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Lack of Planning makes for a Poor Project

By Ron Burnette posted 05-09-2013 11:23

  
There are some constants in this world we can always count on… the sun rising in the East, the waves rolling in the ocean, the crickets and frogs singing their nightly song in the south, and that no one ever sufficiently plans for an EMR implementation.  
 
I’ve been consulting on implementations for 14 years now and I was involved in several system implementations prior to that as a pharmacy manager.  I just wish that vendors and customers would come together in the beginning of a project and actually put together a feasible plan that they can actually stick to.  
 
So why is it so difficult to develop a solid project plan for EMR Implementations when other industries have it down to a science?  One argument is that healthcare is such a dynamic industry with each client having specific needs and that a ‘standard’ implementation won’t meet the needs of all customers.  Another argument is that a healthcare implementation plan is going to change so much during the implementation process that only a high-level plan is feasible.  This line of thinking leads to frustrated analysts spinning their wheels trying to figure out what to do next and how their tasks today fits in the big picture of the project.  
 
The bottom-line is that a standard implementation plan is a great starting point for ALL EMR implementations and that vendors should supply that standard plan as part of their implementation services package.  Then each facility should take that plan and develop it in detail using the Principles of Project Management described in the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK).  This is a very organized approach to planning, initiating, executing, controlling and closing a project.  All of these are key steps in any project and will provide a detailed and thorough project plan.  Remember, you should be able to refer to your project plan for every step or activity in the implementation process.  Additionally, PMBOK will guide the facility in other aspects of the project such as risk management and communications.  All of these steps will lead to a well-organized plan to guide the facility through their entire implementation.  
 


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