Having left behind a trail of 100% successful implementation, we understand that strong leadership both at management and departmental level is the key to successful implementation. This is why, when we asked our thought leaders and project managers to talk about the importance of executive-level “champions”, they were more than happy.
Typically, within healthcare this role is filled by physicians/stakeholders with interest in clinical system or application being implemented. The role of the champion is to act as a bridge between the IT vendor and end users and assist in setting up the scope of the project, achievable deadline and step in whenever required to smoothen communication gaps.
Differences may appear when project objectives set forth by organizational leadership are unrealistic in terms of scope, resources, or technical deliverables and therefore threaten to create credibility gap between the vendor and hospital. This calls for the champion to act as aide to project manager and adopt a “push back” approach by reformulating the project scope, thereby defining the goals or objectives to be achieved. Approach to help could be any, but what is common among these leaders is the vision to see IT as a business value enabler and hold the torch for next generation wired hospitals.
