Good decision making processes are the foundation for a well-adopted system. In order to configure the system to users’ needs, you need to determine what they want to get from the system. To know what they want, you need a reasonable and efficient decision-making process that considers inputs from all the major teams impacted by the workflow. We’ve gathered some best practices from observing numerous Healthcare organizations make decisions. Whether you’re starting a new implementation or want to revise your governance process to get better input from your users, the following tips….

Managing Your Project Team

For Executives

You’ll necessarily be removed from most of the day-to-day functioning of the IT team; there’s simply too much you’re responsible for to know every detail. Your distance is advantageous in some areas and disadvantageous in others. Here are some questions to ask yourself about your staff:

• Can they identify problems before they become a full blown crisis?
• Things will go wrong during an implementation. Areas will get off track, contracts will stall, staff will be unexpectedly absent. With your distance from the project, you need your staff to be able to bring these areas to you and intervene so that you aren’t constantly fighting fires.
• How is their relationship with operations?
• Working well with your user base is a key success factor. Your staff don’t need to be best friends with their non-IT colleagues; after all, they’ll frequently be delivering bad news or pushing back on decisions. They should be seen as a respected and helpful resource for operations, however.
• What barriers are staff running into?
• Perhaps the most impactful way you can help your team is to remove barriers, both real and perceived. If a particular physician or director is being obstinate or blocking progress, you may need to intervene to keep the project moving.
• Do they see the big picture?
• Your staff will be so busy that this will likely prove difficult. You can help them in two ways: rounding out their perspective and keeping them motivated. By not being in the details, you’ll be able to offer a helpful viewpoint when your staff get stuck, or by linking their problem to the overall mission of your project. This perspective can also be motivating: celebrate the progress that they’ve made, and keep them focused on the transformative impact that the project will have.

Want to learn more or discuss specifics on setting up your team? Contact us about our Facilitation practice if you want some guidance on managing your project team