NHS Healthcare Equipment Upgrade Project: A Comprehensive Plan

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments. This project plan guides NHS on implementing new medical equipment.

Project Plan

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction................................................................................................................................1
Task 1.........................................................................................................................................2
Type of the project.................................................................................................................2
Drivers of the project..............................................................................................................2
Importance of the project.......................................................................................................3
Choice of the project life cycle...............................................................................................3
Suitable methodologies..........................................................................................................4
Outline timeline......................................................................................................................5
Budget....................................................................................................................................6
Task 2.........................................................................................................................................7
Risk assessment......................................................................................................................7
Procurement of the equipment...........................................................................................7
Maintenance.......................................................................................................................8
Training..............................................................................................................................8
Recommendations..................................................................................................................9
Selection of contract...........................................................................................................9
Selection of training...........................................................................................................9
Task 3.......................................................................................................................................11
Member of the project team.................................................................................................11
The board of the director..................................................................................................11
Project manager................................................................................................................11
Healthcare professional and staff.....................................................................................11
Supplier............................................................................................................................11
Patients or dummy............................................................................................................12
Investor.............................................................................................................................12

Structure and management of the team................................................................................12
Conclusion................................................................................................................................14
References................................................................................................................................15

Introduction
The healthcare organisations need to update their equipment to achieve high quality and
performance during the services. National Health Service is the largest healthcare
organisation in the United Kingdom. During the project, it is assumed that the organisation is
planning to introduce new equipment in healthcare practices. However, the supplier of the
equipment is not from the regular suppliers and so that there is a need for the effective
analysis of the services and supports along with the usability of the product. The organisation
wants to understand the usability of the project with basics on the project planning and
management. The presented report will discuss the type of the project and drivers behind the
project execution and selection. Also, the choice of the project life cycle and methodology
will be justified for the organisation. The report will come up with the timeline and budget
planning for the organisation to complete the project effectively. Also, risk assessment and
the team of the project will be discussed for their support and contribution to align the project
to the defined goals.
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Task 1
Type of the project
A project is a systematic execution of the goals and objectives within the constraints to
achieving the expected outcomes. However, the project can be classified according to several
criteria. For example, a project might be easy or complicated according to the complexity of
the project work whereas it also might be private, public or mixed according to the ownership
rules and source of the capital (Turner, 2014). On the content of the project, the project can
be classified in the construction, business, and information technology and service and
product production.
The presented project has the main goal to introduce the new equipment to the National
Health Service. However, the equipment is not from the listed suppliers in the organisation so
that the project has no funding and supports from the organisation. Therefore, the presented
project is of business type project in which the employees of the healthcare will be trained to
make use of the new equipment to support the patients to go in and out on beds (Burke,
2013). The project is also privately funded which is either from the business or the individual.
However, the project has a clear goal and objectives with the availability of the supports for
execution so that it is easy and effective.
Drivers of the project
The innovations in the medical equipment are simplifying the business practices to deliver
more reliable and effective services to the patients. The driver behind the project is to
determine the new equipment and their effectiveness to reduce the complexities in the
healthcare to support the patients for shipping from one bed to another bed or location.
