| Last summer Ocala, Florida was hit by two | | | | well as those of any concurrent projects. |
| hurricanes which barreled through the state. | | | | Microsoft Project is a great scheduling tool. Even |
| Lengthy power outages and widespread structural | | | | MS Excel is able to be used for task tracking. It's |
| damage forced many medical practices to close. | | | | usually a good idea to maintain a log including the |
| Some of the more coastal practices weren't able | | | | probability of particular risks, including projected |
| to conduct surgeries for a few weeks after the | | | | impacts and mitigation. This log should keep track |
| hurricanes hit. | | | | of issues that require attention. The PMI publishes |
| By our original time line, the launch of our | | | | some standards including knowledge areas |
| electronic medical records (EMR) system was for | | | | important to a project manager, who should |
| late summer, 2005. The unfortunate effects of | | | | employ processes from each of the nine areas in |
| the hurricanes forces us to postpone the date | | | | order to ensure full coverage on the project. |
| two more months. This delay coincided with some | | | | Three of the nine areas are identifies as 'triple |
| other events at the practice: construction of | | | | constraints.' The restraints are cost (budget), time |
| another office location, and the addition of a new | | | | (schedule), and scope (work). If any are changed, |
| associate. We understood that the success of the | | | | the others will be affected. Increasing the project |
| EMR system would require an ongoing | | | | scope will result in increased time and cost, for |
| commitment - we chose to move the go-live | | | | example. By lowering the cost, the quality and |
| date to the start of 2006. | | | | scope must both be decreased. Fewer allocated |
| The president of the Atlanta chapter of the | | | | resources will require more time to complete the |
| Project Management Institute (PMI), Frank Polack, | | | | project. It's particularly important to keep |
| explains methods that a project manager can use | | | | dependencies in mind, as when tackling task 2 is |
| to help a plan mitigate the effects of | | | | dependent on task 1 being completed. |
| unforeseeable events. He describes the ten | | | | Quality Management requires inspections, to be |
| Change Management principles in his second article | | | | certain you're implementing strategies which |
| in the series. According to Mr. Polack, | | | | satisfy established requirements. Simply waiting to |
| implementation of a sound change management | | | | see if all turns out correctly is a bad idea. |
| project is a huge factor in achieving project | | | | Communication Management: What must be |
| success. | | | | communicated, and to whom and how? Important |
| An excellent change management project ensures | | | | team members may require frequent updates, |
| that office culture successfully adapts to new | | | | while others receive information less often. Will |
| systems. Implementation requires a Project | | | | updates be distributed by memo or e-mail? When |
| Manager to oversee the project. A project, as | | | | will meetings take place, and who should attend? |
| defined by the Project Management Institute, is a | | | | Human Resources Management: Who are the |
| 'temporary endeavor undertaken to create a | | | | SMEs, the subject matter experts? Who's on the |
| unique product or service.' | | | | project team? Will the manager have full authority |
| Begin with a Project Charter. This charter | | | | over the allocated resources? |
| describes what we're doing and why, along with | | | | Procurement Management: Understand vendor |
| the anticipated budget and schedule. This project | | | | contracts and the terms you're entering into, be it |
| charter should also address the risk potential, | | | | cost-plus, fixed-price, or time & materials. |
| constraints, and outline anticipated milestones as | | | | |