Project Management 41577 Essay Example

and existing health care system. This knowledge will help in comprehending the problem, techniques, and methods used in project management.

The Infrastructure of King Faisal Hospital:

The King Faisal Hospital was completed in 1991. Initially, it served as a polyclinic and later transformed into a general hospital due to a shortage of Medical Specialists. During the Genocide and war of 1994, it functioned as a refugee camp and medical center for thousands of displaced persons.

Netcare South Africa and the Government of Rwanda collaborated to make specialist services available in 1998. Since then, KFH has been providing exceptional general medical care. Our objective at KFSH is to provide affordable and sustainable high-quality healthcare in collaboration with our clients, while empowering our workforce and promoting a professional environment that consistently respects patients' rights and preserves human dignity.

As part of our efforts to improve health services in Rwanda, we are collaborating with research and education partners. King Faisal Hospital in Kigali has undergone significant growth and transformation. In the past two years, patient admissions have increased by 60%, followed by an additional 40% increase in 2005. We recently obtained a new non-profit corporate charter and established a new Board of Directors for the hospital. Financial support has also been provided by the Government of Rwanda and the Saudi Development Fund, totaling over US$6 million. This funding was allocated for building renovations and equipment upgrades within a one-year period starting from March 2005.

The Council on Health Service Accreditation for Southern Africa seeks our involvement in a Quality Improvement initiative aimed at attaining and maintaining accreditation. We are the sole private healthcare provider in Rwanda offering services

of international caliber. Our objective is to become a leading hub for exemplary healthcare provision and clinical education in Africa. We established our commitment to delivering superior general medical care back in 1998. Prior to that, we lacked effective project management methods to achieve our aspirations.

At the end of 2001, we encountered various challenges that prevented us from delivering satisfactory services to our clients. This led to concerns of incorrect treatments and client dissatisfaction. To address these issues, the management decided to prioritize providing high-quality healthcare services through our customer care unit. As a part of this initiative, we considered implementing problem identification processes and selecting suitable models using project management techniques.

Identified Problems

After analyzing the background, we can determine the major problems that King Faisal Research Hospital faced in the customer care field. These problems include:

• Lack of high or quality service from hospitals and physicians.
• Increased operating costs.
• High patient expectations.
• Neglecting the cultural aspects that previously aided in providing excellent customer care.
• External pressures such as changing political conditions and new governmental regulations.
• Intense competition between national and international healthcare providers.
• The need for a patient satisfaction program.
• Employee education and training in key sectors of the hospital.
• High employee turnover rate.

A newly created Corporate Project Administration Group 9 (CPAG) is responsible for overseeing the system. CPAG assists senior management in translating strategic goals and objectives into project management performance, budget, and schedule targets for customer care or health service systems. This may involve activities like new product development, upgrading information systems, or implementing facility automation systems. CPAG collaborates with

project teams to develop plans, monitor activities, and provide reports that align with the strategic intentions.The King Faisal Specialist Hospital incorporated various project management techniques into their organization.

The group of working people engaged in the health service system project followed certain techniques. One of these techniques was the Project Selection Model, which aimed to aid decision-making in project selection. In this model, the hospital authority considered several aspects when selecting the project management model. These aspects included the method of implementing the project model, cost of power requirements, safety of the decided system, number of potential users, impact on current or existing system, ability to control quality information, client acceptance, cost of new system, impact on company cash flow, cost of training the employees, level of financial risk, training requirements, impact on working conditions, and cost of upgrading the system to keep pace with new technology. We utilized this technique while selecting plans and alternatives for developing our customer care or health service system project.

Another technique we employed was the Numeric Model. This model allowed us to make predictions regarding costs, profits, and other relevant matters through mathematical or numerical presentation. It included financial models such as the payback period, which measures the time taken to gain a financial return equal to the original investment.

Essentially, we utilize this technique to gain insight into our financial or accounting section. Scoring models, also referred to as factor models, are another approach.

It simply lists a

number of desirable factors on a project selection pro-forma along with columns for selected and not selected. We used this technique to weight the alternatives and to have an idea of the factors which should be selected for developing the project and which should not be.

Assumptions

Before we implemented project management tools, we considered some assumptions by which we selected a project management model of customer care or health service system of our hospital:

Realism

We gave emphasize on reflecting the reality of the managers decision situation, including the multiple objectives of both the firm and its managers. Without a common measurement system, direct comparison of different projects is impossible. The model should take into account the realities of the firm’s limitations on facilities, capital, personnel etc.

But in certain situations, the techniques had limited application due to the firm's limitations on facilities, capital, personnel, project risks, technical risks, cost, and time, as well as market risks such as client rejection and other implementation risks.

Capability

We took into account the model's sophistication in handling multiple time periods, internal and external situations, strikes, income, etc. However, if significant risks and constraints on the projects are not properly considered, it becomes impossible for any organization to choose the best overall project or set of projects. Therefore, we had to consider all these factors in order to achieve optimal results in the field of health service system within our hospital. Unfortunately, there were some cases where specific elements were lacking, such as knowledge about internal and external factors or situations.

Flexibility

Our focus was on ensuring that the model could easily be modified or

adapt to changes in the firm's environment. However, due to lack of knowledge among our team members, they overlooked this factor while planning and selecting models. As a result, the technique had limited application.

Ease of Use

We aimed to design a model that was convenient, time-efficient, and easy to use and understand. The model did not require complex interpretation, hard-to-acquire data, excessive personnel, or unavailable equipment.

Despite some internal and confidential reasons, the application of the project was not always convenient for working people, which hindered progress to some extent.

