garcia-Dia, M. (2019). Project management in nursing informatics. Springer Publishing.
Jha, A., Athanerey, A., & Kumar, A. (2022). Role and challenges of internet of things and informatics in Healthcare research. Health and Technology, 1-12. Web.
Liyanage, H., Liaw, S. T., Jonnagaddala, J., Schreiber, R., Kuziemsky, C., Terry, A. L., & de Lusignan, S. (2019). Artificial intelligence in primary health care: Perceptions, issues, and challenges. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 28(01), 041-046. Web.
Mavi, R. K., & Standing, C. (2018). Critical success factors of sustainable project management in construction: A fuzzy DEMATEL-ANP approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 194, 751-765. Web.