Therefore, the difficulties for the patient shipping are the main driver of the project to explore
the new equipment (Heagney, 2016).
Also, the equipment is from the outside of the regular supplier list which shows that the
project is initiated because the organisation wants to explore the new tools and techniques
from other suppliers also to update the technology.
Besides to it, the healthcare’s strategies to support the innovation and allows the creativity in
the standard practices is the motivation for the project. Without the support of the
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management and professionals, the project cannot be executed, or new products cannot be
introduced.
Importance of the project
The successful implementation of the equipment in the healthcare practices can reduce the
complexities for the patients. The healthcare staff also can reduce the difficulties to move the
patients from and to their beds. The project has importance for the patients those cannot
move from their beds, but the healthcare practices need them to move for operations or
another purpose. Also, it adds quality and value to the organisation to serve patients for a
better experience (Harrison and Lock, 2017). For employees, the training and development
process is required so that they can effectively learn how to use the equipment to serve the
patients. It helps them to acquire the skills and capabilities to optimise the use of the
equipment.
Choice of the project life cycle
The project life cycle has mainly four components: initialisation where the project is started,
planning where resources are planned and prepared, execution where the activities are
executed for the defined goals and objectives and closure when quality is assured, and the
project is closed.
In the current project type where the business is going to adopt the new equipment in the
routine operations, there is a need for the several tools and techniques to achieve the
outcomes. For example, the current project has the following major stages in lifecycle:
Initialisation: During the stage, the project is required to initialise in the healthcare. For that,
the healthcare management and directors can be consulted for the permissions and approval
as the project has use of the non-familiar supplier for the equipment (Labuschagne and Brent,
2005). Once the approvals are collected, the project can be initiated with the communication
to the supplier.
Planning: The cost and time are two major factors for the project. Planning stage has a main
focus on the distribution of the tasks, roles and responsibilities and costs among the resources
whereas capabilities are analysed effectively. First, the strengths and constraints associated
with the project are determined, and later the required resources are arranged. Second, the
nursing staff, as well as professionals, can be communicated for their expectations and
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demands to align the project and training to the standards. Third, the critical resources and
assets required for the project execution and monitoring must be collected and managed. The
planning to use and share the cost, time and assets is required to achieve performance and
quality (Westland, 2006).
Execution: It is initiated when the project planning is complete for activities and capacity
utilisation. During the execution, the equipment is placed in the training room whereas at a
time only two staff members can be trained. Also, each session can be last for half day.
Therefore, the execution has focused on the quality of the training and introduction to the
equipment to the staff. The cost and time for the twenty staff are pre-planned, and the project
must adhere to that timeline and budget goals to achieve profitability.
Project closure: Once the project is completed with training and contract with the supplier
then it can be closed. The closing of the project might include activities such as handover of
the critical equipment and resources, contracting for the maintenance and support for the
activities (Burke, 2013). The closure also includes the feedback and satisfaction of the staff
with the training and introduction to the equipment to optimise their performance.
Suitable methodologies
There are mainly four components in which the project methodology can be classified. For
example, the theme-based methodology has a predefined set of activities to control the
resources required to complete the project. For instance, lean and prince2 are some of the
theme based methodologies for the project as they have specified set of the activities to create
the theme for execution. Also, principles-based project methodology such as prince2 and
agile has principles to control the resource and outcome. For example, both have effective
integration of the stakeholders to ensure high quality and performance whereas changes are
also easy to integrate (White and Fortune, 2002). The processes-based methodology has use
of the processes to create the activities. For example, waterfall and scrum methods are such
methodologies. However, there is also some of the standards-based methodologies such as
PMBOK and XP.
The project is recommended to use the Scrum methodology as it is somehow like the
waterfall model so that it is easy. Also, it is effective as the project has most of the
requirements clear and there is no scope for the changes. It provides an iterative approach to
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train the employees as a lack of training with equipment can allow further to participate in
quality learning (Fleming and Koppelman, 2016).
Outline timeline
Activities/week 29 Dec-5 Jan 6 Jan-12 Jan 13 Jan-19 Jan 20 Jan-26 Jan 27 Jan- 31 Jan
Definition
Conceptualizatio
n
Proposal and
contract
Approval
Initialization
Business case
Feasibility study
Planning
Scope
Definition
Tasks
Schedules
Cost
Quality
Stakeholder
analysis
Communication
Risk
Procurement
Training
Trainer analysis
Task distribution
Notice circulation
Defining time
and assets
Organising
training
Managing cost
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and time
Monitoring and
control
Reporting
Quality
Risk
Performance
Closure
Budget
Factor Estimated budget
Equipment £100,000
Maintenance contract £7,000
Annual service charge £500
Per calling charge x calls £100x 7= £700
Training cost for 20 people £500 x 20= £10,000
Total £118,200
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Task 2
Risk assessment
The project might contain several risks those can result in the form of the failures or delay in
the execution. It also can impact the quality and performance of the project for the intended
objectives. The risk assessment process has mainly three goals and objectives. First is to
