For 20 years, healthcare providers and other organizations have asked IPM to help their struggling initiatives. And we typically know what we are going to find, whether the initiative involves preparing for more value-based care, implementing new technology, improving quality, or integrating a merger, acquisition, or partnership.
Here are the root problems we work quickly to resolve to get initiatives back on track, and that you can avoid so your projects won’t need to be rescued later.
This tops the list because so many find it hard to believe that the best way to accelerate an initiative is to invest time in planning. Too many leaders say, “We need to move fast and do not have time to plan.” Yet thorough planning will actually speed up execution.
Strategic initiatives require a planning phase, the scale of which is dictated by their size and complexity. Even if you are the best and smartest leader in the world, you can’t orchestrate a cross-functional team to implement a complex initiative without a planning foundation. It is the sheet music upon which you as conductor and all the orchestra players rely.
You’ve heard administrators proudly state that the organization “finds a way to get it all done.” This is a good sign the organization is diluted. When resources are spread across too many initiatives, it slows everything down. Providers have transformational strategies packed with initiatives, and the people who have to execute them have full-time day job responsibilities. Although the most strategically important projects may “get done,” the cost of dilution is high. Having a prioritization process in place to “protect” the few most critical projects makes execution quicker and more effective.
If you can’t fix your organization’s dilution problem, the more detailed plans you make for your initiative, the more likely you can get the resources you need.
Greg Kain is managing director of IPM’s healthcare practice.
Often the problem is not what the initiative is delivering; it’s in the disconnect between what it is delivering and what stakeholders expected. The business case is the upfront work to determine what the initiative needs to do and if it can deliver, whether it’s a benefit to safety, operations, financial performance, growth, or something else.
If a business case lacks details about a proposed initiative’s cost, effort, probability of success, and level of disruption, decision makers can’t justify its pursuit. And if the business case is not fully vetted, decision makers cannot understand the scope of what is actually needed to succeed or determine its level of prioritization.
Healthcare executives under pressure to get fast results often see new technology as an easy answer. However, tech implementations are among the most disruptive, complicated, behavior-changing initiatives.
Technology may be part of the answer. But don’t put the cart before the horse by simply picking a system. Begin by determining if the root cause or need is more behavioral or process-related instead. If thoughtful evaluation determines technology is part of the solution, do the upfront work of assessing business and work flow processes, identifying and correcting inefficiencies, and then establishing system requirements.
Often organizations focus so intently on the technical details or deadlines that they fail to engage the people critical to sustainable performance. For example, projects that health information technology (HIT) experts lead tend to focus on HIT aspects of the project. But most HIT projects are actually change management projects with a technical component. Go-live is a key milestone, not the end of the project. Training at the end is not good change management. Change management is driven by stakeholder engagement and begins during planning, and the importance of ongoing training and communication cannot be underestimated.
If you’re kicking off an initiative, start with solid planning. Taking a sound project management approach can help you successfully execute projects and using effective project portfolio management processes can assist in evaluating and prioritizing so you can focus on the most impactful work.
If your initiatives are moving too slowly or failing, evaluate your organization on these five common issues and address the gaps. And if you’re still struggling, reach out for help from an experienced, “seen it all” consultancy such as IPM.
Greg Kain is managing director of IPM’s healthcare practice. He has advised on the formation and operation of Strategic Realization Offices, served as portfolio manager for a health system, and overseen a variety of strategic initiatives. He hosts an annual healthcare “implementers think tank,” exploring how to execute transformation strategies.
Integrated Project Management Company, Inc. (IPM) is a leading business consulting firm that advises on and executes complex initiatives across multiple industries. A 2018 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, IPM has offices in Chicago, Boston, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Parsippany. To learn more, contact us at https://www.ipmcinc.com/contact/.