Tracking Issues in Your Project

Tracking project issues properly and diligently is one of the most important things you can do for your project. One of the first things we do when joining a project is to assess the manner in which issues are being tracked, and the tool that is being used to track them. We should define an issue first. An issue should be any outstanding question, concern, problem, or decision that you feel needs to be tracked or documented. Let’s face it - issues begin mounting as soon as the system is selected. Every issue you encounter should be logged and tracked, reducing the chance of addressing the same item twice - - or not at all.

Project issues belong to you, the hospital. In order to effectively record and track them to completion, you should avoid the following common pitfalls:

• Don’t try to make the current help desk software double as a project issue tracking system.
• Don’t utilize the vendor’s issue system as your only means of tracking issues.
• Don’t open the issue tracking system to too many hands.
• Don’t attempt to use a spreadsheet based software to track issues.
• Don’t wait too long to begin tracking issues.

 Atlanticon has created an Access based issue tracking system called HITS, which stands for Hospital Issue Tracking System.  It was developed for use at all our client sites to help them alleviate the cost of purchasing a system specifically for tracking issues.  HITS became so well utilized, that we decided to give it away to any hospital that has an issue tracking need.  It’s our way of helping offer something to the healthcare IT community.

Here are some of our recommendations when it comes to issue tracking systems:

• Recognize the value in documenting key decisions and resolutions
• Utilize a flexible, report-rich database system
• Plan ahead and create fields and values that make sense and are useful
• Determine who will have access to it (we recommend team leaders and PMs)
• Develop clear rules for logging issues, defining what your team deems an “issue”
• Make the review of issues a standard part of your regular team meetings
• Assign someone to oversee the quality of information being logged

 Here is a sample of the issue entry form from HITS.  Feel free to contact Atlanticon for a complimentary copy of HITS.