Table of Contents

Why is it important to understand usability configurability and interoperability? Should these concepts out way the underlining cost of the new system?

Why is it important to understand usability configurability and interoperability? Should these concepts out way the underlining cost of the new system? Which system do you recommend and why?
During phase one, you are selecting a team. What characteristics are important to consider when selecting a team?
During phase two the following principle was discussed, “lead with culture, determining where the resistance is,” and then, engage all levels of employees (Sipes, 2019, p. 161). What does this principle mean to you and how can you implement this principle?
How will you handle physician and other key professional’s resistance to change and using the new system?
Discuss possible pitfalls during the implementation phase and how you can avoid them?
Describe your personal experience with automation and new information systems.

EXPERT ANSWER AND EXPLANATION

Implementing a new project is a process that should be handled with great care. It requires good judgement and adherence to various protocols to ensure that the project is properly implemented with as little resistance from the stakeholders as possible. This presentation will outline how a project of implementing a new information system will be conducted in the organization.

The objectives to be used in this presentation include;

To discuss the importance of understanding usability, configurability, and interoperability
To elaborate the characteristics to consider when selecting a project team
To explain the principles of “lead with culture, determining where the resistance is,” and then, engage all levels of employees
To explain how to handle resistance to change
To discuss possible pitfalls during the implementation phase and how you can avoid them.
to describe personal experience with automation and new information systems.

Understanding usability, configurability, and interoperability is important due to the following aspects; one is that it allows the development of systems that are easy to be used by multiple user. It also facilitates the development of efficient systems that can be able to perform different organizational tasks with relatively little effort. The understanding of the three aspects also allows the development of systems which can be easily deployed and integrated with other organizational systems (Onyejekwe, 2019).

Understanding usability and interoperability also allows the reduction of human error when applying the system as part of organizations process. It also allows deployment of systems that are easy to customize (Onyejekwe, 2019). However, understanding these aspects should not be given more emphasis in comparison to the cost of the new system. The system needs to make financial sense from the aspect of trying to solve an organizational issue and that’s why there is

The recommended system is a clinical information system(CIS) which is a healthcare information system designed to be used in a clinical setting to facilitate collection, storage and retrieval of clinical records and used to facilitate clinical decision making (Islam et al., 2018). The selection of this system was due to the following reasons.

One of them being that it facilitates communication between care providers while caring for a patient. CIS also improve the quality of clinical decision. They also assist in conducting clinical research. CIS also improve the quality and safety when delivering care to patients, for example through accurate and timely issuance of medication to patients.

A project team is an essential component in enhancing project success. The role of the project team is listed as follows.

Among others, a project team is in charge of planning and implementing the project. It is also responsible of ensuring that the project achieve its intended goals and objectives (Moura et al., 2019).

The project team also facilitates proper utilization of project resources and ensuring that it is completed on schedule. The project team is also in charge of ensuring that the progress of the project and any other important correspondence is adequately communicated to the stakeholders.

When selecting a high performance project team Moura et al. (2019). suggests the following aspects to be adhered to. One is to have clearly defined goals which will be the focus of the project team. It is important for the team to understand the vision, the goals and objectives of the project to be as a benchmark of why the project needs to be implemented. Clear goals prevent conflicting interests from the project team. Project team members also need to possess the ability to properly communicate, facilitated with clear communication structures.

Most of the project issues usually arise as a result of poor communication hence the more reason why it needs to be emphasized when forming a project team (Hornstein, 2015). Another characteristic to consider in having clearly defined roles for the project team members to enhance efficiency when discharging their duties. The project team also needs to have the ability and a clear-cut formula of making sound decisions and solving project problems.

Another characteristic to consider is to encourage diversity when formulating the project team. Diversity, according to Guillaume et al. (2015) allows the integration of different ideas during decision-making and problem-solving which can prove beneficial to project success. It is also important to factor in a proper conflict resolution strategy when formulating the project team.

Conflicts are bound to occur during project implementation and a conflict resolution strategy will prevent the conflict to escalate to levels that will hamper the performance of the project team. The last characteristic to consider is team motivation The project team needs to be highly motivated which will also have a positive impact on their performance (Conrad et al., 2015).

“lead with culture, determining where the resistance is,” is a principle that dictates the application of organizational culture as a basis of leading a project or implementing change within the organization Employees within the organization come from different cultural background which can have an influence on how they perceive change. These cultural differences can make them have different perceptions on the oncoming change, thus, influencing their decision to either accept the change or reject it (Hornstein, 2015).

“Lead with culture” allows identification of issues emanating from cultural differences and using them to identify areas where resistance may arise before formulating a strategy to deal with the resistance. This principle can be implemented by engaging employees at all levels of the organization structure.

