Published by JMB Project Management Co. LLC
An electronic health record implementation changes more than the location of information. It can alter how staff document care, find results, hand over work and resolve incomplete records.
Project planning needs to account for those workflows alongside configuration and technical delivery. Clinical, information governance and technical decisions should remain with the appropriately authorized specialists.
Understand the current workflow
Work with representative staff to document how tasks happen today. Include handoffs between teams and the exceptions that may be absent from formal procedures.
Identify where the proposed system will change those steps. A process that works in a demonstration may need further design when applied across shifts, locations or different user roles.
The US HealthIT guidance on workflow redesign for EHRs provides a useful external planning reference. It should be used in the context of the organization’s own clinical governance and applicable local requirements.
Plan participation around service delivery
Staff input is needed for design, testing and training. Agree how that time will be made available while services continue. Naming a clinical representative does not resolve the capacity needed for the work.
Make clear which decisions participants can make and which require escalation. Keep a record of unresolved workflow questions and their effect on configuration or readiness.
Test realistic scenarios
Use approved scenarios that reflect the intended workflows, roles and interfaces. Track issues through review, resolution and retesting. The project team should know which outstanding items affect the planned transition.
Training should follow the agreed operating processes and user responsibilities. Attendance is useful to record, but teams also need a way to identify where further support is required.
Prepare the transition and support model
Agree how users will obtain help, how issues will be prioritized and who will make decisions during the initial operating period. Plan the transition with operational leaders and the specialists responsible for continuity and clinical safety.
JMB supports health and life sciences project management, helping organizations coordinate delivery, stakeholder involvement and readiness across complex programs.