Midterm Flashcards

1
Q

System Team

A

Primary function is to plan, coordinate, budget, and manage all aspects of the new system’s implementation.

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2
Q

Team Composition

A
  • Project Leader
  • System Champion
  • Key individuals from the areas affected by the new system
  • Vendor reps
  • IT professionals
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3
Q

Fundamental Activities of System Implementation

A
  • Organize the team and identify the system champion
  • Clearly define the project scope and goals.
  • Identify accountability for the successful completion of the project.
  • Establish and institute a project plan
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4
Q

System Champion

A

Someone who is well-respected in the organization, sees the new system as a necessity, and is passionate about its implementation.

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5
Q

Qualities of a System Champion

A
  • Strong communication skills
  • Interpersonal
  • Listening skills
  • Excellent problem solving and resourcefulness
  • Superior organizational talents
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6
Q

Attributes of Project Goals

A

Should be:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Timely
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7
Q

Project Accountability: Business Sponsor

A

The individual who holds overall accountability for the project.
-Should hail from the most heavily affected area.

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8
Q

Business Sponsor: Duties

A
  • Secure funding and needed business resources.
  • Has final decision-making and sign-off accountability for project scope, resources, and approaches to resolution of project issues
  • Identifies and supports the business owners.
  • Promotes the project internally and externally. Obtains the buy-in from business constituents.
  • Chairs the project steering committee
  • Helps define deliverables, objectives, scope, and success criteria.
  • Removes business obstacles to meeting project deadlines
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9
Q

Project Accountability: Business Owner

A

Has the day-to-day responsibility for running a function or a department.

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10
Q

Business Owner: Duties

A
  • Representing their department or function at steering committee and project team meetings.
  • Securing and coordinating necessary business and departmental resources.
  • Removing business obstacles to meeting to project timeline
  • Working jointly with the project manager on several tasks.
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11
Q

Project Accountability: Project Manager

A

Handles day-to-day direction setting, conflict resolution, and communication needed by the project team.

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12
Q

Project Manager: Duties

A
  • Identify and obtain needed resources.
  • Deliver the project on time, on budget, and according to specs.
  • Communicate progress to sponsors, stakeholders, and team members.
  • Ensure diligent risk monitoring is in place and appropriate risk mitigation plans have been developed.
  • Identify and manage the resolution of problems/issues.
  • Maintain the project plan.
  • Manage project scope.
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13
Q

Joint Duties of Business Sponsor, Owner, and Project Manager

A
  • Set Meeting Agendas
  • Manage meetings
  • Track project progress
  • Communicate project status
  • Escalate issues as appropriate.
  • Resolve deviations and issues related to the project plan.
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14
Q

Project Accountability: IT Manager

A

Senior IT person assigned to project is responsible for:

  • Representing the IT department
  • Has final IT decision-making authority and sign-off
  • Helps remove obstacles to meeting timelines.
  • Promotes the project internally and externally with IT constituents.
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15
Q

Major Activities of Implementation Process: Workflow and Process Analysis.

A

Identify ways to:

  • Improve workflow
  • Simplify tasks
  • Eliminate redundancies
  • Improve Quality
  • Improve user satisfaction
  • Avoid automation of outdated and inefficient processes
  • Gain initial buy-in by including users during the redesign.
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16
Q

Major Activities of Implementation Process: System Installation

A
  • Install hardware, software, and network infrastructure to support new system.
  • Build necessary interfaces.
  • Pilot the system in a unit or area before widespread rollout. (Evaluate effectiveness, address bugs/concerns, apply lessons learned to other units)
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17
Q

Major Activities of Implementation Process: Staff Training

A
  • Decide between a “train the trainer” or “pool of trainers” strategy
  • Timing of the training: “Just-in-time” training
  • Update procedure manuals
  • Communicate who to contact for support/troubleshooting
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18
Q

Staff Training: Train the Trainer

A
  • Train select staff in a given area to become Super Users
  • Super users train/educate their co-workers
  • Super users should be respected among the staff in their given area.

-Cons: Super users may be drawn away from the organization to apply their new skill sets elsewhere.

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19
Q

Staff Training: Pool of Trainers

A

Selecting staff that are knowledgeable about the entire system and rotating them to different areas/departments to train others.

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20
Q

Staff Training: Just-in-Time

A

Providing training sessions to staff at regular intervals prior to the go-live in both a distraction-free as well as a live setting.

-Mastery of the system prior to go-live is guaranteed to improve success rates.

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21
Q

Major Activities of Implementation Process: Conversion

A
  • Convert the data from the old system to the new.
  • Clean the date prior to conversion. (Ensure the data is complete, accurate, and current)
  • Run data through validation checks to ensure accuracy
  • Test the use of the newly transferred data.
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22
Q

Major Activities of Implementation Process: Communication

A

An effective communication plan:

  • Aids members of the implementation team in communicating and coordinating their activities.
  • Identifies how progress will be conveyed to key constituent groups.
  • Formal communication and Informal communications.
  • Although methods may vary, the message should be consistent and the information presented timely and up-to-date.
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23
Q

Major Activities of Implementation Process: Preparation for Go-Live

A

Implementation team ensures:

  • The system is ready through testing
  • Staff are adequately trained.
  • Appropriate procedures are in place.
  • Disaster recovery plans are in place.
  • IT staff in place to monitor and assess system issues/errors.
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24
Q

Major Activities of Implementation Process: System Downtime Procedures

A

Processes in place for the the expected and unexpected downtime that the system will experience.

