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Conducting a Transition Readiness Assessment to

Ensure a Successful Facility Transition

Ray Walker

Principal Consultant

One of the biggest traps healthcare organizations fall into is the

belief that planning for a new facility is complete once the

structural design is finalized. In fact, the opposite is true. A new

facility provides an organization the ideal opportunity to

reevaluate and update their operational strategies and processes.

However, to truly capitalize on this opportunity, this must be

taken into account during design – prior to the start of

construction.

Given today’s economy, when planning a new facility, there is

tremendous pressure to quickly complete the design process and

start construction. Unfortunately, more often than not,

construction begins before the design is completed. Following

this path makes it virtually impossible to carefully and thoughtfully

map out the operational impacts of the new environment. Many

of the more complex operational issues to be implemented in the

new facility are only discussed at a high level during this initial

phase. Particulars are not discussed and it is merely assumed that

operational process flow changes will mesh with how the new

facility is constructed. Without careful planning and coordination,

the results can be a significant disconnect between what is built

and what is necessary to support operational strategies. In an

effort to manage the coordination between operational planning

and the physical environment, we encourage healthcare

organizations to begin Transition Planning as early in the project

schedule as possible, preferably beginning as soon as the design is

complete.

Transition Readiness Assessment

Per Webster’s Dictionary, Transition is defined as: “passage

from one state, PLACE, stage or subject to another”. A

successful transition from one facility to another is realized when

the completed facility and operational readiness merge, optimizing

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functional patient care activities. So how does a healthcare

organization know that they are ready to transition from one

building to another? What assurances do the executive leaders of

a hospital have that the plans to date are still in sync with how

the building is actually being constructed? These questions are

often answered during the Transition Planning process. To

initiate this phase, we recommend that healthcare organizations

conduct a Transition Readiness Assessment (TRA). TRA is

a gap analysis of the transition planning completed to date. It also

identifies items that remain to be completed and ultimately

results in a comprehensive plan to address all elements. The

phases of the assessment are quite similar to a physician treating a

patient. They are:

Discovery (History and Physical) – What information

is currently available relative to the proposed transition?

This involves initial data and information gathering along with

pre-session interviews.

Gap Analysis (Diagnosis) – Where are the gaps in what

is known and not known? What has already been done?

What still needs to be done?

Implementation Plan (Treatment Plan) – How can

we bridge the gaps in order to ensure everyone’s

expectations are aligned and we’re heading down the same

path together?

Five Steps to Complete TRA

1. Conduct Stakeholder/Staff Interviews: Key

stakeholders should be interviewed to gauge their current

understanding of the transition process, i.e.:

Will the location of the ancillary services change

how service is provided?

Conduct Stakeholder/

Staff Interviews

Evaluate Data,

Tools & Systems

Develop Team

Structure

Develop Budget & Schedule

Transition Implementation

Plan

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What model of care changes will take place in the

new space? Is the staff prepared for these

changes?

How will supplies be distributed in the new space?

Is this different from the current model?

2. Evaluate Data, Tools & Systems

Review contracts for services, furniture,

equipment, signage, etc.

Review inventory tracking logs.

Conduct way finding analysis and map traffic

patterns.

Review regulatory information and approvals.

Review Communication and Public Relations Plan.

3. Develop Transition Team Structure

Create the Transition Steering Committee.

Create the Operational Readiness Assessment

Team.

Create the Facility Readiness Assessment Team.

Ensure multi-disciplinary participation.

Establish clear expectations, roles and

responsibilities.

Ensure Integration of the transition teams with the

project delivery teams.

4. Develop Transition Budget & Schedule

The transition budget should include - move

company expenses, warehousing charges, training

expenses, marketing expenses, public relations

expenses, etc.

The transition schedule should be integrated with

the Project Delivery Team’s Construction

Schedule.

The transition schedule should include staff

training, furniture and equipment coordination,

stocking of supplies, programming and testing of

technology systems, final cleaning, etc.

5. Transition Implementation Plan

Based on the information gathered in the previous

steps, a Transition Implementation Plan can be

prepared that addresses the identified gaps.

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Will clearly state goals and objectives for the

project.

Will clearly state team member responsibilities.

Conclusion

Again, the first step in a successful transition plan is to recognize

that planning does not end with a complete design. If the

Transition Readiness Assessment process is followed,

chances for a successful transition will be significantly increased.

In addition to streamlining the move, the functionality of the new

space will be greatly improved which will provide substantial long-

term benefits and enable the leadership team to achieve the staff

and patient satisfaction that they originally sought at the onset of

the project.