Introduction
The healthcare industry uses quite a number of tools for the daily activities of the different operators of this sector. These tools are information technology based in order to automate a number of processes to improve efficiency. This paper focuses on the IT projects that are developed in healthcare management especially as it relates to software systems development.
Before discussing about project management, it is important to conceptualize what a project is. A project can be seen to be the achievement of a specific goal. This goal involves a number of resources and activities to be performed within the time frame of a specified start date and an end date. According to Munns and Bjeirmi (1996), project management can be defined as the process of managing the activities involved in a project in order to achieve the specific goal of the project. Project management is aimed at achieving project success. In the management of a software project, either of the project or the process is the essential feature that is emphasized to be managed. In the management approach that emphasizes the process, the small tasks in the life cycle of the software project are given emphasis and as such, the prescribed software life cycle is followed strictly lest the project fails. However, in the management approach that emphasizes the project, the team to achieve the project goal is given emphasis.
Project management process
The processes of project management are presented as steps as follows:
Project initiation phase where the ideas and intentions aimed at solving a pertinent problem are articulated and formalized. At this stage, the objectives and scope of the project are stated as well as the detailed schedule of resources needed and activities to be carried out to achieve the objectives. At the kick-off of the project, a plan for the work to be done is made and all the stakeholders involved with the project are briefed on the initiation aspects of the project. The next step would be the specification of the project schedule and budget where the overall time schedule for the project is defined in order to have a detailed work breakdown structure for the project. The budget for each of the detailed work to be done is then estimated.
Project organization is the step that follows, where it is determined the people who will be involved in ensuring the success of the project. Roles and responsibilities are assigned to such people as identified to be important to the success of the project. Necessary project control procedures are then identified and put in place to control the output of the different stages and segments of the project. Such control structures include progress control, quality control, version control etc. Project board meetings are carried out to review the activities of the project (Longman, 2004). Issues management is another step that is carried out in order to resolve any issues that may be affecting the success of the project.
System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
The system development life cycle (SDLC) involves all the activities that take place from the time a particular system or software is conceived to the time it is delivered and in use, and further up to the maintenance activities involved after it has been deployed. The use of the SDLC model in the development of systems entails a number of major sequential activities as expounded below:
System engineering and modeling: a software system works on a piece of hardware and also interfaces with people and other useful resources to it in order to control the hardware and carry out certain tasks. Most times, software is developed for a hardware that is already developed and existent. However, in a situation where a solution is being proposed to a pertinent problem, and the solution has been broken down into software and hardware components, the hardware will need to be put in place first before proceeding with the next steps of the software development process.
Software requirement analysis: The system is defined in terms of what it is expected to do as well as its essential and desirable properties (Sommerville, 2007). This phase of the design is also regarded as a feasibility study since it is here that the features needed for the software system are analyzed with respect to the existing technologies to determine if the features are achievable. This establishes the need for the software and the exact problem that is to be solved. The functional as well as the non-functional requirements of the system are specified in this phase. The functional requirements include all the basic functions that such a system must be able to perform while the non-functional requirements border on the behavioural characteristics of the system in its operating environment such as reliability, availability etc.
System analysis and design: The structure of the software is defined here and the architecture to be used. This phase of analysis and design is actually very important in the whole development cycle as any problems with this phase will be transmitted to the subsequent phases of the cycle. Here the data structures to be used are considered, databases designed and other similar activities carried out. The sub-systems that are necessary to be designed in order to meet the requirements of the whole project need to be identified in this phase, the functionality of the sub-systems need to also be specified as well as the interfaces, the requirements are organized into related groups etc.
Testing: Software testing is another important aspect of the system development life cycle. The tests aim at identifying the bugs that are present in the system code. Different techniques abound to do this, as well as a host of tools too.
Maintenance: The deployment of a software system for use does not signify the end of the project development life cycle. There will be the need to make changes to the software system owing to a number of reasons, thus prompting an update the software. These reasons could be a result of some unexpected behaviour of the system or even a result of changes to some other technologies that the software depends on.
Role of Project Managers
According to Anantatmula, (2014), projects are generally unique based on the different levels of complexity involved, the unknowns, and the uncertainties and also on the goals that need to be achieved. It thus follows that the roles of a healthcare manager in a typical IT project will vary depending on the type of IT project to be carried out and the scope of such projects. It is assumed that the healthcare manager is using the project management paradigm. This then implies that the overall role of the healthcare manager is to ensure that an IT project is successful. The success of the project means that it is delivered on time, within the specified budget and also to the specified standard and quality. Some other specific roles of the healthcare manager in an IT project in making sure that a project is successful are enumerated as follows:
It is the duty of the manager to recruit the members that will constitute the project team based on the skills and competencies needed to achieve the set goals.
The healthcare manager manages the resources involved in a project (including human and non-human resources) and leads the project team.
The development and maintenance of the detailed plan of the project is his responsibility.
He keeps records of and manages any issues that crop up in the course of the project and escalates such issues to higher management level where necessary.
Using regular reporting mechanisms, he keeps track of the progress of the project and makes decisions on adjustments where necessary.
He provides updates to the senior management on the progress of the project through reports.
He will have to interface with other units or other teams on other projects in the case of a collaborative project development effort with other teams.
Project management life cycle and systems development life cycle
The comparison of the project management life cycle with the software development life cycles identifies a lot of similarities and minor differences between the two. The two paradigms are aimed at managing a project successfully from the start to the finish. The project management life cycle provides the instructions on the activities involved in the planning, controlling, organizing, managing project resources as well as reporting in order to successfully meet the goals and objectives of the project. The software development life cycle on the other hand gives a framework that specifies and describes the activities to be performed at the different phases of the development of a project. While project management life cycle is aimed at the successful completion of a project and terminates when it is delivered, the software development life cycle is aimed at realizing the requirements of a project and continues even after the project has been delivered.
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REFERENCES
Anantatmula, V.S. (2010). Project Manager Leadership Role in Improving Project Performance. Engineering Management Journal, 22(1), Pp 13 – 22.
Longman, A. (2004). Project management: key tool for implementing strategy. Journal of Business Strategy, 25(5), Pp 54 – 60.
Munns, A.K. and Bjeirmi, B.F.. (1996). The role of project management in achieving project success. International Journal of Project Management, 14(2), Pp 81 - 87.
Sommerville, I. (2007). Software Engineering, 8th ed. Pearson Education, ISBN 13: 978-0-321-31379-9.
