Best Practices for Implementing An Information Solution

By Even Brande

Session Description

• At Handel we have implemented many significant IT projects since founding the company in 1997. With all these projects under our belt we have gained invaluable experience that we will share with you in this workshop about the critical elements that distinguish successful IT projects from unsuccessful ones. The workshop will include some common myths about large-scale IT projects, how to best prepare for your system implementation, implementing your system, and post implementation. This session is ideal for those who are just starting out and those who have implemented a system and are dealing with post-implementation issues.

• Time: 90 minutes

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Who Should Attend?

• Those who are currently involved in implementing an IT project

• Those who will be involved in implementing an IT project

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Agenda• Ten Tips for a Successful System Implementation• Contract Development• Project Management• Vendor Management• Staff Management• Data Gathering• JAD Sessions• Weekly Calls• System Development• Go Live• Post-Live Issues• On-Going Vendor Relationship

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Introductions

• Who I Am• Who You Are

– Name– Title– Organization– Why You Are Here

Why This Session?

• Because 15% of all major IT projects fail outright • Because over 50% of all major IT projects fail to

reach their promised potential• Most of these failures are due to people, not

technology.

• Source: InfoWorld

10 Tips for a Successful System Implementation

• Make sure you have buy-in from all the key players in your agency or organization.

• Establish a clear project plan with clear definitions of expected end results.

• Assign an internal project manager to be responsible for all key communication with the vendor.

• Insist that the vendor assigns a key person that is your primary point of contact with them.

• Use the opportunity to re-engineer your processes as well.• Don’t try to make your new system emulate the old. • Help the end users understand what they are getting into.• Make system training mandatory.• Don’t wait to go live until every detail is completed.• Don’t stop implementing just because you are up and running.

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Contract Development

• If you work with a vendor, a contract is imperative.• Sample contract• The key components for you (the customer)

– Detailed scope of work– Deliverables and timeline– Cost components and payment-due date– License agreement– Escrow agreement– Maintenance agreement (if applicable)

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Project Management

• Develop baseline.• Have a clear goal but a flexible approach.• Use a project management system that is accessible

to both parties online.• Manage scope-creep.

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Project Management

The Project Plan

• Tools• Elements of an IT Project

Project Management Tools

• Microsoft Project• Excel Spreadsheet• Online Collaboration Tools

– Sharepoint– Online Conference Software

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Solutions– RiteTrack

Core Elements of an IT Project

• Define scope of work• Gather data• Develop blueprints• Sign off on blueprints• System implementation• Quality assurance• Sign off on system• Staff training• Go live• Post-live changes

A Typical RiteTrack Project Plan Part 1

Contract Development

Meet and Greet Trip

Define Contract/Scope of Work

Sign-Off On Contract/Scope

of Work

JAD Session-Process Interview

RiteTrack Initial Demo/

Project Training

Additional High-Level

Documentation Gathering (based

on PDS)

Pre-Deployment Survey (PDS)

Needs AnalysisReview

DocumentationDocumentation

Complete?Yes

No

Break Project into Manageable

Phases

Need to develop extensive interview for data gathering -some gets collected during documentation gathering phase, others get collected in JAD session

Send Contract and “What to Expect”

Booklet

Internal Overview Meeting

Send List of Phase-Specific

Detailed Documentation

Prepare for JAD Session

-Send Process Interview

Receive Required Information

Project Start

Install RiteTrack Project Manager

Get Feedback from PDS

Customer Agrees With

Phases?

No

Yes

Scope of Work Development

Meeting

Initial Internal Overview Meeting

No

Additional Discovery/Data

Gathering

Additional Data Collection

Yes

Initial High-Level Documentation

Gathering

Official Project Kick-Off

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

A Typical RiteTrack Project Plan Part 2

Draft Processes on Paper

Detailed definition of process flow, reports, surveys, configuration, security, etc. etc.

Customer Signs off on Processes

No

Implement Process in RiteTrack

Yes

Internal Testing of Implementation in

RiteTrack

Customer Tests Implementation in

RiteTrack

Does Implementation

Match Specifications?

Start Phase X

No

Yes

Does Implementation

Match Specifications?

Does Customer Have any Change

Requests

No

Yes

Define Changes to Specifications

Yes

Customer Signs Off On Change Order

No

Yes

Final TestingNo TrainingGo Live With

Phase X

Documentation Complete?

Need More Documentation

?Yes

Gather More Documentation

No

Yes

Start Next Phase?

Yes

No

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Vendor Management

• Single point of contact• Clear scope of work• Clear timeline for deliverables• Periodic conference calls/meetings• Online meeting facilitation

– Web-Ex– GoTo Meeting

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Building Your Team

• Overall project manager• Content expert(s)• Super user• Average user• Tech-averse/change-averse user• IT contact

Staff Management

• Get buy-in from day one.• Don’t make meetings optional.• Make sure you have all disciplines on your team.

