PM Work Load and the Need for Project Pacing
By John D. Smaling, Principal
VITALIZE CONSULTING SOLUTIONS
NEWSLETTER
With the major patient centric clinical initiatives currently driving our market, the use of Six Sigma and associated methodologies will become much more popular within our project culture.� On a recent project, I had the opportunity to rebuild the project organizational model, which involved a customer who is heavily invested in Six Sigma.� What is Six Sigma?� Six Sigma is a very structured quantitative methodology which supports driving quality and process improvement to the end goal of only 3.4 mistakes (or) errors per 1 million opportunities for error.� The math behind Six Sigma is not very complex, but the application to healthcare and IT is.�
The methodology and training behind Six Sigma is held under the Green Belt, Black Belt and Master Black Belt certifications.� A Green Belt is certified to be �involved� with a project.� A Black Belt can run a Six Sigma project and a Master Black Belt can train and educate future Green and Black Belts.� There are many
avenues for certification and typically found on-line or at your local Universities.� So, how do we apply this to healthcare?� The two methodologies I have been exposed to include DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) and DMEDI (Define, Measure, Explore, Develop and Implement).� Of the two models, the DMEDI methodology seems to best suit healthcare because it supports the use of introducing a new process to a project vs. the DMAIC methodology which supports making changes to existing processes.� I do believe both will work within healthcare, but considering most of our current processes within the clinical and financial operational environment need major adjustments and are not well aligned to leveraging IT software, I believe the DMEDI methodology is a stronger fit.
Healthcare has much to learn about process improvement and although Six Sigma is still very new and cutting edge to the healthcare IT project
environment, it definitely adds value in making sure a project is not swayed by IT and levels the playing field with respect to making sure operations and the �voice of the customer,� (patients and clinicians) are seriously leveraged as part of meeting project goals and objectives.
Six Sigma introduces a structured methodology to process improvement and helps balance the equation between IT and Operations.� As a firm supporter of methodology within projects, I believe further research and education within Six Sigma and Healthcare will provide value to the clinical initiatives of our industry.� For further information or examples of how Six Sigma can help your project, please feel free to contact me at MHirshfieled@getvitalized.com.
Suggested reading: The Six Sigma Book for Healthcare.� By Robert Barry, Amy C. Murcko and Clifford� E. Brubaker.� ACHE Management Series.
Volume 1 issue 2
December 15, 2005
Project Management Office
What an interesting time for healthcare!� We find ourselves in a period in which information systems are held front and center, driven by the momentum of the patient safety movement and government driven initiatives like HIPAA and the National Patient Record.� As a consequence, IT budgets are bulging with capital and operationally directed funding at levels not seen since Y2K.
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Helpful Links
Project Management Insights and Lessons Learned.
http://www.pmihealthcare.org/docs/on%20demand%20training.htm
General information for Project Managers.
http://www.projectsatwork.com/
General information for Project Managers.
Information on Six Sigma.
WWW.GETVITALIZED.COM
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PM Work Load and the Need for Project Pacing |
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Project Planning...What it is and What it is Not. |
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Message from the Practice Director |
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