This HQS-620: Project Management in Health Care course examines the models and approaches of project management in health care settings. Learners demonstrate an understanding of the project management process and its application to health care quality and safety initiatives. Additionally, learners also gain skills to identify various stakeholders and roles, set goals and expectations, plan stakeholder engagement, and identify ways to mitigate obstacles in health care project management.
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Table of Contents
What is a project?
A project is a specific, finite activity that produces an observable and measurable result under certain preset requirements.
Features of a project.
Every health care organization creates a detailed, specific description of what is defined as a project. The fundamental principle of a project is that it has a start and end date, whereas something like a program or objective would not. Therefore, this makes the discipline of project management about controlling and coordinating those dates and everything that happens in between. Additionally, the project should also have an owner (someone who is accountable) and a budget (tangible resources are allocated to this project). It should also have a progressive elaboration. This means that the successive iterations of the planning processes result in developing more effective solutions to progress and develop projects.
A project should also have unique deliverables. That is, it should have a project that aims to produce some deliverable (a product, service, or some other result). Most importantly, these deliverables should address a problem or need to be analyzed before the project start.
What is project management?
Project management is a process of planning, organizing, and overseeing the work of a team to advance a specific organizational project and achieve an organization’s objectives.
What Is Healthcare Project Management?
Healthcare Project management concerns any projects that seek to improve the functioning of a healthcare-related organization. Nowadays, hospitals, healthcare systems, and others in the industry are continuously executing projects to improve their operations. This is because the industry continues to evolve, therefore, increasing pressures to save money and be efficient while improving the quality of patient care.
How Does Project Management Work?
In order to ensure effective project management, all the individuals involved in a project should contribute through distinct roles, each with their own set of responsibilities. These responsibilities:
- The project manager is responsible for planning, managing, and executing the project by engaging team members.
- A project sponsor is a senior leader who provides guidance and makes key decisions.
- The project team consists of anyone who contributes to the execution of the project.
5 Stages of project management.
1. Project initiation.
This is the first phase of project management. It provides an overview of the project, along with the plans/strategies required to attain the desired goals/objectives. Most importantly, this is the phase where feasibility and business value are determined.
The project charter is an important outcome of this initiation phase. This is mostly because it contains the following:
- Project goals and benefits.
- List of stakeholders.
- Project deliverables.
- Project scope.
- Business vision and mission.
- Project risks.
- Project budget and resources.
2. Project planning.
During this phase, a lot of planning related to the project takes place. After the members have decided the goals and objectives of the project, the development of a project plan starts. Moreover, within this planning phase, there is the development of a set of plans which helps to guide your team through the implementation phase and closing phase. Additionally, these plans also help you to manage cost, quality, risk, changes, and time.
3. Execution phase.
Project-related processes are implemented, tasks are assigned, and resources allocated during the execution phase. In addition to implementation and allocation of resources, it also involves building deliverables and satisfying customer requirements.
4. Project monitoring and control
The project monitoring and control phase involves measuring the performance of the project and tracking progress. The main purpose of this phase is to check whether everything aligns with the project management plan, especially concerning financial parameters and timelines.
5. Project closure.
The project closure/follow-up phase is the final phase of the project management life cycle. This means that the final product is ready for delivery. Thus, the focus of the project manager and the team should be on product release and product delivery. Most importantly, it is during this closure phase that all the activities related to the project are wrapped up.
