INTRODUCTION

It is difficult to read a newspaper, magazine, or Web page today without somehow hearing about
the impact of
information technology. Information in all forms is traveling faster and being shared by more
individuals than ever
before. Think of how quickly you can buy just about anything online, make an airline
reservation, or book a hotel
room anywhere in the world. Consider how fast you can share photos or video clips with your
family and friends.
This ubiquitous use of technology is permeating the healthcare industry as well, and the future of
many organizations
may depend on their ability to harness the power of information technology, particularly in the
area of electronic
health records and health information exchange.
Good project management is needed in order to accomplish the work, facilitate the change, and
deliver the
improvements facilitated by health information technology implementation. Project management
is not a new concept
—it has been practiced for hundreds of years, as any large undertaking requires a set of
objectives, a plan,
coordination, the management of resources, and the ability to manage change. Today, however,
project management
has become more formal with a specified body of knowledge, and many healthcare organizations
have adopted the
project-oriented approach as a technique to define and execute on their strategic goals and
objectives.
Good project managers for health information technology projects are in high demand. Colleges
have responded
by establishing courses in project management and making them part of the health informatics’
curriculums for
continuing education, certificate and degree programs. This chapter provides a high-level look at
the methodology
behind project management in order to provide a framework for the project manager skills
development, structure for
the implementation work processes, and organization of the projects’ tasks.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
This chapter augments the Systems Life Cycle chapters, as it outlines the project management
phases, called Process
Groups, used to organize and structure the Systems Life Cycle in order to successfully complete
all the
implementation steps of a project. The Overview section will provide an introduction to project
management and
background information on project definitions and project manager skills. Each subsequent
section will review one
of the five project management process groups. The last section will describe some additional
considerations for
health information technology projects, such as governance and positioning of project
management in the healthcare
organization.
What Is a Project?
There are many different definitions of a project, but they all have the same components—a
project is temporary, has
a defined beginning and end, and is managed to time, budget, and scope. Kerzner defines a
project as a temporary
endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. Distinguishing features of a
project are specific
objectives, defined start and end dates, defined funding limitations, consumption of resources
(human, equipment,
materials), and if needed, a multifunctional or cross-organizational structure (Kerzner & Saladis,
2006). The Project
Management Institute (PMI) defines a project as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a
unique product or
service with a definite beginning and a definite end. The product or service is different or unique
from other products
or services” (PMI, 2013, 2014). Schwalbe differentiates a project from operations by defining
operations as ongoing
work done to sustain the business. Projects are different from operations in that they end when
the project objectives
are reached or the project is terminated (Schwalbe, 2014).