Change Management

Discussion : Change Management

Change often involves moving outside one’s comfort zone. The greater the change, the more discomfort it is likely to cause. The substantial changes associated with implementing major health care information technology projects can be disconcerting for individuals within health care organizations. People become comfortable with following a routine process and knowing their job expectations. For some, changes to routine may cause anxiety. Project managers must be able to apply change management methods that enable stakeholders to recognize and accept the benefits of a change. Project managers have a variety of methods at their disposal to mitigate uneasiness resulting from change, including conflict resolution, communication strategies, or team-building. With new health care technologies emerging at an increasingly rapid rate, proficiency in applying change management methods is critical.

In this Discussion, you analyze different methods that project managers employ to facilitate change.

To prepare:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources on managing teams and change.
• Explore the methods project managers use to expedite change in Chapter 5 of the course text Project Management for Healthcare Information Technology.
• Consider how project managers use conflict resolution, communication, and team-building to facilitate change brought about by new projects.
• Think about a personal experience in which change was handled ineffectively. What could have been done differently?

Post by tomorrow 09/06/2016, a 550 words essay in APA format with a minimum of 3 references from the list provided under required readings. Apply the level 1 headings as numbered below:

1)A description of a personal experience in the healthcare setting (hospital, nursing unit, homecare, or doctor’s office… etc), in which change was ineffectively managed.

2) Explain which management methods could have been applied to more successfully to facilitate the change.

Required Readings

Biafore, B. (2010). Microsoft Project 2010: The missing manual. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly.

• Chapter 2, “Planning a Project” (pp. 39–57)

 This chapter supplies a brief introduction on project planning. The chapter describes the contents of a project plan along with the process of creating relevant documents.

Coplan, S., & Masuda, D. (2011). Project management for healthcare information technology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

• Chapter 5, “Change Management” (pp. 193–237)

In this chapter, the authors review change management knowledge areas. The authors describe a variety of analysis methods applicable to change management processes and outputs.

Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (5th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Author.

• Chapter 3, “Project Management Processes” (pp. 47–61)

 This chapter supplies information on managing a project that uses networked processes. The chapter describes project management processes related to each phase of a project.

Campbell, R. J. (2008). Change management in health care. The Health Care Manager, 27(1), 23–39. 

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

 In this article, the author highlights the work of two leaders in the field of change management. The author demonstrates how the work of these leaders can be applied to health care organizations.

Merrell, P. (2012). Effective change management: The simple truth. Management Services, 56(2), 20–23. 

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

In this article, the author provides six steps for effective change management. The author also supplies supplementary information on the importance of learning activities, measuring success, and managing change management strategies.

Schifalacqua, M., Costello, C., & Denman, W. (2009). Roadmap for planned change, part 1: Change leadership and project management. Nurse Leader, 7(2), 26–29. 

Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

 In this article, the authors explore the essential elements of change theory and project management. The article details many tools and concepts that assist in managing and planning change at various scales.

Microsoft Corporation. (2012). Getting started: Introduction to project management. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/getting-started-introduction-to-project-management-HA010359477.aspx?CTT=3

 Review this web page, which provides an overview of basic project management concepts. It also provides links to other pages which demonstrate how to apply the aforementioned concepts in Microsoft Project 2010.

Document: Individual Project Overview (PDF)

This document provides an overview of the Individual Project you will work on throughout this course.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013a). Establishing a team [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

 Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 8 minutes.

 In this video, Dr. Mimi Hassett discusses important considerations when assembling a project team, such as who to include and whom to consult. She talks about how project size, goals, and timelines can impact those decisions, and she also offers examples of how to keep enthusiasm for a project moving forward as the challenges toward completion arise.