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Every medical practice and every hospital will at some point decide to incorporate a new technology, a new procedure, or a new building; hire a new doctor; or embark on literally hundreds of other projects that require going outside of the box and outside of the usual routine in order to bring the project to fruition. This article discusses project management for implementing a new brand into a medical practice or a hospital, and how to prepare a time schedule and a cost analysis to see that the project is completed on time and within budget.
KEY WORDS: Project management; scheduling time and costs; cost analysis; project delays; budget preparation; work breakdown structure; WBS.
Creating a timeline and a budget is an important step in implementing changes in the practice. Estimating the cost and time required from initiation to completion is a daunting challenge for any medical practice or hospital. Implementing a new project requires leaving the comfort zone of the routine in order to produce a unique product, service, or result. A project is temporary: it has a defined time to begin and end, and a projected cost. Both of these issues-time and costs-have to be estimated with a degree of accuracy in order to accomplish a singular goal.
When projects are delayed or over budget, the problems often are a result of faulty estimates for the work involved and the related costs at the beginning of the effort.1 Therefore, it is vital to gather accurate information from the outset and prepare estimates that will make the project successful, arriving at the destination on time and within the estimated budget.
Beginners to the concept of project management often are inaccurate. The time needed for completion often is underestimated because none of the contingencies that can delay the project are taken into account, and the cost of the project often is underestimated, resulting in cost creep or going over the budget.
Time delays and cost overruns also affect the morale of the team and result in finger-pointing and playing the blame game, as no one is taking ownership or responsibility for the delays or added expenses.
ORGANIZING A TEAM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROJECT
A successful project such as developing a brand for the practice...