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2011 CAPITAL PROJECT SOLUTIONS

Transition Planning & Management

Capital Project Solutions – June 2011

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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.

2011 CAPITAL PROJECT SOLUTIONSTransition Planning & Management

Capital Project Solutions – July 2011

The Components of Transition Planning- Operational

Readiness

Stevie McFadden – Associate Consultant

Patrick E. Duke – Vice President

Last month we centered our discussion on the starting point for the

transition planning process – Transition Readiness Assessment

(TRA). The TRA sets the tone for the successful relocation of

staff, assets, supplies and patients from an existing space to a new

space. This month, and for the next two months, we will focus on

the three components of the transition planning effort after

completion of a TRA – Operational Readiness, Facility Readiness,

and Move Management.

What is Operational Readiness?

Operational Readiness involves planning for new processes and

practices that define the way an organization will conduct business

in a new facility. It requires an emphasis on review and design of

clinical and business operations to allow their future state to be in

harmony with the changed physical environment, thereby enabling

the organization to achieve desired outcomes. The effort to

achieve true Operational Readiness will involve education, training,

and orientation that must be effectively coordinated and balanced

with the Facility Readiness and Move Management components of

the overall transition planning work. If the future state of

operations was well defined and integrated into the design effort

from the onset of the project, achieving Operational Readiness will

be the result of more implementation planning and less process

redesign work later on.

There is often a perception that patient satisfaction and outcomes

will improve by virtue of facility improvements and the eventual

relocation into a new space. The reality is that without integrating

desired process improvement into the design and then educating

staff members on the benefits of adopting it, the new facility

becomes no more than an empty suit. While you may conduct a

successful move, you will not achieve true Operational Readiness


and defeat the most likely primary driver for the new space – to

deliver more efficient patient care and improve outcomes.

When Should We Start Preparing for Operational

Readiness?

It is important that leaders in healthcare organizations and project

delivery teams understand the perspective of all staff members as

they are challenged to “think outside of the box” when developing

improved workflows in a new space. Staff members are prone to

becoming overwhelmed on projects because of the amount of

changes that must occur to their daily workflows in addition to the

changes in how they do everything from park to clock in and out

each day. The looming question is - How will I function in the new

facility given the changes it will bring? To answer this question and

reduce anxiety that can be associated with any change, we advocate

launching your transition planning effort after the Architect

completes their Design Development phase.

Traditionally, user groups made up of staff members are heavily

involved in the planning of the new facility from project inception

and through the Design Development phase. It is during this time

that interest and engagement is extremely high. Team members are

actively involved in discussions and meetings to plan what the new

facility will look like, identify how they can best move through the

space, and develop strategies to improve patient care. However,

typically a one to two year lull occurs after Design Development

ends and when transition planning begins where there is no follow-

up with the user groups. During this lull everyone returns to their

day jobs, and valuable knowledge of the why and how is lost.

Therefore, the previous alignment and buy-in around design and

workflow decisions is at risk. The typical result is a reeducation

process that results in decreased morale and changes on the project

that were not anticipated in the budget or schedule. Changes later

in the project are more costly and the schedule impacts much

harder to mitigate, as depicted in the figure.

How Do I Organize and Facilitate the Effort to Achieve

Operational Readiness?


As you launch the transition planning process, it is important to first

establish an organizational structure that will support the critical

balance of the Facility Readiness, Operational Readiness and Move

Management components. While the user groups that were integral

to the design process can remain intact, they will need to do so

within the framework of an organizational structure that promotes

cross collaboration necessary to complete preparations for

relocating and operating in the new space.

Once an organizational structure is set-up the following steps are

necessary to begin the journey towards achieving and sustaining

Operational Readiness:

Determine Resource Loading Required to Complete

Planning Priorities – Healthcare organizations often struggle to

manage the day to day requirements and must maintain a lean

staffing model to be profitable. In order to prepare for relocation

and operation in a new facility, there will be many resources that

must go above and beyond their day to day duties. To avoid a

strain on resources and impact on current operations, it is

important to properly resource the transition planning effort.

Team Alignment Session – Initial alignment meetings with the

Team’s should be scheduled and facilitated. These sessions allow

for shared goals to be developed for the planning effort as a whole.

There also is consensus developed around expectations, roles, and

methods of planning effort. The decision making process and how

those decisions are communicated will also be agreed upon.

