Services — Full Project Lifecycle Expertise
Let Us Help You Think of Everything
The table below gives you a feel for what our expertise can mean to
your project during any phase of your project lifecycle.
Where Do You Feel the Pain?
Common Problems in Healthcare Implementations
Here
are some symptoms of healthcare implementation
problems. Any sound familiar?
- Missed deadlines?
- Tasks falling through the cracks?
- Issue tracking not working very well?
- Communication problems between departments or team
members?
- Vendor misunderstandings?
The Eyes of Experience
It does not have to be that way. At Atlanticon,
experience has taught us a better way and you can benefit from
our experience and make a difference in your project starting
today — regardless
of where you are in the implementation lifecycle.
Our Atlanticon consultants are experts in what
they do. Each
of our consultants must have a minimum of five implementations
under their belt before they join our team. These are high standards,
yes, but they are high for a reason — our
customers expect positive results and that is what makes it possible
for us to deliver.
System Selection
Have You Thought of Everything?
Vendor and System selection is a difficult job. All vendors claim
to perform better than their competition, and all are willing to tell
you what you want to hear. Many live up to their claims, but how
can you be sure that you’ve selected based on the right criteria? How
can you be sure you’ve asked the right questions?
How Atlanticon Can Help
Atlanticon will guide you to the root of what you expect out of a system
and a vendor. We will help you develop your RFP so that it insures
your questions are answered without ambiguity. Our role helps
focus your selection based on the quality of the system and the track
record of the vendor, as opposed to the charisma of the sales team. We
insist on multiple client references which include dissatisfied clients
and those that have de-installed the product. Much can be learned
from all current and past client types.
Project Planning
Have You Thought of Everything?
We all know what they say about failing to plan. Many think of
planning as the development of a project plan – but it’s
more. Don’t overlook the many pieces that go into proper
management of the project. Starting a project without conducting
a thorough setup phase is like leaving for your vacation but forgetting
to pack.
How Atlanticon Can Help
There are many right ways to plan for a project, and Atlanticon understands
that our job is to help you implement the best way for you. One
approach doesn’t work for everyone – what may be overkill
at one site may be overly simple at another. We specialize in
insuring that you have the right team structure, communication plan,
working paper methods, issue management system, an appropriate project
plan from which you can manage, and dozens of other key steps in place
to allow your PM to move forward with confidence.
Analysis & Design
Have You Thought of Everything?
Designing a system is a critical step, as most teams are learning the
new system as they go. Make sure you build time for your team
to fully understand the system and its options before they make key
design decisions.
How Atlanticon Can Help
Atlanticon realizes that you can’t design a system if you don’t
understand its capabilities and limitations. We encourage a thorough
learning period of your new system and an appropriately detailed workflow
session, which outlines how your departments in current state. The
design outcome should be a side-by-side view of current and future state,
with your vendor confirming that their system can perform as you expect
it to. Tailoring should not commence until you are comfortable.
Tailoring
Have You Thought of Everything?
Many projects begin to suffer from phase overlap at this point. They
are anxious to begin tailoring, yet have not thoroughly completed their
design. The result can be weeks spent in building a system that
doesn’t flow.
How Atlanticon Can Help
Atlanticon’s approach to tailoring begins with an iterative concept. Once
you clarify that your design is good, we encourage you to build your
system in an iterative fashion, such as creating a single radiology
order and building it all the way through requisition printing, interface
passing, results posting, and charge creation. When you are confident
that the system works with a small subset of items, then do your mass
tailoring. We also encourage conference room pilots to insure
your user community is in agreement with the system’s progress
before you have gone too far with your tailoring.
Testing
Have You Thought of Everything?
Testing can become complicated when script developers jump into the
detail too soon. Testing also suffers when there is no way to
assess your success. How do you know that you’ve tested
enough?
How Atlanticon Can Help
We recognize testing for what it is – the most crucial point
in the project where all your efforts are finally scrutinized in an
orchestrated way. Atlanticon starts with a Testing Strategy, helping
you understand what level of testing is appropriate for your project. We
then help you ease your way into script development by focusing on your
test conditions, moving into colorful scenarios, and ending with workable
scripts. We help guide you through test management, script handling,
issue resolution, and monitor your test effectiveness.