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25
Q

Managing Change: Leadership

A

Leaders must:

  • Define the nature of the change
  • Communicate the rationale for and approach to the change.
  • Identify, procure, and deploy necessary resources.
  • Resolve issues and alter direction as needed.
  • Monitor the progress of the change initiative.
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26
Q

Managing Change: Language and Vision

A

Describe the Vision:

  • What will the world look like after the change?
  • How staff roles and work life will be different?
  • Why is this change important?

Use careful Language:

  • “Should” instead of “Must”
  • “We’ instead of “You”
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27
Q

Managing Change: Connection and Trust

A

Staff are willing to rise to a challenge if they TRUST their leadership:

  • Act in the best interest of the staff/organization
  • Listen and respond to the concerns of the staff/organization
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28
Q

Managing Change: Incentives

A

Intrinsic: Excitement over change; Fear of what happens upon failure

Extrinsic: Bonuses, promotions, awards

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29
Q

Managing Change: Planning, Implementing, Iterating

A

Change must be PLANNED:

  • Tasks must be allotted resources.
  • Accountable staff for task performance must be determined
  • When problems arise, iteration and adjustment is necessary
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30
Q

Behavioral Factors: Appropriate Environment

A

Create an appropriate environment:

  • User expectations will vary
  • Clear and effective communication is key
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31
Q

Behavioral Factors: Not Underestimating User Resistance

A
  • Understand the culture of the organization before investing in a system.
  • User acceptance occurs when users see and realize the benefits to themselves and to patients upon adoption of the new system.
32
Q

Behavioral Factors: Manage Unintended Consequences

A
  • More work or New work
  • Workflow
  • System Demands
  • Communication
  • Emotions
  • New kinds of Errors
  • Power shifts
  • Dependence on the system
33
Q

Organizational Factors: Allocation of Sufficient Resources

A
  • Adequate technical staff expertise

- Reliable and secure IT infrastructure

34
Q

Organizational Factors: Provide Adequate Training

A
  • Training BEFORE launch and AFTER launch, as the system is updated
  • Use varied training methods to target different types of learners.
35
Q

Organizational Factors: Establish a Strong Vendor Relationship

A
  • Define expectations, resource needs, and timelines

- Have open, honest, and candid conversations when problems arise or differences in expectations occur

36
Q

Support and Evaluation: Problem Detection and Solution

A

Problems WILL be detected and changes WILL be required:

  • IT staff should correct the problem or work with the vendor on a solution.
  • The vendor may detect glitches and develop upgrades or patches.
37
Q

Support and Evaluation: Optimize System Use

A

Maximize efficiency by:

  • Additional training
  • Revised workflows
  • Adding new features and functionality
  • Using data from the system for quality improvement initiatives.
38
Q

IT-Enabled Value Defined

A

Value can be:

  • Tangible and Intangible
  • Significant
  • Variable across organizations
  • Diverse across IT proposals
  • Diverse in a single investment
  • Have different analyses for different objectives.
39
Q

IT-Enabled Value: Tangible

A
  • Increases in Revenue
  • Fewer Errors
  • Reduction in Turnover
40
Q

IT-Enabled Value: Intangible

A

-Improved Decision Making, Communication, and Compliance.

41
Q

National Research Council (NRC)’s IT Objectives: Infrastructure

A

Enables other investments or applications to be implemented and deliver desired capabilities.

42
Q

National Research Council (NRC)’s IT Objectives: Mandated

A

May be necessary in order to comply with the initiatives of accrediting bodies

43
Q

National Research Council (NRC)’s IT Objectives: Cost Reduction

A

Highly amenable to ROI and other quantifiable dollar-impact analyses

44
Q

National Research Council (NRC)’s IT Objectives: Specific New Products and Services

A

Involved consumer utilization, competitor response, and impact on related businesses.

45
Q

National Research Council (NRC)’s IT Objectives: Quality Improvement

A

Examples:

  • Reduced Waiting Times
  • Improved patient query for physicians
  • Improved treatment outcomes
  • Reduction in errors
46
Q

National Research Council (NRC)’s IT Objectives: Major Strategic Initiative

A

Intended to significantly change the competitive position of the organization or redefine the core nature of the enterprise.

47
Q

Classes of System Investment: Transformation

A
  • Effects a significant improvement in overall performance

- Changes the nature of the organization

48
Q

Classes of System Investment: Renewal

A
  • Upgrade core IT infrastructure and applications
  • Reduce the costs
  • Improve the quality of IT services
49
Q

Classes of System Investment: Process Improvement

A

-Improve the operations of a specific business entity.