Development of a Baseline Activity Schedule – It is important

to develop a schedule of activities with each Team in coordination

with the overall Master Program Schedule for the facility’s design,

construction and installation of all furniture, fixtures, equipment and

technology systems. We believe sessions that feature interactive

and collaborative thought from key stakeholders and members of

focused teams are the most productive. It is imperative that the

“silo effect” is avoided during the entire planning process and all

events encourage collaboration and group thought. Development

of a baseline activity schedule will set a timeline for key activities

and tasks that must occur prior to the targeted move sequence.

The development of this work product will also highlight key

synergies between different teams.

Develop and Analyze Constraints – The development of a

baseline activity schedule will provide a more detailed path for each

focus team, but we find it necessary to go a step further and


evaluate all constraints to meeting the milestone dates that were

agreed upon. There is a distinct difference in being organized for

presentation versus being organized for implementation. You must

utilize communication and tracking tools that allow for ease of

identifying and analyzing constraints and track where commitments

are being met by each team member being held accountable.

Complete Implementation Plans for Each Focus Team –

Each focus team should use the information from the Alignment

Session and Baseline Schedule Development Sessions to develop a

detailed Implementation Plan for their effort. The Implementation

Plan should feature a detailed team activity schedule, constraints

analysis, resource allocation and budget. Considering there are

typically a multitude of synergies between each transition team, it is

essential to have a process in place to update key milestones.

Present an Integrated Implementation Plan to Leadership

for Approval – We suggest that each Team Leader present their

Implementation Plan to Leadership for final approval. It is important

to do this work as early as possible to identify one-time operational

costs associated with the planning and implementation work in

addition to the year one operating budgets for the new facility.

Execute, Communicate, Adapt and Achieve – Each Team

should execute its plan and the Team Leader’s should ensure that

there is cross collaboration and communication as required. The

Transition Steering Committee meetings will provide an excellent

forum to identify any points of connectivity and clarification

required. The teams should be prepared to adapt to changes in the

field and stick to the structured process in place so they can

eventually achieve Operational Readiness.

Understand the Move is Not the End – Early in the planning

process it is important to not only plan to achieve Operational

Readiness for opening day, but have a process in place to help

sustain the positive changes you have made and identify areas for

improvement as well. Many organizations shut down their

transition planning organization after opening day, when in fact

there are still elements of transition going. We believe the

transition planning structure should remain in effect six (6) months

to a year after opening day. This provides a means to continuously

assess and evaluate the effectiveness of implementation and provide

support to all staff that are working to acclimate to their new

physical environment.


Critical Success Factors in Achieving Operational

Readiness

Operational Readiness is a critical component to the overall success

of the transition planning process. It must be achieved in balance

with Facility Readiness and Move Management to ensure a smooth

transition. The following are critical success factors in achieving

Operational Readiness:

Begin the Project with the End in Mind – From the onset of

the project integrate operational planning into the design effort to

avoid more work later.

Avoid the Dangerous “Lull Period” – We recommend

beginning your transition planning effort after Design Development.

This will avoid a lull in action and participation by staff that

oftentimes plagues projects through cost overruns, schedule delays

and decreasing morale.

Set a Structured Process and Stick to It – A structured

process for transition planning and Operational Readiness needs to

be set early and you need to have alignment achieved around that

prior to developing implementation plans and continuing with your

planning efforts.

Plan for Beyond the Move – The move does not signify the end

of transition. This is often an enterprise wide event that affects all

systems, structures and staff members. Oftentimes, they need

more support in the days and months following the move than prior

to and during the move, keeping a structure in place to address

issues and communicate decisions and changes throughout the

organization.

Conclusion

We believe focusing on the factors above is an excellent start from

a macro level as you launch your transition planning effort and work

towards achieving true Operational Readiness. Next month, we will

discuss Facility Readiness.

Capital Project Solutions – August 2011

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Facility Readiness- Is Your Team Ready For The

Move?

Gary P. Wilkinson

Senior Consultant

The “Three Legged Stool”

It is not a hyperbole to say that a well defined and executed

Relocation Plan resembles that of a three legged stool. Last

month, we discussed that Operational Readiness

involves planning for new processes and practices

that define the way an organization will conduct

business in a new facility. It requires an emphasis on

review and design of clinical and business operations

to allow their future state to be in harmony with the

changed physical environment, thereby enabling the

organization to achieve desired outcomes. The

effort to achieve true Operational Readiness will

involve education, training, and orientation that must

be effectively coordinated and balanced with the

Facility Readiness and Move Management

components of the overall relocation planning work.

If the future state of operations was well defined and

integrated into the design effort from the onset of

the project, achieving Operational Readiness will be

the result of more implementation planning and less process

redesign work later on in the project delivery process.

