Launching and Leading Change Initiatives in Health Care Organizations : Managing Successful Projects

In Seeds of Failure, Seeds of Success, David A. Shore, PhD, of the Harvard School of Public Health, launches a direct assault on one of health cares greatest problems: pathological resistance to change, even in the face of overwhelming forces, owing the inability to manage simple projects. He describes eleven key reasons health care projects fail and helps readers see the paths around these potholes so that their organizations can implement new initiatives more effectively and more efficiently. The book examines the roots of resistance to change, and reasons for such common situations as physicians who don't wash their hands between patients, health care workers who remain unvaccinated during flu outbreaks, and electronic records systems that are several generations behind those used by most other businesses such as hotels and banks.   Founder of a popular graduate course on project management at Harvard, Shore provides a practical, hands-on, easily accessible book that speaks directly to the concerns of health care professionals and managersthe people who want things to change, but who keep encountering the land mines Shore describes. CONTENTS: Introduction. Why study failure in projects?...Failure ratesDefinition of failureHow you know when a project is failingThe Valley of DeathThe Completion GapDeveloping a methodology of assessment No Fondness for Fuzzy. The tension between idea generation and executionThe value of a fuzzy front endMinimizing risks and making change easyUnderstanding the project life cycleThe 6 basic questions of project management How Obama could have done better on the healthcare reform projectManaging risk and contingenciesRule of Thumb: The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. Dramatic Question: What does done look like? Critical Success Factor: Dont build the doghouse until you see what the puppy looks like. Puppy Love. The definition of a pet projectThe tell-tale signsHow pet projects become sacred cows and then white elephantsThe story of the King of  ThailandGilded Age projectsbeautiful but uselessThe meaning of mudaThe seven wastes Missing MV2. Where are the mission, vision, and values (MV2) of the organization?...Is the project aligned?...How elastic is the project?...Exceptions: externally mandated initiativesCritical Success Factor: aligning with strategyNo strays No Big Cheese. No executive sponsor: a guarantee of failureWhat the executive sponsor doesHow sponsorship failsMaking it their pet projectJob descriptions for executive sponsorsThe importance of experienceThe sponsors responsibilities at each stage of the project life cycleRecovering from a near-death experienceThe value of leadership visibilityThe Wall Walk (and how to avoid the Wall of Shame) Newtons First Law. A body in motion stays in motion...A body at rest stays at restThe consequences of organizational inertiaProjects depend on momentumKick-off dayDeciding who must participateThe importance of collaboration Silent Chorus. Listening to the marketplacethe Disney trash lessonWho is the customer?...CrowdsourcingWhere is the knowledge that will affect the project?... Which stakeholders does the project serve?...The importance of listening firstFitness for use: seeing the project from the users viewpointSynchronizing and aligning the relevant stakeholders No DNR Order. On the death and dying of projectsNo one wants to say the baby is uglyThe danger of the Zombie Project And the Hotel California Project (you can get in but you cant get out)Ben s Flavor GraveyardThe Zombie BrandProject termination ? project failureDramatic Question: Who is responsible for decommissioning a project?...Making project termination healthy and cost effective Gives Us the Creeps. Scope creep, budget creep, hope creepThe lessons of the Big DigAvoiding vague or incomplete requirementsThe difference between planning failure and actual failureThe seeds of planning failureDownstream scope creep and how to minimize itUsing CoBIT Not Ready for Prime Time Players. The people factor: lack of skills, training, time, incentives, and experienceHuman capital issuesNot my jobThe invisible time of projectsCreating vision and passionSoft skills and hard skillsHealthy tension: the story of Walt and Roy DisneyHow people are assigned to projectsThe importance of managing peoplePeople vs. processes E-Z Pass at the Toll. The need for gate datesThe role of a Review BoardAvoiding spray and prayTollgates, milestones, peer review, and auditEvidence-based project management No CSI. Investigating when a project diesApplying the Lessons Learned Institutionalizing the learningThe Armys After Action ReviewDetermining permanent corrective actionsWhy projects fail repeatedlyThe use of a premortem Conclusion: Getting from Here to There: making the transition from project to process