identify the risk factors that can cause the harm. Second is to analyse and evaluate the risk
and causes associated with risk factors (Edwards and Bowen, 2013). Third and the last
approach is to resolve the risk or mitigate its impacts on the related resources.
For the project, the risk assessment process is significant as it creates awareness of the risks
and hazards. It also defines the potential targets of the risk those might be project-process,
outcome, or resources. The need for the control program can be identified through the use of
the risk assessment process. The significance of the existing measures and approaches can be
evaluated with the risk assessment to ensure the better and stronger security against the risks.
If there is a need for the legal approaches and attempts, then also risk assessment can help to
ensure the timely solution to the problems (Heldman, 2010). The process can prioritise the
risks and their impacts to achieve the effective controls. For the project, following are some
of the major risks those are identified and categorise in the risk assessment process to reduce
their impacts.
Procurement of the equipment
The project has the main risk to procure the equipment. The project has need of the
equipment from the non-regular supplier so that there is a risk of the availability and security.
The unavailability of the equipment might impact the project for the performance and quality
as the equipment for the training and development are the core for the project execution.
Also, the procurement of the equipment through the stakeholders might impact the
functionality and features of the equipment.
The procurement of the equipment can lead the risk of the project failure if the equipment is
not available to the organisation within time and cost. Also, the security and safety guidelines
of the equipment are also required to communicate to others else the procurement can lead
the misuse and harm to the equipment. The training session to the stakeholders needs to
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manage the accurate and quality equipment so that each session can learn and develop the
skills (Haimes, 2015).
Therefore, the risk of the procurement can be identified through the distribution of the trainee
peoples among the sessions, allocation of the equipment to them and monitoring of the
training provider. Once the potential sources and impacts on them are identified, then the risk
can be mitigated with the help of the more availability of the equipment to the resources and
timely delivery in the training session to assure smooth execution.
Maintenance
The cost and time of the maintenance are the fundamental areas of the risks because the
delayed support from the suppliers for the maintenance can delay the training sessions and
reduce the effectiveness of the planning whereas the lack of the cost for the maintenance or
contracting can reduce the usability of the equipment. Therefore, the risk of the project is to
maintain the quality and function of the equipment and training also (Heldman, 2010). For
that, training providers need to be available in the training sessions with required documents
on the knowledge and expectations of the learners.
The risk of maintenance support and cost can be identified through the proper analysis of the
equipment before the training session starts. Also, prior communication can be processed to
ensure that the supporting team is available within twenty-four hours. A cost-effective
contracting can be used to manage the risk of the maintenance.
Training
The major risks during the training are- unavailability of the training provider, unavailability
of the learners, lack of the equipment and constraint of the cost and time for each participant.
The project has the additional cost of the £500 on each participant so that the delayed training
can reduce the usability of the cost whereas the poor learning of the participants can impact
the project for the cost factor (Kendrick, 2015).
Therefore, the risk has the main impact on the usability of the training within the project. The
seminar and other activities also might be impacted for the effectiveness. The risk can be
solved through the use of proper communication and support. Also, the healthcare can
consider the motivation and reward for the training attendees.
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Recommendations
There are mainly two types of contracts for the parties: expressive and written. The
expressive contracts are based on the expressions and used when the mutual understanding is
effective to share the benefits and achieve the goals. At another side, the written contracts are
common in business as it can empower the organisations to protect themselves from the
frauds and denies the services. It bounds the organisations for the availability of the
contracted services or supports.
Therefore, the organisation can consider the following recommendations to select the type of
contracts and maintenance and training method.
Selection of contract
The project contract has several terms. For example, there is a fix the cost of the equipment
as £100,000 whereas there is also maintenance charges for a year. The contract can be
negotiated for the smaller values as the supplier also needs support from the healthcare to
achieve the market and competitive growth. The negotiated cost can be used to finalise the
contract. The organisation is recommended to use the Lump Sum or fixed price contract
where the organisation has to pay £7,000 for the contracting. Also, the cost of maintenance
and repairing per part is also included within it. The contract is useful when the organisation
assume that there is a high need of the repairing in the equipment for a year or the equipment
is an integral part of the operations. The contract is recommended when the organisation has
a high dependency on the availability of the equipment for the services to the patients.
The organisation also can use the cost-plus contract in which the organisation can pay the
amount of £500 for each repairing with charges to call the maintenance providers for £100.
The contract is effective when the organisation has less number of the repairing for the year,
and there is no need for the instant availability of the equipment to continue the operations
(Burke, 2013). The contract is recommended because the organisation can use the traditional
equipment and approaches to serve the patients while the actual equipment is not available in
good conditions.
Selection of training
It is recommended that the organisation can use the several types of training methods to save
the cost and ensure effective learning. For example, the webinar and online presentation can
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