Managing Projects

I thought it would be helpful to share what’s going on in my head as I get ramped up for another project. While I am not an official Project Manager, I have managed a number of projects during my career, including big iron imaging items, patient monitoring, nurse call, video imaging systems and other various ones. 

The Scope: Be sure to completely understand what is being installed, and how it will affect operations. 

For example:

• What are the specifications, including electrical, structural and IT requirements?
• What and how many devices are required? Accuracy is a must. I like to have a contingency added to projects but funding is not always available for that.    

The Vendor(s): Get to know the product, software, service and the account manager. 

Ask questions:

• Is this a turnkey project? If not, what is not included?
• Will there be any ongoing software or licensing costs?
• What are their responsibilities (de-installation, installation, etc.) and what are the facility’s responsibilities?

Collaboration:

• What other departments will this project affect?  
• What other departments are needed to make this successful, for example, IT, Facilities, Health Informatics?

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, and every project is unique. However, a smooth implementation should be a common goal. In summary, I would recommend becoming the project SME and be careful about leaving anything to chance.