HMIS Project Management Topics and Tools - OneCPD

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HMIS Project Management Topics and ToolsChapter 5: Managing the HMIS CommunityThis chapter focuses on the community management tasks described in Chapter Two. Morespecific descriptions are provided for:• Communicating with stakeholders;• Working with the HMIS committee;• Interacting with working groups, user groups, and consumers;• Working with state, regional, and national HMIS implementers; and• Acting as a liaison to the general local community and the press.Communicating with StakeholdersThe success of the project often depends on community building among various local HMISstakeholder groups, and the project manager is responsible for supporting the local HMISstakeholder community. Two primary stakeholders groups are:• Executives and staff of agencies that use or will use the HMIS; and• The leadership of the Continuum of Care and/or project funders.These two groups will have contractual relationships with the HMIS project. The relationshipsand responsibilities of each of these groups along with those of the HMIS project staff should bedefined formally. Fulfilling these obligations is the core of the project’s operations as discussedin Chapter Four. Beyond these two core groups, the following other groups are often significantHMIS project stakeholders:• Homeless or formerly homeless consumers;• Homeless advocacy groups;• Researchers studying homelessness;• Local or state government agencies overseeing homeless or related programs; and• Technology groups or solution providers concerned with assisting non-profits. In somecommunities, the HMIS solution provider falls in this category and is more akin to a nonprofittechnology partner than a software vendor.These groups often do not have contractual relationships, but can play an important role in thelife of the project by serving on committees, participating in workgroups, and advocating for theproject. In various communities around the country, each of these groups (except homelessconsumers) has taken on the role of lead agency for the HMIS.Managing ExpectationsIt is important to define reasonable expectations regarding what can be achieved through theHMIS within what timeframe, the level of support that will be provided by the HMIS staff, theroles and responsibilities of partner agencies, and the anticipated outcomes. If stakeholders haveunreasonable expectations, they may become disillusioned early in the process and less likely to34
HMIS Project Management Topics and Toolswork with the HMIS team to find solutions. 3 On the other hand, if expectations are managed andstakeholders are given adequate ways to become involved in project operations or decisionmaking,communities report that the process of implementing and operating the HMIS can buildtrust and relationships among stakeholders that strengthen the homeless service delivery process.The key to managing community expectations and buy-in is to establish clear and appropriatecommunication and to build opportunities for involvement. Communication can be broken downinto two-way (or multi-way) and one-way communications. Two-way communications should beused with the community of HMIS stakeholders to provide them with opportunities tocommunicate with each other and with the project manager about their current concerns andlevel of satisfaction. Two-way communication can be done through meetings, regular phonecalls, conference calls, or through emails, list serves, and interactive web casts. It can alsoinclude web-based forums or issues lists.One-way communication from the manager to the community should be used to keep allstakeholders informed of milestones, setbacks, and any changes of plan. In addition to the formaldocumentation of the project’s status, relating to the time, budget, scope, and quality issuesdiscussed in Chapter 4, the larger community of HMIS users and stakeholders should receiveregular updates through electronic or paper newsletters and a website. Some HMIS softwaresolutions have means of conveying news to users within the solution itself.Beyond mere communication, the community should be given opportunities to involvethemselves in HMIS aside from simply entering data. Participation in HMIS committees andworking groups (discussed later in this chapter) are ways to get more involved. But buildingconnections to the project does not have to be all work. The community can also be built byjointly celebrating major milestones or through annual community-building events for thesummer or holidays.Project Manager as HMIS ChampionThough managing the community’s expectations demands a clear communication of timelinesand reasonable promises of project scope, it does not mean forsaking the long-term vision. Onthe contrary, the project manager should be an HMIS champion and be eager to express theproject’s goals. These goals are usually broader than complying with a Federal mandate.Benefits of HMIS can extend to homeless clients, service providers, advocates, and policymakers. The goals include reduction of duplicate intakes, streamlined referrals, enhancedefficiency, coordinated case management, and simplified reporting. They also include a morecomplete understanding of homelessness and the homeless system on the local and Federal level,which can facilitate more enlightened policy. Some of the benefits the project manager mightchampion are outlined below:• Potential benefits for consumers:3 See O. Gutierrez and D.H. Friedman, “Managing Project Expectations in Human Services Information SystemsImplementations: The Case of Homeless Management Information Systems,” International Journal of ProjectManagement (accepted for publication) and O. Gutierrez, “Project Guidelines for Managing Expectations andDeliverables in HMIS Implementations” posted at www.hmis.info35
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