Implementation Failures

Misti Whitehead HCS/483 Week 4 IT Project Implementation Failures Jason Koller January 7, 2013 Similarities As I circle the date on my calendar of May 26, I am reminded of what needs to be done to prepare for my son’s 5th birthday party. I go over the theme of the party and figure out what activities will be played. I think about who will be invited and how many gift bags I will make. I also pick the location of the party and figure out how much money I will spend on this special occasion, even though I usually spend more than what I’m budgeting for.

I plan out what foods will be served and where I will be getting the birthday cake from. I brainstorm on if I will have it outside or inside and determine issues that may arise on that certain day. I communicate with my parents to see if they will blow the balloons up before the party and help us with set up of the party decorations. Like party planning the implementation process for health care IT systems take a great deal of preparing, brainstorming, planning, budgeting, and communication to successfully implement new IT systems in a health care organization. Implementation Process

The implementation process is essential when adopting a new IT system into your health care organization. “Selecting the right system does not ensure user acceptance and success; the system must also be incorporated effectively into the day-to-day operations of the health care organization and adequately supported or maintained” (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2009, “Implementation Process”). Activities of implementing the new system includes organizing a team and identifying a system champion that is in charge of determining expectations and scope of the project and figures out a project plan.

The team plans what task need to be completed, how much money should be spent on this project, how to manage the project until completion. The system champion needs to understand and recognize the needs of the organization and have a passion for the new system being implemented. They should be someone who is easy to get along with and have great communication skills. They should also be a good listener and critical thinker when issues arise. Determining the scope of the project is super important and it lays out why the system is needed and how it will change the organization.

Once the goals of the project are agreed on the next step of the project is to plan. Project planning includes listing tasks, estimating how much time will be spent on tasks, the sequence and coordination of tasks, and who will be performing these tasks. Evaluating the completion and success of the project has to be arranged to ensure accuracy on the project. The next step is to brainstorm on how to integrate the new system into the organization, through workflow process analysis. Making sure everyone is on the same page is essential when collaborating.

Communication between groups and projects is a part of that collaboration to ensure success. Changes and setbacks need to be communicated through different groups so that everyone is aware of what concerns and issues need to be addressed. Identifying the reason for the new system is extremely important to improve workflow in your organization. Installation of hardware, software, and networks is the next step along with creating a manual for all staff to review so they have support when they cannot figure out how to work the new system.

Testing the system for bugs and effectiveness is another essential process of implementation. Training staff is next and helps to ensure their understanding and of the new IT system. Training allows the trainer to “introduce fundamental or basic concepts” (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2009, “System Implementation & Support”) needed to operate the new system. Failed Fundamental Activities There are high rates of implementation processes fail due to not following through, evaluating, communication, or planning.

This case study that I reviewed failed to organize, evaluate, determine expectations, or establish a plan for the implementation process. They lacked organization and lacked the responsibility of taking on the project. Expectations for each task were not defined and time boundaries were not evaluated after being set. The indicators that I noticed for failure of the process were organization was not ready to implement a new system, there was too much conflict within the rganization, there were unclear and unorganized projects, no one was evaluating these tasks, and concerns and issues were dismissed when brought up. If this were my organization I would have defined tasks, set deadlines, had someone evaluating success of each task, and addressed all issues in a timely manner in order to complete the implementation of the new IT system and ensure it was under budget. References Wager, K. A. , Lee, F. W. , & Glaser, J. P. (2009). Healthcare information systems: A practical approach for health care management (2nd ed. ). Retrieved from www. phoenix. com.