Running parallel to planning and coordinating the operational

components of the relocation strategy is the Facility Readiness

piece. There is an abundant amount of preparation that must be

done in order for the facility to be completed in time for the

patient move. The absence of a well defined Facility Readiness

Plan will pose the biggest risk of any activity associated with

relocating into a new facility.

Facility Readiness Plan

The development of a Facility Readiness Plan centers on

preparing the building and/or facility to accept patients and


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hospital operations. It is well understood at the most basic level

that in order to begin operations, construction will be complete

and all building systems will be installed. To make that happen it

is important to understand many of the more detailed

components that must be completed to ensure a successful

transition.

Equipment Procurement Process: Throughout the course of

the design and into construction, numerous planning and

coordination meetings will be held with almost every stake holder

in the hospital to review needs and requirements for medical

equipment. Careful planning as to architectural parameters as well

as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing details is needed to ensure

that the equipment will be installed correctly and prevent costly

change orders later down the road. One planning element that

cannot be avoided is the detailed coordination of the

procurement process associated with equipment. To guarantee

the successful distribution of the medical equipment there are

many key decisions that must be made:

Equipment Delivery Model - Will the medical

equipment be shipped “Just in Time” (JIT) or will an

offsite warehouse be used? Often times with larger

projects, the JIT method is extremely difficult due to

loading dock constraints, the size of the equipment and

number of pieces being delivered.

Hospital Receiving Methods - Once the medical

equipment is received at the facility there are numerous

hospital protocols that must be followed. How will the

following be coordinated?

o Asset tagging

o Biomedical checks

o Delivery of equipment to end point location

o Assembly of equipment

o Hanging and placement of equipment

A definitive equipment procurement process must be developed

to ensure that these questions do not become problems during

this chaotic phase of the project. It is recommended that a

mover/logistics firm be engaged after you complete the Design

Development phase to coordinate these activities. By hiring a

firm of this nature prior to the issuance of the purchase orders, a


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streamlined procurement and delivery process can be established;

thus eliminating chaos when the equipment is delivered.

IT Systems: Often in capital healthcare projects, the

Information and Technology budget is second only to that of

construction. For many healthcare facilities, the race to keep up

with the ever changing and advancing technologies is almost

unwinnable. With the vast amount of systems and applications

that are being installed and constructed in facilities today, it is

crucial to coordinate the following to prepare the facility for a

timely move.

Training, Training, and More Training - Prior

to moving into any facility and “Going Live”, the most

difficult and cumbersome aspect is getting all of the

end users trained and indoctrinated on all of the new

IT applications and systems. These systems not only

affect the clinicians; but registration, accounting, and

medical records applications as well. The most

critical element concerning training is to allow

enough time between the issuance of the Certificate

of Occupancy to the actual “Go Live” date. Far too

often, healthcare organization do not allow sufficient

time to properly train staff on new systems which

results in total chaos and confusion in the new facility.

Proper training is achieved when specific systems

training is combined with a comprehensive macro

level education on how each system works together

to influence workflows and operations. It is not

enough just to have the vendors come and train on

each system independently.

Develop and IT Implementation Team - The

best way to keep your project on schedule and

prepared for Move Day is to make sure that there is

a dedicated team to lead and coordinate all of the IT

related items. In most cases, there is a “Technology

Consultant” or “Low Voltage” planner that assists in

the design of the IT systems. However, to assume

that they will be there to follow through on the

installation, certification, testing, and training of the

systems is a mistake made by too many hospital


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leaders. The IT Team should be responsible for

identifying gaps in this process as well providing

solutions for the gaps. We recommend that you look

at options for contracting all technology systems

through a Technology Integrator rather than having

multiple systems installed by multiple parties that are

managed by multiple individuals.

Schedule and Accountability: There is no doubt that by the

time the project is coming to a close and the Facility Readiness

planning is in full swing, the owner has seen his/her fair share of

schedules. Information such as Overall Project Schedules, Near

Term Schedules, and Milestone Schedules

have all made their way across his/her

desk more than a time or two. However,

in the case of planning the “Go Live” date

and preparing the facility for the event, it

is necessary to develop the Relocation

Schedule so that dates and durations that

are critical can be successfully managed.

One helpful way to track the Relocation

Schedule is to form a Facility Relocation

Committee. This Committee should be

composed of key stakeholders from the

hospital Facility and Operational Team, IT

and Medical Equipment Representatives,

Construction Team, and hospital

administration. This Committee will hold teams accountable as

well as monitor and track the Relocation Schedule to ensure that

deadlines are being met.