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Data Gathering

• Documentation, documentation, documentation• Don’t assume that the vendor knows anything about

your operation.• The vendor who “knows it all” is possibly more

dangerous than the vendor who knows nothing at all.• Bottom line: The system needs to work the way your

business works, not the other way around.

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Break Your Project Into Manageable Phases

• An incremental approach has a much greater success rate than a big bang approach.

About Picking Your First Project

• Pick the project with that offers the best ratio between least amount of work and biggest potential for instant impact.

• Early success is sure way to create long-term success.

JAD Sessions

• JAD: Joint Application Development• JAD Session Tools• Detailed Scope of Work

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

JAD Session Tools

• Prototype of vendor software• Prototyping software• Workflow software• Project management system• Presentation software

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Detailed Scope of Work

• System Architecture• Integration• Data Conversion• Database Design• Workflow and Business Rules• Security• Screen Design• Report Design

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

System Architecture

• Architecture– Web or Desktop Client

• Database• Security model

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Integration

• System compatibility• Integration methodology• Third-party vendor• Neutral agent

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Integration

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Data Conversion

• Who is responsible?• Working with an existing vendor

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Database Design

• The database design is the foundation for the entire project.

• A system built on a weak foundation = a weak system• Select a proven architecture• Select a flexible architecture• Select a database vendor that will be around

tomorrow.• A word about relational database design (Yawn!)

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Workflow and Business Rules

• What is workflow?• Business rules?• The only constant is change –make sure your system

design will accommodate change.

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Feature Development

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Security

• Essentially Three Areas– Functionality – Who can do what?– Row-Level Security – What records can you see?– Field-Level Security – What portion of the record can you see?– Individual-Security Rules vs. Group-Membership Rules

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Screen Design

• Screen Design: Anything you see on the monitor• Key Challenge: Balance end user’s ease of use with support for

complex data model• Count mouse clicks and keyboard strokes

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Report Design

• Report Design: Anything you report out of the system• Something you can see without having to log on to the system

– Print– Electronic export (PDF, Word, Excel)

• Primary Report Types– Record specific– Aggregate– Ad-Hoc

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Key Project Tasks

• Regularly scheduled meetings/conference calls

• Establish who is doing what• On-going documentation• On-going testing

Regularly Scheduled Meetings/Conference Calls

• Keeps project on track• Review project plan• Revisions to original plan• Additions• Deletions

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Testing

• Start testing on day one.• Don’t assume the vendor will find all the problems.• Vendor’s Responsibility: Software works according to

software specifications.• Your Responsibility: Software works according to your

specifications.

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Documentation

• Topic• Audience• Type

– Help file– Video documentation– Audio documentation

• Format– Hardcopy– Electronic file– Online help

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

How to Best Structure Your Training

• Typical audience– 10% Stars– 80% Adequate– 10% Challenged

• Hands-on training is key• Break up sessions by functional area of audience• Train-the-trainer sessions are invaluable• Online training: Inexpensive and effective

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Go Live!

• Don’t wait to go live until everything works – you will never go live.

• No matter how much you plan, being live is a different environment; and by design this environment will present both new challenges and opportunities.

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Don’t Let Bureaucracy Bog Down Your Deployment

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Post-Live Issues

• Things That Will Happen When You Go Live– You will discover additional bugs in the system that

could not have been discovered earlier.– You will discover additional needs that you didn’t

anticipate.– You will discover that you made some incorrect

assumptions.

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

On-Going Vendor Relationship

• Maintenance agreement• Source-code agreement• Vendor endorsement• You as a champion

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Summary: Lessons Learned

• Resistance is normal…don’t react to it as if it is not. Have a plan about dealing with the resistance and then stick to it.– Don’t apologize for the software that you choose. Once

the choice is made, explain your decision fully but don’t apologize for it.

– Don’t set unrealistic expectations (e.g., you are going to love this software right out of the box; this software will solve all your problems; you will immediately save time through using the computer, etc.)

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Summary: Lessons Learned

• Create forums for clinical end users to vent, but require that they also offer solutions to the problems that they note.

• Set realistic, rather than optimistic, time frames. Changing work flows and learning new ones takes time; no comprehensive system can be put in place overnight.

• Don’t underestimate resources for training.

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Summary: Lessons Learned

• Training is probably the most critical aspect of implementation success.

• Make sure that you have good training materials that include formal and self training.

• Set aside enough time for training.• Train your staff before go-live and then have a follow-

up training one month after go-live.

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Summary: Lessons Learned

• Let people in on your vision. Share your leadership views and your hopes for the implementation.

• Get clinicians on board with the mission-driven reasons for the implementation:– Improved clinical care through better access to records and through

more timely communication– Ability to spend more time on clinical tasks and less on administrative

tasks

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Q&A

October 23-25 – The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado