Building Success in Health Care Project Management

Module 1: Project Inception in Health Care Project Management

St. Hypothetical Memorial Hospital™ staff and stakeholders have eagerly awaited approval to begin construction of their new cancer center, which is supposed to merge three practices into one unified center, providing comprehensive cancer support to the community. Each of the three practices’ wish lists will solve their own current challenges and make improve patient care. 

Other stakeholders, including trustees, administration and facility operations, are also advocating for their own priorities. Everyone needs to come together around a singular vision, but how will that happen? Join the St. Hypothetical team as they gain insights into best practices in effective PDC project inception.

Learning objectives:

• Clarify the vision to ensure that it meets organizational needs.
• Define core project constraints including capital, timing and priorities.
• Establish the function of the space including the systems, equipment and maintenance specifications.
• Produce a functional program to guide planning, design, construction and completion.

Module 2: Requirements in Health Care Project Management

The Facilities and Operations team at St. Hypothetical Memorial Hospital™ is still doing the expensive work of retrofitting the hospital’s emergency department redesign to meet current standards and requirements. All the stakeholders want to ensure the same mistake isn’t made in the build-out of the hospital’s new cancer center. All the project’s stakeholders need to come together to agree on the requirements for the new cancer center that both meet their clinical needs and allow for them to stay in compliance with local, state, and federal codes & standards. Join the St. Hypothetical™ team as they discover the best approach to effective PDC project requirements development.

Learning objectives:

• Document regulatory and code requirements that impact project inspection and conditions of participation.
• Ensure that a comprehensive analysis has been conducted to inform project scope.
• Conduct risk assessments and document mitigation requirements to be followed throughout the project design, construction and completion.
• Establish a system to ensure that regulatory requirements are referenced and met throughout the project.

Module 3: Teams and Talent in Health Care Project Management

The construction project team at St. Hypothetical Memorial Hospital™, which is working on the hospital’s cancer center project, is reevaluating some of the ways the organization failed to effectively build their team for the hospital’s emergency department redesign. That experience has taught them that the success of a project is not only about how well planned a project is, but also how well a team works together to achieve the project’s goals. Join the St. Hypothetical™ construction team as they learn how to assemble and empower a team to successfully leverage both their technical and interpersonal skills to achieve the project’s goals.

Learning objectives:

• Unify the project by defining an inner core team representing the owner, design, construction and facilities teams.
• Identify key stakeholders required to complete each phase of the project and those who have the power to influence it.
• Clarify the process of hiring skilled talent to the team.
• Develop a communication strategy to improve outcomes and reduce inefficiencies.

Module 4: Planning for Execution of a Health Care Project

The team at St. Hypothetical Memorial Hospital™ doesn’t want to run into the delays, redesigns, ballooning budget and follow-on work that were required to complete the hospital’s emergency department redesign project. That experience has made the team eager to establish a plan that will help them execute a quality project on time and within budget, while still meeting the needs of the three cancer practices, their patients receiving care, as well as the facilities team who will be responsible for maintaining the new cancer center. Join the St. Hypothetical™ team as they explore how to develop a successful project plan that optimizes staffing, time, materials and equipment to achieve their shared goals for the new cancer center.

Learning objectives:

• Assemble the team based on project delivery methods, project scope and anticipated impact.
• Plan phasing and logistics for distinct systems and project phases.
• Estimate budgets that consider prior analyses, requirements and risk assessments.
• Establish standards for quality and value throughout the duration of the project.

Module 5: Design in Health Care Project Management

The team at St. Hypothetical Memorial Hospital™ is ready to start designing their new cancer center, which merges three practices into one unified center, providing comprehensive cancer support to the community. The project team’s past experience with the hospital’s emergency department construction project has helped them understand that unclear expectations can lead to lengthy delays and redesigns. Join the St. Hypothetical™ team as they gain insights about how to maximize the talents and perspectives of their skilled design team, while also ensuring that they are addressing the true functional needs of the space for all of the stakeholders who are involved with delivering care in a maintainable health care environment.

Learning objectives:

• Define the space functions and requirements for different departments and service lines.
• Describe the design phases and the documentation for each phase.
• Identify core skills of the design team to meet the specific requirements of the intended space.
• Design effective solutions to meet needs and requirements.

Module 6: Construction in Health Care Project Management

The team at St. Hypothetical Memorial Hospital™ is finally ready to break ground on their new cancer center, which merges three practices into one unified center, providing comprehensive cancer support to the community. Along with construction documentation, the optimization of relationship and communication practices are key to the construction team’s successful delivery of their work. Join the St. Hypothetical™ team as they explore how to help the construction teams anticipate construction phases and associated challenges, improve communication across teams to meet expectations, and support the execution of the design.

Learning objectives:

• Identify the required documentation and decisions that are needed before construction begins.
• Work effectively with the team of contractors to communicate and carry out expectations. 
• Describe construction phases and the issues that can impede progress.
• Monitor and verify progress to ensure expected outcomes.

Module 7: Project Completion in Health Care Project Management

The new cancer center at St. Hypothetical Memorial Hospital™ is in its completion phase, but is it complete? Has it met the vision that was set out at the start of the project? Is it ready for patients to be treated in the space? Join the St. Hypothetical™ team as they undergo the final push to get the work completed, discover what it means to complete a project in the health care field and explore how one can work with their team to accomplish those final steps before a facility’s opening day.

Learning objectives:

• Identify final procedures to complete the project safely, effectively and on time. 
• Verify health care regulations and building code requirements are met to allow the space to be used as intended. 
• Finalize the contracted work and reconcile finances. 
• Ready the space for patient care.

Module 8: Post-construction Occupancy and Operations in Health Care Project Management

The new cancer center at St. Hypothetical Memorial Hospital™ is now open for patients and is transforming cancer care in the region. As the project team thinks about the lifespan of the new space, they want to ensure it meets the needs of both current and future occupants. Join the St. Hypothetical™ team as they address the practical realities of operating in a new space, which reveals issues pertaining to how occupants inhabit the space, how the space practically serves the intended functions and how the facilities operations and maintenance teams can ensure that the space stays compliant and up to code throughout its lifespan.

Learning objectives:

• Determine the timeline and phases to occupy the space.
• Provide the training to ensure that all occupants are prepared to use the space effectively.
• Manage a facility information transfer to support the ongoing operations and maintenance to the facility team.
• Consider how the project will evolve over its lifespan and proactively plan for updates and changes.