Conclusion

There are many moving parts associated with preparing for

Facility Readiness. Success in this phase of the project is

dependent upon the attention given to detail in the

implementation of the building plan. Streamlining all medical

equipment and IT functions is just one step in the right direction

for a smooth relocation. Combined with oversight by the Facility

Relocation Committee of key stake holders and one can begin to

build a Facility Readiness Plan that is achievable and easily

implemented.

Capital Project Solutions – September 2011

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Move Management - The "Big Move Day" Is Here

Patrick E. Duke, Senior Vice President

Gary Wilkinson, Senior Consultant

It All Comes Down to "The Big Move"

The day-to-day activities that are associated with delivering a

major healthcare capital project can be overwhelming. During

construction, it is easy to lose site of the goals that were

established at the onset of the project. Often times, these goals

are replaced with the single minded notion of “just finishing” and

“getting it complete”. The pressure to stay on schedule and

within budget, combined with change orders and patient and staff

disruptions often overshadow the need to properly plan the

physical move into the new facility. The cliché that “people only

remember the last three months of the project” is only too true.

All of the praise for proper programming, design, and

construction can be lost in an instance if the team fails to

properly plan the move.

Over the past three months, we have discussed the importance

of conducting a Transition Readiness Assessment as well as

Operational Readiness and Facility Readiness. These three critical

planning elements can ensure a smooth transition into the new

building. The time for planning will inevitably come to an end and

you must make "The Big Move" into your new facility. In this

edition of Capital Project Solutions, we will focus on:

Setting the date for the "The Big Move"

Setting up a command and communication structure

Recommended support after "The Big Move"

Setting a Date for "The Big Move"

Setting the date for “The Big Move” can often times become one

of the most discussed, debated and misunderstood issues during

Transition Planning efforts. The primary reasons are as follows:


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Lack of Clarity Around the Definition of

Contractor Completion - The Owner's project

management team should clearly define “Contractor

Completion” in the Construction Management

Agreement. We often see confusion because contracts

can use the terms Substantial Completion and Certificate

of Occupancy separately. It is preferred to link the two

and define Contractor Completion as the date that the

Owner can legally take control of the building after

receiving a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A Contractor

that achieves Substantial Completion typically has

punchlist work and commissioning activities remaining

before CO can be achieved. Therefore, Owner

activation activities such as stocking and training cannot

begin until after CO and this should be the date defined

as Contractor Completion.

Lack of Clarity Around Inspection Process to

Determine Clinical Readiness - You are probably

well versed in routine or surprise inspections that occur

from your local, state and sometimes national health

officials and accrediting bodies. While some elements of

these inspections are similar to the inspection process to

determine clinical readiness, there are also some

differences. Because of the variability from state to state

and inspector to inspector, we recommend that

communication between the project delivery team and

inspection agency occur prior to project launch. This

communication should continue throughout the life of the

project in order to thoroughly understand all of the

requirements for clinical readiness inspections. The date

of "The Big Move" cannot be set with any accuracy until

you fully understand all of the requirements of clinical

readiness inspections.

Lack of Understanding of Time Required for

Activation Activities – By their very nature, healthcare

organizations are flexible and quite skilled at quickly

adapting to their environment so as to remain focused on

delivering quality patient care. As expected, they are well

versed in emergency preparedness. This trait, while

extremely positive when related to patient care, can

actually work against the need to provide adequate time


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to complete all activation activities. There is no doubt,

that given a deadline, the staff in a healthcare organization

will meet it and ensure that proper patient care is

delivered. Unfortunately, the amount of time that is

required for appropriate staff training and process

retooling is typically way underestimated. The result is

often an increase in cost and a decrease in efficient early

in the new facility's life cycle.

In our experience, there cannot be too much time

allotted for activation activities. While construction is

never an exact science it behooves the Owner to set a

date for "The Big Move" as early as possible. Once this

date has been established, a cascade of decisions can be

made. For example, if new services that require

additional FTE's will be added, recruiting must be factored

into the schedule. In addition, procuring a Relocation

Specialist (the physical mover) should happen sooner

rather than later. There are only a handful of companies

that specialize in large hospital moves and their calendars

are booked well in advance.

Considering all these factors and based on our experience over

the years, we recommend that a date be set for the "The Big

Move" that is no less than 60-90 days from Certificate of

Occupancy for smaller projects or those that are in ambulatory

settings. For larger and more complex projects, we recommend

that the date be a minimum of 90-120 days from Certificate of

Occupancy.

