Information has to be organized so it questions and challenges
a company's strategy. To supply data is not enough. The data have to be
integrated with strategy, they have to test a company's assumption, and they
must challenge a company's current outlook...Peter Drucker (1988)
Introduction
The overall design and planning should be the first task in any project. It
should also be performed over and over. With each new introduction the whole
plan should be reviewed again.
Too many projects are planned in stages where the more
distant stages are not clearly thought out. The type of thinking, "They
do not now have the technology", or "They do not have trained
personnel" causes stages to be developed that are at a very low level and
that have no real potential to go any higher. Think about most
Monitoring and Evaluation Projects where the goal is to simply
collect "a few key indicators."
A major part of Planning for a project is planning for the
future and ensuring that what is done today is not a waste of time and money.
Planning should not be done in a way that "demoralizes" the people
by telling them "they are too backward." Planning should be
done in a way that encourages people to think about the future and what they
can accomplish.
Although many books on planning make a great deal to do of
"process analysis," the analysis of the Present System, rarely can
duplicating a existing manual system with a computer pay for itself. It is
only by developing New Processes, New Information, and New uses for that
Information that a Computer system pays for itself. In many cases, it is far
better to throw out the old system than attempting to "made use of
it." This is particular a problem in organizations that have legacy
systems and jobs functions to protect. It is also a real problem if these very
people are included in committees to help design the new system.
Management is all about Planning.
The overall design and planning should be the first task in any
project and it
should be performed over and over. With each new introduction the whole
plan should be reviewed again.
The following questions should be asked
in the design of any project:
-
Who ->
Who are involved in the project (Stakeholders)
-
What ->
What are we going to do (Design)
-
Why ->
Why we are going to do it. The motivation for the
project (Drivers)
-
When ->
When we are doing to do it (Scheduling)
-
Where ->
Where we are doing to do it (Location)
-
How -> the procedures to follow
(Processes)
-
With
what resources
-
Under
what assumptions
Who
Stakeholders Demands
The Stakeholders. (see
Health
Informatics - Stakeholders)
-
Individuals
who often have a "subjective view" of their health
-
Family
Members of the individual
-
Health
Care workers
-
Health
Care Organizations
-
Local
Communities
-
Academia
-
Host
Country
-
Donors
-
Other
interested parties
-
Drug
Companies
-
Equipment
Vendors
-
Insurance
Company
-
Employees
What
The Design of any information system
should reflex the goals of the organization; the What we are going to do.
Computerizing an information system
does NOT "have to start with a well-designed manual system that collects
only the data that are essential to the organization's strategic
goals."
The worse computer design is that that
duplicates a paper system. Many organizations feel themselves constrained by
the "well designed paper system" and therefore are afraid to take
advantages of new ideas and new processes.
Whenever a computer designed is
implemented it should reflex new processes and not just duplicating the old.
The computer allows new ways of doing things. Take advantage of it.
Types
Contextual Design
The Contextual design reflexes the
organizational goals, organization processes, and the organization's vision of
the future.
If the Contextual Design is
not developed, no other planning can continue.
Logical Design
The logical design of a information
system is a high level design that maps and integrates the business process of
the organization
Physical Design
The physical design is the detail
design.
Methods
Top-down
The
overall objectives of the organization are determined. The processes that are
required to reach these objectives are then defined.
Bottom-up
The
reports that are produced in the organizations are used to develop the systems
Combination
Use both the top-down and the bottom-up processes.
Why
In order to produce sustainable operational improvements, management must
understand what drives the processes of the organization.
The analysis should specify if any drivers, i.e., internal or external forces or
requirements for change, are related to the integration initiative. Examples include:
Client
-
Client Demands
- Quality Imperatives
- Performance Issues
A key driver is the pressure to ensure
that the care delivered to the patient is based on best-practice, evidence-based
medicine.
Legal
-
Regulatory Requirements
-
Legislative Requirements
- Legal Liabilities
Environmental
-
Increase
in the Rate of Changes
-
Increase
Complexities in the Environment
-
Increase
in Risks due to not Taking Action
-
Aging
of the population
When
Scheduling of the
Project and the allocation of Resources
Where
We are interested in International
Public Health. The systems must be designed with the audiences in mind.
Cultural considerations must be constantly taken into consideration.
How
Planning is an order process of
thinking about the project.
The use of data modeling helps develops this understanding of the objectives.
Data modeling takes place within group meetings between IT personnel, project
owners, and subject matter experts and clearing outlining the steps and
processes needed to reach those objectives. These meetings help both sides of
the table understand what is expected from the project and each other.
Scheduling is the creation of the
timing of the use of the resources necessary to accomplish the project
objectives
The
software will be developed by using the “prototyping” method. Prototyping
consists of building an experimental system rapidly and inexpensively for end
users to evaluate. It is a method of building a preliminary design, trying it
out, refining it, and trying again. Prototyping is most useful when there is
some uncertainty about requirements or design solutions. This is particularly
true of decision-oriented applications, where requirements tend to be very
vague. By interacting with the
prototype, users can develop a template to create the final system. Since most
users cannot describe their requirements fully on paper prototyping allows them
to work with a system in order to determine exactly what they need. The
methodology anticipates that they will change their minds; these changes can be incorporated easily and inexpensively
during an early stage of development. This project will go beyond the conception
and generality phase that is so common to many “development books” and will
attempt to give real practical examples of methods of implementation and
completed systems. This is the benefit of using a prototype.
Impact is the reason for the
project. Without “impact” there is no reason to have the project. Many
projects are implemented without any real way to measure impact. Reasons are
given that it is too costly, or that the staff do not have the skills in order
to perform the analysis, or that there is not enough time...[nothing
needs to be said about these types of remarks]
Because a project does not take
place in a vacuum, the manager must have the ability to recognize that changes
need to be made and he needs to have the ability to make those changes; a failure to
measure impact, is a failure to measure the ability of the manager to manage.
After
planning is complete, all documents should be assembled. These documents should
include but not be limited to the following:
Manage the changes taking place
We are not finished!!! After planning is completed alternate strategies
should be explored.
Most projects fail because of lack of
commitment from its leadership, not because of project design. It is not
enough for an executive to start the program and then walk away as many
administrators do. Managers must provide continuous leadership and set the
example.
Either get with the program or get off the boat.
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