You're managing a healthcare project. What approach should you take: traditional or agile?

Ah, the classic approach! I remember when we used this for implementing a new electronic health record system. It was like building a skyscraper 🏙️ - we had a blueprint, a timeline, and everything was meticulously planned. Pros: Clear structure and timeline Well-defined roles and responsibilities Easier to estimate costs upfront Cons: Less flexible for changes Can be slow to adapt to new information It worked well for us because we had a clear end goal and relatively stable requirements. But boy, when we needed to make changes, it felt like trying to turn a cruise ship! 🚢

In many ways healthcare projects typically tend to follow the traditional approach due to its fundamental goals and being able to execute affirmative outcomes. It is important that the public obtains accurate information that they are able to utilize in their day to day lives, and thus it is very difficulty to allow a lot of free play when it comes to healthcare industries specifically. People are able to voice their opinions regarding the best treatment but in the end of the day it is what the best clinical research has shown to prove something to be the optimal route. I apply this whenever I am doing differential diagnosis with my patients with low back pain!

For healthcare projects, adopting an Agile approach often yields better results than traditional methods. Agile allows for flexibility, rapid iteration, and continuous feedback, which are crucial in a dynamic healthcare environment. This approach fosters collaboration, ensures patient-centric solutions, and adapts quickly to changing regulations and technologies. By embracing Agile, healthcare projects can deliver higher quality outcomes and enhanced patient satisfaction more efficiently

Acredito que o mundo não comporta mais gerenciamentos na forma tradicional. As mudanças estão muito velozes. Dependendo da característica do projeto, como por exemplo, redesenho de jornadas, mudanças físicas e estruturais do serviço, podem se beneficiar de períodos mais intensos de pesquisa, diagnóstico e planejamento. No entanto, fases de implantação requerem agilidade, possibilitando iteração e ajustes operacionais mais refinados.

Now, this is where things get exciting! I've used this approach for developing a new patient care app. It was like jazz - lots of improvisation, but with a clear rhythm! 🎷 Pros: Flexible and adaptable Faster delivery of usable products Continuous feedback and improvement Cons: Can be challenging to estimate total cost/time Requires more active stakeholder engagement We loved how quickly we could pivot based on user feedback. One sprint, we completely changed a feature based on nurse input, and it made the app 10 times more useful!

Agile approaches allow tech and business to develop and grow the delivered solutions. It should foster conversations and engagement from both sides. The relationships and partnerships in agile methodology can lead to a solution that stakeholders use and a relationship with tech that continues to grow including a roadmap for business and tech success.

Esta metodologia é excelente para projetos no geral, e a área de saúde tende a se beneficiar muito para atender o backlog de demandas, como ajustes em sistemas informatizados, como prontuários eletrônicos, uso de questionários, processos operacionais mais simples, ou outras demandas do dia a dia dos gestores de saúde, que requerem agilidade na sua implantação.

An example of an agile project that I would say is more appropriate is different types of patient care and caregiver training. This is obviously something that varies on a wide spectrum as every clinician has their own expertise in providing care that is suitable to their views. Not one method is the best way, it just depends case by case depending on the patient's socioeconomic backgrounds and personalities. On the other hand, a more traditional PM project would be figuring out correlation between patient arrival rates and speed of recovery for lumbago or cervicalgia. This is something with clear cut parameters that can be measured and correlated with the right filters to analyze level of care and arrival rates.

A escolha entre o gerenciamento de projeto tradicional ou ágil deve se basear nas características da demanda do projeto. Para projetos como expansão, troca de sistemas ou mudanças estruturais, é necessário um tempo adequado para mapear todos os requisitos técnicos e identificar possíveis impedimentos, o que requer um estudo mais aprofundado, tornando o gerenciamento tradicional possivelmente mais apropriado. No entanto, se o projeto exige rapidez na implementação e flexibilidade para atender às demandas do dia a dia, o gerenciamento ágil, com equipes organizadas para entregas contínuas e adaptáveis, é a melhor escolha.

As someone who likes things to be in an orderly fashion, I would most likely take the traditional PM route. In this case I would first hold a big meeting with all the members to go through goals, beginning stages in the research and essentially outline the purpose of the project. In this way, I would then provide people with deadlines and perhaps split people on taking on certain roles in the project; for example one group may focus on the statistics portion while the other group focuses more on inventory and visuals. Keeping deadlines helps me stay on top of my work and it also allows me to keep the other people in the group accountable!

Regardless of either routes, it is important to form a unity within the healthcare industry. It is a common theme that all healthcare professionals want to give the best care for their patients, and it is okay to have strong opinions of either side of the spectrum as long as their goals are to improve the healthcare industry. I think it is imperative that we embrace the diverse ideologies and ways in which people perceive and portray their ideas in the development of patient care, because you never know when you will learn something that may perhaps change your life for the better.

In healthcare, fostering a culture of continuous learning is essential for effective project management. Whether you choose a Traditional or Agile approach, prioritize regular feedback and process reviews to adapt and improve as the project evolves. Stay updated on the latest trends and advancements in both healthcare and project management to ensure your methods remain effective and relevant. This adaptability not only enhances team performance but also ensures the project meets the dynamic challenges of the healthcare environment.

Acredito que um dos maiores desafios em uma instituição de saúde é embarcar todos os stakeholders dentro de um projeto, com os interesses alinhados. Imprimir velocidade de entrega de um projeto depende muito do sponsor, da priorização de agendas e do compromisso de entrega de cada time dentro dos prazos acordados. Uma vez que seja possível estabelecer esse espírito de equipe, o sucesso do projeto não depende exclusivamente do tipo de abordagem escolhida.