Engaging all levels of employees is a principle that facilitates acceptance of organizational change by curbing resistance. By engaging all levels of employees, one can collect their interests and align them with the change process. Employee engagement also facilitates the communication of the project vision and goals, thus promoting buy-in of the change idea (Hornstein, 2015). Employee engagement also provides a platform to deal with the fears held by employees which would have otherwise caused them to resist the change. Employee engagement also encourages commitment and motivation to participate in the change due to the feeling of inclusivity.

There are several reasons why physicians and other key professionals may resist the change initiative. Some of the reasons may include poor communication or stakeholder engagement making them feel left out of the process (Hornstein, 2015). Organizational politics can also be a sound reason to resist change, for example if the change is initiated by a nurse, then the initiative may be rejected by physicians in organizations’ with poor interprofessional collaboration and trust.

Fear of the unknown, for example, fear of losing ones authority or position in the organization is another reason why the change initiative can be rejected (Rafferty & Jimmieson, 2017). Change in status quo is also a reason why the physicians who are comfortable with the current system may choose to resist the change. Inadequate competency to operate the new system or handle the oncoming change is another reason why resistance can be experienced.

Some of the way to deal with change resistance include, effective employee engagement and communication (Hornstein, 2015), training, gradual and systematic implementation of the change initiative, and carrying out the change process using the right approach from the onset of the project until it is fully implemented.

Some of the issues that can hamper project implementation include the following. Project risks, which entail the occurrence of adverse events that can derail or prevent the project from achieving its outcomes Another pitfall is poor stakeholder communication which can affect the level of support given by the stakeholders during the project implementation phase.

Poor stakeholder communication is also a recipe of change resistance (Hornstein, 2015). Another pitfall is poor leadership. With poor leadership, the project team will not be able to work effectively and efficiently.

Failure to collect and act on feedback from the project team or other stakeholders can also be another issue that can affect project implementation. Not only can it lead to the occurrence of an adverse project event, but it can also lead to conflicts with the stakeholders during project implementation phase.

Resistance to change as reported earlier is another expected pitfall that can hinder effective project implementation (Hornstein, 2015). Changes in project scope can also affect project implementation, given that the timeline, resources and other factors may require to be changed as well.

There are several strategies that can be employed to mitigate those implementation pitfalls as prescribed by Kuster et al. (2015). One of the strategies is by putting in place a risk mitigation strategy to deal with the project risks. Another strategy is by creating an elaborate communication plan that will facilitate efficient exchange of correspondence between the project team and the stakeholders.

Having an elaborate change strategy to deal with any impending resistance will also be useful in dealing with the pitfalls. Acting on collected feedback will also be a strategy employed to deal with the implementation pitfalls.

From my personal experience with automation and adoption of new information systems I have noticed an increase in the overall efficiency in delivery of care, improve accuracy in interventions given to patients, reduced workload, especially by the nursing staff, and improved patient participation in their care.

Adoption of new information systems has also improved the speed and quality of clinical decisions given the advanced data analytics capability by the information systems. Likewise, the quality of decisions made and patient safety have also received a boost by adopting healthcare information systems Automation ahs also improved communication and interprofessional collaboration has also been improved as a result.

Implementation of healthcare projects involves a set of components to ensure its success. Properly constituting and managing the project team is one of the recipes that ensure a project is successfully implemented. One also has to deal with any change resistance from within the organization and come up with strategies to deal with other pitfalls that may hinder project implementation.

Ultimately the adoption of healthcare information systems can prove useful in enhancing delivery of quality and safe care to patients if properly implemented.

References

Conrad, D., Ghosh, A., & Isaacson, M. (2015). Employee motivation factors. International Journal of Public Leadership. Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 92-106. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-01-2015-0005
Guillaume, Y. R., Dawson, J. F., Otaye‐Ebede, L., Woods, S. A., & West, M. A. (2017). Harnessing demographic differences in organizations: What moderates the effects of workplace diversity?. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(2), 276-303. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2040
Hornstein, H. A. (2015). The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), 291-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2014.08.005
Islam, M. M., Poly, T. N., & Li, Y. J. (2018). Recent Advancement of Clinical Information Systems: Opportunities and Challenges. Yearbook of medical informatics, 27(1), 83–90. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0038-1667075
Kuster, J., Huber, E., Lippmann, R., Schmid, A., Schneider, E., Witschi, U., & Wüst, R. (2015). Change management and dealing with resistance. In Project management handbook(pp. 267-281). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45373-5_21
Moura, I., Dominguez, C., & Varajão, J. (2019). Information systems project teams: factors for high performance. Team Performance Management: An International Journal. Vol. 25 No. 1/2, pp. 69-83. https://doi.org/10.1108/TPM-03-2018-0022
Onyejekwe, E. R. (2019). Technology/Decisions. In Portable Health Records in a Mobile Society(pp. 155-188). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19937-1_14
Rafferty, A. E., & Jimmieson, N. L. (2017). Subjective perceptions of organizational change and employee resistance to change: direct and mediated relationships with employee well‐being. British Journal of Management, 28(2), 248-264. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12200