50
Q

Classes of System Investment: Experiments

A

Evaluate new information technologies and test new types of applications

51
Q

Sources of Value Information

A
  • Conferences
  • Industry publications
  • Industry research organizations
  • Consultants
  • Vendors
  • Formal Financial Analysis
52
Q

Formal Financial Analysis: Net Present Value

A

Calculated by subtracting the initial investment from the future cash flows that result from the investment.

53
Q

Formal Financial Analysis: Internal Rate of Return

A

Discount rate at which the present value of an investment’s future cash flow equals the cost of investment.

54
Q

Comparing Different Values: Scoring

A
  • Select key proposal areas for scoring
  • Assign a score to each area ranging from 1 (minimal/no contribution) to 5 (significant contribution)

Benefits:

  • Forces leadership to discuss why team members scored areas differently
  • Forces leadership to defend their decision to denounce a high score or support a low score
55
Q

Tactics to Reduce the Budget

A

Questions to address proposed IT solutions:

  • Is it mandatory due to new regulations?
  • Can it be put off for another year?
  • Does the IT staff have time to take on a new project?
  • Does the user department have stable management?
  • Are the value propositions and resource estimates complete?
  • Is there a less expensive application or non-IT solution?
  • Can the progress occur at a slower pace?
56
Q

Common Proposal Problems: Fractions of Effort

A

Saving fractions of staff effort does not always lead to salary savings.

57
Q

Common Proposal Problems: Reliance on Complex Behavior

A

People do not always behave as we expect or want them to.

58
Q

Common Proposal Problems: Unwarranted Optimism

A
  • Assumption that nothing will go wrong
  • Assumption that you can control all variables
  • Assumptions that exact changes in work processes have been pinpointed and system needs are therefore concrete.
  • Assumptions that everyone can devote all of their time to a project.
59
Q

Common Proposal Problems: Shaky Extrapolations

A

Assuming that first year gains will continue during the remainder of the project’s lifetime.

60
Q

Common Proposal Problems: Underestimating the Effort

A

-Forgetting to account for the time users and managers devote to system design, developing workflow changes, and training

61
Q

Common Proposal Problems: Fairy-Tale Savings

A

Redeploying expenses instead of reducing the budget

62
Q

Common Proposal Problems: Failure to Account for Post-Implementation Costs

A

Maintenance contracts, hardware upgrades, etc

63
Q

Ensuring Delivery of Value

A
  • Make sure the homework is done on a proposed project.
  • Require formal project proposals
  • Manage the project well
  • Manage outcomes
  • Conduct Post-Implementation Audits
  • Celebrate value achievement
  • Leverage organizational governance
  • Shorten the deliverables cycle
64
Q

Ensuring Delivery of Value: Increase Accountability for Investment Results

A
  • Business owner should defend the investment
    • Project sponsors and business owners must understand the accountability for successful completion of the project
    • Present projects in a forum that routinely reviews requests.
65
Q

Ensuring Delivery of Value: Benchmark and Communicate Values

A

Benchmark your performance against the performance of your peers

Develop a Communication plan for 12 months ahead

66
Q

Types of Portfolio Investments: Infrastructure

A

The core IT that serves as the foundation for all applications.

67
Q

Types of Portfolio Investments: Transactional

A

Supports the core operations processes

68
Q

Types of Portfolio Investments: Informational

A

Supports the decision making, such as clinical decision support, quality measurements and analyses, market assessment, and budget performance

69
Q

Types of Portfolio Investments: Strategic

A

Critical to the furthering of an organization’s strategy

70
Q

IT Value Challenges: Factors that Hinder Value Return

A
  • Overall strategy is wrong or it fails to adequately assess its competitive environment.
  • Necessary IT applications and infrastructures are not appropriately defined.
  • The organization fails to identify all the investments and initiatives necessary to carry out its plans
  • Failure to execute the IT plan well
  • External factors (competitor actions, customer reactions)
71
Q

IT Value Challenges: Investment-Performance Relationship

A
  • Spending more money on IT is no guarantee that the organization will improve.
  • Factors other than the appropriate tool for the task can influence the relationship. (e.g. nature of the work, competitive position in the market)
72
Q

IT Value Challenges: Progressive Realization of IT Value

A
  • Requires innovation in business practices
  • Economic value comes from incremental innovations rather than “big bang” initiatives
  • Strategic impacts comes from the cumulative effect of sustained initiatives to innovate business practices.
73
Q

Digital Maturity

A

Studied the performance of companies based on two variables:

  • Digital intensity
  • Transformation Management Intensity

-Defined by CapGemini

74
Q

Digital Maturity: Digital Intensity

A

The extent to which a company had invested technology-enabled initiatives to change how the company operates.

75
Q

Digital Maturity: Transformation Management Intensity

A

The extent of the leadership capabilities necessary to drive digital transformation through the company.

-Determined to be the more important variable of the two.