Setting Up a Command and Communication Structure

Given the complexities and risks surrounding the move to a new

facility, it is recommended that this task be approached in a

manner similar to an Emergency Preparedness situation. Many

hospitals utilize principles of the Hospital Emergency Incident

Command System (HEICS) and set up the requisite Incident

Command Center (ICC). Since healthcare staff is familiar with

these terms and procedures, it will be beneficial to closely mimic

this set-up for the command and communication structure to


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support "The Big Move". Some considerations in your plan

should be as follows:

Timing of Command Center Activation - The

physical move of contents may take place the weekend

prior to first clinical visit or for larger facilities it could

begin two to four weeks ahead. Typically, patient moves

occur in one day over a weekend. However, depending

on your volume, it may be best for your organization to

phase your patient moves. Regardless, we recommend

activating the Command Center to support the beginning

of the physical move. Obviously, there is a ramp up

period from the early days of your Command Center

operations to when you complete the move.

Keeping The Clutter Out - Especially on patient move

days, it is vital to include only essential Command Center

personnel who have a defined role in the process. Setting

a "Contractor & Vendor Support Room" that is linked by

communications with the Command Center is critical to

coordinate all activities. Should staff require systems

support during the patient move, contractors and

vendors can easily be dispatched from this area to the

trouble spot. Also, separate rooms for media, volunteers

and patient's families should be set up in a similar fashion.

Leverage Technology - The best Command Centers

we have encountered have been those that utilize the

facility technology to allow for enhanced monitoring and

communication. With proper planning, temporary

measures can allow for effective use of the facility

communication and monitoring systems even if the

Command Structure location is not part of a permanent

Central Command in the hospital. The Command

Center should be able to access all camera locations to

view activity, view bed management and have its own

unique phone number with an extension that is easy to

remember such as x6683 or "MOVE".

The Command Center is the epicenter of "The Big Move" and

should be activated when the physical move begins. Roles and


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responsibilities for all staff supporting "The Big Move" should be

well defined and only those essential to the Command Center

operations should occupy it. Other separate areas for groups

like contractors, vendors, media, volunteers and patient's families

should be designated and linked through the communications

systems to the Command Center to maintain a stable

environment during the patient move. A Command Center that

leverages technology systems in the new facility most effectively

allows for closer monitoring and better response time to any

issues that may arise.

Recommended Support After "The Big Move"

A common mistake in approach to transition planning is to close

the planning window at the conclusion of "The Big Move". The

reality is that transition does not stop at that point. It continues

past "The Big Move" and depending on the scope of the project,

can last months, even years longer. Failure to plan and support

staff post "The Big Move" can lead to low morale, low patient

satisfaction scores, increased operating costs and lower margins.

In looking beyond "The Big Move" you should consider the

following:

Command Center Operations Post Move – A

proven best practice is to keep the Command Center

open at least one week post "The Big Move". The hours

and staffing model should be discussed and adjusted based

on agreed need. Using the Command Center in this time

period to address issues provides a safety net to staff and

allows the organization to respond quickly to any issues

that may arise.

Maintain Transition Planning Structure Post Move

- The Transition Planning structure should be maintained

up to a year post "The Big Move". For the first 3 months

following the move, the Transition Steering Committee

should meet on a bi-monthly basis and address ongoing

issues related to the transition. Allowing these issues to

filter through existing management processes and systems

can lead to delays in response times and may strain

relationships with staff, patients and visitors.


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Gear Up Your Lean Team - Lean or Performance

Improvement teams, inside healthcare organizations,

should be integrally involved in the transition planning

effort and should be maintained post "The Big Move".

Modeling and development of processes and workflows

that aligned with your facility design prior to transition

need close evaluation and optimization in the near term

after the move. This level of support and monitoring will

address any bottlenecks that occur and provide yet

another critical support element to the staff.

It is easy to quickly return to operations as usual once "The Big

Move" is completed. Avoiding this scenario is highly

recommended. Staff, patients and visitors need time to adjust to

the new environment and new processes. Despite their unique

ability to adapt and adjust to new environments while maintaining

focus on patient care, staff involved in the transition are

experiencing change in a way that most have never experienced

before. This change needs to be recognized and a bridging

process should be developed post "The Big Move" to provide

critical support before returning to normal operating procedures.

Conclusion

The last thing anyone remembers about the project is "The Big

Move". In order to finish strong, it is imperative that adequate

time for all of the Owner's activation tasks be built into the

schedule initially. While you may begin with more time than you

think is necessary between Certificate of Occupancy and "The Big

Move", construction is never an exact science and contingency

time should be allocated. Given the dramatic change that many

staff will experience for the first time in their careers, providing a

support network dedicated to the move, and more importantly

post move, will be welcomed. Proper planning, flexibility and

team work will ensure that your new facility achieves your goals

and fulfills your vision.

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