Cost

The costs for data gathering and modeling were relatively low compared to the overall project cost, and also lower than the potential benefits expected from the project. However, it is important to consider all costs, including data management and running the model, in order to ensure a successful technique. Organizations that prioritize cost management are particularly attentive to this area. Unfortunately, this concept was not well understood by our team members, especially those who had limited background knowledge in commerce.

They lacked knowledge on the importance of considering all costs when choosing models. So, we had to provide training for them to learn how to calculate costs for any model or project. This was a costly endeavor for our organization.

Easy Computerization

Nowadays, it is unthinkable for any large organization to function without computers. In certain cases, some people even consider computers more important than employees. However, it is crucial that gathering and storing information in a computer database, as well as manipulating data, is made simple and convenient by utilizing widely available and standard computer software

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In line with other expenses, we needed to take this cost into account. However, in certain situations, the cost of purchasing computers and installing software packages seemed excessive and burdensome. Additionally, relying on computers for work made employees dependent and more inclined to be lazy since the computer could complete tasks more quickly. Methods employed in project management include networking. Various techniques exist for project management, but the most prevalent approach to scheduling projects involves the use of network techniques.

The project is defined by the combination of activities and events. Activities are represented as arcs and events are represented as nodes at the beginning and end of each arc. The project network is drawn from left to right. In order for an event to be realized, all activities that come before it must be completed. These activities are known as its predecessors.

Thus, an event represents the completion of all preceding activities. These events are points on the network that depict system conditions.

• Work Breakdown System

The hierarchical approach to project planning is most suitable for this and can be facilitated by a tree diagram called a work breakdown structure (WBS). This WBS illustrates the relationship between subtasks and their tasks and serves as the foundation for the project's budget, schedule, personnel, and control.

There are two ways to present the WBS: visually using boxes or utilizing the Critical Path Method (CPM) which identifies the sequence of interconnected activities or events between any two points in the network. "Critical" refers to activities, events, or paths that if delayed will postpone the project's completion.

The critical path of a project is the sequence of necessary activities and events that

connect the project's initial event to its final event 17. It is crucial to identify the activities that make up the project and determine their predecessors and/or successors in order to convert a project plan into a network.

• Risk Management

Risk management, as a method of project management, concentrates on managing uncertainty by acknowledging risk as the primary factor in planning or problem-solving.

Maximizing positive events and minimizing adverse events is a fundamental aspect of project management. However, in reality, most decisions are made with incomplete information and an inherent level of uncertainty regarding outcomes. This uncertainty introduces risk into the equation, making risk management an integral part of project management.

The choice of method/methods

In light of these circumstances, our organization has opted for the networking method and work breakdown structure as the project management approach for our customer care or health service system unit. These methods have been selected because they encompass all the necessary elements and techniques required in the field of project management.

The work breakdown structure creates a structured breakdown of the project's scope into manageable work packages. These work packages can then be further developed into a list of activities. The next step is to establish a logical relationship between these activities by using a network diagram, which is a graphical representation of the project's planned sequence of work. The subtasks of the project have interrelations and interdependencies, which are also beneficial for the work process. Therefore, the work breakdown structure and networking methods are interconnected.

The primary goal of our project was to provide excellent service to customers, clients, or patients. To achieve this, we utilized project management techniques, methods, and assumptions. The

two main approaches we adopted were work breakdown and network systems. These interconnected strategies enabled us to work efficiently and effectively and ultimately achieve our objective.

Findings

Despite the effective utilization of techniques, assumptions, and other necessary components, we regret to report several inconsistencies that were encountered during and after our work. These include: Delay in project completion: As we were finalizing the development of the customer care or health service system standard, it became apparent that the project would not be completed by the designated deadline. We estimated that an additional ten days would be required, but regrettably, the project was ultimately finished ten days later.

After investigating the late completion, we identified several reasons:

• Lack of sufficient employees
• Inadequate capital
• Delayed delivery of advanced technology or machinery

Furthermore, our incurred cost ended up being higher than anticipated, but we were unable to reassess the cost analysis in time. As a result, we had to proceed with the project. Nevertheless, once the work was completed, we made an effort to determine the causes behind this mismanagement.

Our hospital organized a training program to improve the effectiveness of existing employees regarding costing concerns. However, we encountered some problems after recruiting untrained employees. These problems arose due to the lack of a major concluding step in the termination process, known as an audit. An audit involves a thorough examination of the project management and includes the following areas: the project itself, technical specialty areas, the customer, senior management, and the personnel department. Despite these challenges, the project can be considered mostly successful. This success can be attributed to selecting

appropriate techniques based on the situation, realistic assumptions, and methods that are suitable for the project's timeframe and circumstances.

In addition to these factors, the cooperation of the working people, hospital authority, and clients also directly and indirectly contributed to achieving our goal. Although we experienced some failures in this project, such as late completion, exceeding costs, and issues with specific indentation, we were not discouraged. We believe that these failures will ultimately lead us towards perfection.

We will focus more on these matters in future projects to prevent any further failures.

References

1. Burke R. Project Management Planning and Control Techniques, 4th Edition, Wiley Students Edition, 2004.
2. Jack R. Meredith ; Samuel J. Mantel, JR. Project Management A Managerial Approach, 3rd Edition, John Wiley ; Sons, Inc. 1995.
3. Jack R. Meredith ; Samuel J. Mantel, JR. Project Management A Managerial Approach
4. 3rd Edition, John Wiley ; Sons, Inc. 1995
5. Stephen P.

The book "Robbins; Coulter M. Management, 8th Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005" and the website "King Faisal Hospital-Rwanda webs: http://www.kfh.rw/" are mentioned within the given .