Maurice Moss
Implementing a project is an awesome undertaking. It involves developing an initial charter where the business needs for the project are outline. Planning, scope management, understanding stakeholders, managing tight timelines and working through staff issues are just some of the major tasks that take place during a project rollout. Throughout each of these steps, quality deliverables must be monitored and feedback reviewed for the appropriate follow-up. Stellar Home Health has decided to transition away from paper notes and implement an automated software application. To understand all of the major components related to this rollout, the project manager of Stellar Home Health will outline objectives and goals, stakeholders involved, key milestones, cost, deliverables and challenges associated with a software implementation.
Goals and Objectives
Stellar wants to remain competitive in the home health industry. Some of its long term goals include better national outcomes for delivery quality service to patients as reported by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services. An objective that accomplishes this goal is software that allows administrative staff to review patient data as it is entered into the system and follow-up in real time when issues arise. A second goal includes a lower days sales outstanding (DSO). A lower DSO is achieved by automating the steps for daily and submitting more clean and completed claims daily. This objective is attainable in the new software. Finally, employees have complained about the amount of time that it takes to complete paper assessments. Many have threatened to quit. Stellar would like to increase employee satisfaction over time. The company hopes to do this by allowing clinicians to take tablets into patients’ homes and chart assessments in real time while caring for the patient. The plan is to eliminate or drastically reduce the amount of time spent charting visits/assessments after hours. Ultimately, the software helps the company to reach these goals over time with the specific objectives reviewed.
Stakeholders
Communication is paramount before, during and after the roll out of a project. Stakeholders need to understand why a project is chosen, receive updates throughout the project and given confirmation of all deliverables once a project is completed. This information is delivered in a variety of ways to stakeholders. It is important to understand who the stakeholders are so appropriate communication channels are accessed and appropriate levels of information are delivered. Writer Yael Zofi advises, “Make your [communication] plan broad, broad enough to coordinate information sharing and collaboration around deliverables. Set rules and norms about how communication tools are used, and how frequently, and make sure that team members agree on their use.” For Stellar’s software implementation primary stakeholders include patient admitted to the home health agency, business partners, senior management staff at Stellar Home Health, administrative staff for the agency and the clinicians that service the patients in the field.
Milestones/Deliverables/Staffing
After senior management has signed off and approved the project, a timeline is created with important milestones and deliverables along the way. The three major milestones include setup phase, training phase and go live. Each of the phases last a month. During the setup period, project staff delivers a clean physician database and a clean facility database. Prior to the start of the training phase, tablets are acquired, configured and assigned to clinicians in the field. Immediately after the go live phase begins, subject matter experts from the software vendor are on site to support users in the field and back office. The deliverables need to be broken down into specific tasks. After a task is determined, the appropriate subject matter expert(s) is assigned to complete the task(s) and given a specific time limit to complete it. Staffing is an art and science. The right staff can make or break a project. “The right people free up the PMs [project manager] focus less on the day-to-day execution, and more on the things only they can do, thereby having a greater impact on the program’s success over the long run.”
Cost
Stellar’s project manager must work with staff accountants to develop and fine-tune the budget for the software implementation. To do this, it is necessary to understand user fees, service level agreements, hourly training costs and annual fees associated with the purchase of the software. The project manager will manage the training costs closely and work with senior managers and determine how the other fees should be negotiated if at all. The budget is continuously monitored throughout the project.
Challenges
With projects that rely heavily upon people to be successful, the project manager will have to identify mentors who can address issues individually that a project manager may not have the time to address. Opposition to change and challenges related to training are just some of the issues where a project manager will need support. “The mentor can give you guidance about unwritten rules and how to navigate unknown expectations; recommendations on how to approach others to solicit support and agreements; and information on what has worked and not worked in the past.”
Stellar Home Health has set it goals and objectives. The leaders understand who the stakeholders are and how important it is to address their needs. The project manager is poised to manage timelines and costs associated with the project. With these components in place, challenges should diminish.
Works Cited
Grauel, D. W., Malone, V. F., & Wygal, W. R. (2012). Marching an Army Acquisition Program Toward Success. Defense AT&L, 20-23.
Siebly, J. (2014). Be Ready for the Challenge. Training and Development, 58-63.
Zofi, Y. (2012). Getting deliverables Out The Door. Industrial Engineer, 35-40.