Training
Have You Thought of Everything?
Training is one of the most costly phases of your project from a manpower
perspective. You must have everything aligned to insure you have
done enough – but not too much; that you don’t begin training
too late, or too early; that you have given your students enough information
so they can swim, but not so much that they sink.
How Atlanticon Can Help
Atlanticon begins with the development of a comprehensive Training
Strategy that covers all aspects of training, helping you clarify your
methods of training, room setups, scheduling approach, timings, curriculum,
and all other key components. We help you pave the way for a smooth,
professional phase of training.
Activation
Have You Thought of Everything?
A successful activation comes as a result of thorough activation planning. Your
activation is the culmination of months, and sometimes years, of hard
work, and it is the most visible phase of the project. Imagine
a football team trudging up the field yard by yard, with activation
being similar to crossing the goal line. You do not want to fumble
your project on the one yard line. Activation planning begins
months in advance – not weeks.
How Atlanticon Can Help
Atlanticon has a very thorough approach to helping you prepare for
activation. We start with an identification of a Command Center
location, since facility space is usually in high demand. Our
tried and true Activation Strategy document helps you outline all the
key decisions that go into activation, and our wealth of usable documents
that can be applied to your activation preparation efforts will save
you time and provide you with a professional, well orchestrated activation.
Support & Audit
Have You Thought of Everything?
Supporting your activation, both during and after the go-live, is a
key step in determining the legacy your project team leaves behind. Your
user community will be experiencing change – and not everyone
embraces change the same way. How you support and how much you
support, as well as what levels of audits you put in place, are significant
decisions that need to be made in advance.
How Atlanticon Can Help
Atlanticon can assist you in working through your support methods,
looking for ways to maximize your user community. We use this
opportunity to turn an IT project into a Hospital project – by
putting your superusers at the forefront of support. We also provide
practical advice and guidance on how to audit your user community’s
satisfaction of the system and your activation efforts. Our approach
allows you to have a positive impact on all departments, as well as
some easily obtained statistics for your executive team to showcase
your hard work.
Project Management & Project Coaching
Have You Thought of Everything?
Many hospitals already have bright and enthusiastic Project Managers,
yet they lack in the number of successful projects under their belts. How
do you gain the PM wisdom that comes from many successful projects without
engaging a full time consulting PM?
How Atlanticon Can Help
Atlanticon is very pleased to offer a Project Coaching approach, tailored
to fill the gaps you might be experiencing. We offer an evaluation
and four separate PM visits where we provide some intensive sessions
with your PM, walking through all the necessary steps of each upcoming
phase. We help him or her with guidance, strategy, best practice,
and tools that are proven to make a project run smoothly. Each
visit is conducted at an appropriate time so your PM isn’t overloaded. We
also conduct follow up and assess his or her ability to carry out the
strategy, and report back to the CIO with a grade card – all done
with the intention of YOU succeeding by using YOUR OWN Project Manager. This
approach is not for all hospitals – and we work with you in a
no-cost evaluation to see if there is a fit. We also tailor our
four visits to meet your needs, and each comes with a cost – or
a package price is available. Atlanticon won’t leave your
PM to face challenges alone – we will be available by phone between
visits to reassess strategy. Finally, Atlanticon believes strongly
in the power of a fantastic working team. Powerful teams must
be able to deal with conflict, motivate themselves, work together, and
manage change. Included in our Project Coaching will be visits
and sessions with a national expert in energizing teams, managing change,
and mediating conflict – all with exceptional team building results. Atlanticon’s
solution to Project Coaching gives your PM team the value of decades
of experience at a fraction of the cost of a full time consulting PM – and
the real beauty is that we work in the background while you and your
team reap the benefits of a seasoned approach.
Call Today & Start the Conversation
Our team of healthcare system installation professionals have the experience
you demand to help you with any phase of your project — from
vendor selection through final audit. Contact
us today.
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