Health Information Management: Integrating Information Technology ...

STRATEGY, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION 191
The project group coordinates and facilitates decision making
The project group is the coordination point for the project. Chairman of the
project group is the project manager. The other members of the project group are
predominantly the chairmen of the work groups. In the project group, issues that
span more than one work group are resolved, the project planning is done, and
the change management activities are coordinated.
The ability of the project group to effectively execute decision making on the
content of the work processes, where needed backed by authorization from the
steering committee, depends largely on selecting the right chairmen for the work
groups. The project group designs the interaction between the various high-level
work processes. To put it bluntly, this is where the general rules are made on how
the various work processes will work together. To put it a bit more mildly, this is
where agreement is reached on what will be proposed to the Board of Directors
on the rules of working together in the redesigned work processes. For example,
the project group decides just how specialized nurses supported by computerized
care protocols will be positioned in the care pathway of geriatric care. Or, another
example, whether primary care physicians will have access into all planning
systems of the hospital, supported by a computerized referral index, is a decision
that will be made (or at the very least ‘pre-cooked’) by the project group.
The project office is a staff function to the project group. The main task of the
project office is to provide a standardized set of methodologies and templates for
the participants in the project. All work groups need BPR methodologies,
process mapping methodology, change management methodology, project
management methodology and so forth. The project office is the main driver for
the efficiency of the work processes of the project itself.
The work groups get the work done
The task of the work groups is to get the work done. (Re)designing work
processes, customizing the information system, debugging the work processes
and information systems in simulation runs, end user training, producing
documentation on work processes and the information system, and finally giving
support during and after ‘going live’.
Work groups are formed around a high-level description of work processes.
The choices made at the formation of the work groups are dependent on the
goals of the project. If a fundamental redesign is considered, then the work
groups might change with the phases of the project. First a small core group,
aided by ad-hoc work groups, may make the high-level work process design, for
example. Then work groups may be formed around the different high-level
descriptions to make the detailed design. And finally, the project team members
may be rearranged in work groups formed on the basis of the implementation
strategy. During a PCIS implementation, one may have one work group on
clinical work processes and another on outpatient work processes; alternatively,