MIS 2 Assignment 4: Expedite the implementation of the IS Plan

{ Posted on 1:40 PM by Ariel Serenado }
You were invited by the university president to prepare an IS plan for the university, discuss what are the steps in order to expedite the implementation of the IS Plan.

The purpose of System Implementation can be summarized as follows: making the new system available to a prepared set of users (the deployment), and positioning on-going support and maintenance of the system within the Performing Organization (the transition). At a finer level of detail, deploying the system consists of executing all steps necessary to educate the Consumers on the use of the new system, placing the newly developed system into production, confirming that all data required at the start of operations is available and accurate, and validating that business functions that interact with the system are functioning properly. Transitioning the system support responsibilities involves changing from a system development to ma system support and maintenance mode of operation, with ownership of the new system moving from the Project Team to the Performing Organization. A key difference between System Implementation and all other phases of the lifecycle is that all project activities up to this point have been performed in safe, protected, and secure environments, where project issues that arise have little or no impact on day-to-day business operations. Once the system goes live, however, this is no longer the case. Any miscues at this point will almost certainly translate into direct operational and/or financial impacts on the Performing Organization. It is through the careful planning, execution, and management of System Implementation activities that the Project Team can minimize the likelihood of these occurrences, and determine appropriate contingency plans in the event of a problem

In an Information System implementation, the following are its phases:

Prepare for System Implementation, where all steps needed in advance of actually deploying the application are performed, including preparation of both the production environment and the Consumer communities.

Deploy System, where the full deployment plan, initially developed during System Design and evolved throughout subsequent lifecycle phases, is executed and validated.

Transition to Performing Organization, where responsibility for and ownership of the application are transitioned from the Project Team to the unit in the Performing Organization that will provide system support and maintenance.

The purpose of Prepare for System Implementation is to take all possible steps to ensure that the upcoming system deployment and transition occurs smoothly, efficiently, and flawlessly.

In the implementation of any new system, it is necessary to ensure that the Consumer community is best positioned to utilize the system once deployment efforts have been validated. Therefore, all necessary training activities must be scheduled and coordinated. As this training is often the first exposure to the system for many individuals, it should be conducted as professionally and competently as possible. A positive training experience is a great first step towards Customer acceptance of the system. During System Implementation it is essential that everyone involved be absolutely synchronized with the deployment plan and with each other. Often the performance of deployment efforts impacts many of the Performing Organization’s normal business operations. Examples of these impacts include: Consumers may experience a period of time in which the systems that they depend on to perform their jobs are temporarily unavailable to them. They may be asked to maintain detailed manual records or logs of business functions that they perform to be entered into the new system once it is operational. Technical Services personnel may be required to assume significant implementation responsibilities while at the same time having to continue current levels of service on other critical business systems. Technical Support personnel may experience unusually high volumes of support requests due to the possible Because of these and other impacts, the communication of planned deployment activities to all parties involved in the project is critical. A smooth deployment requires strong leadership, planning, and communications. By this point in the project lifecycle, the team will have spent countless hours devising and refining the steps to be followed. During this preparation process the Project Manager must verify must be met prior to initiating deployment activities have been met, and that the final ‘green light’ is on for the team to proceed.

Deploying the system is the culmination of all prior efforts – where all of the meetings, planning sessions, deliverable reviews, prototypes, development, and testing pay off in the delivery of the final system. It is also the point in the project that often requires the most coordination, due to the breadth and variety of activities that must be performed. Depending upon the complexity of the system being implemented, it may impact technical, operational, and cultural aspects of the organization. A representative sample of high-level activities might include the installation of new hardware, increased network capabilities, deployment and configuration of the new system software, a training and awareness campaign, activation of new job titles and responsibilities, and a completely new operational support structure aimed at providing Consumer-oriented assistance during the hours that the new system is available for use (to name a few). Whatever the realm of activities related to the new system, their impacts should be addressed in the Organizational Change Management Plan, while specific deployment activities should all be encompassed in the Project Implementation and Transition Plan, (both created during the Project Planning phase of the Project Management Lifecycle.) In the Information System implementation, these are the following services:

• Project Management & Project Facilitation are both key areas of our service delivery. Maximizing project resources, we assist the client in meeting critical project timelines and keeping initiatives on the fast track.
• Content Design & Development to include establishment of initial data standards (clinical including PNDS, financial, and materials) for your perioperative system and other integrated applications. We make sure your database is clinically responsive to the services offered at your institution.
• Solution Design Documentation to include design rationale and critical design and content decisions related to organizational, JCAHO, AORN, and software application requirements.
• Preference Card Development including optimal build structure and establishment of shared application data decisions to support SPD & OR Supply Chain initiatives.
• Report Writing to optimize your system output and meet the analysis needs across your health network.
• System Testing required for new system implementations, upgrades or enhancements.
• System Training to provide your project team & staff with the on-going knowledge and understanding necessary to succeed from pre-implementation through go-live. We believe that the quality of training your users receive directly correlates to the level of success you are able to achieve with your information system. J2 can provide system training tailored for all users. During implementation, training services are coordinated with the vendor's training program and augment in-house training resources.
• Interface Planning work starts with appropriate client and vendor resources to ensure accurate development from specification review, requirement identification, testing, and implementation.

Going back to the question, what is meant by the term Expedite?

Expedite is to accelerate or speed up something. Having constructed an IS Plan should entail the details on how it is to be implemented in effective and efficient ways.

Is there are need to expedite Information System Implementation?

I think that there is that great demand to expedite the Information Implementation, especially that technology is fast changing, and there is that high possibility that if the process will not be expedited the development will overrun.

To expedite the implementation, these are some involved processes:

Coordination with the personnel involve

The workforces/people ware itself are the main element in carrying out the IS plan. They are the brain and core of the system. Without which, the plan would not be put into action. This entails people management with their particular function and responsibility.

Assigning of responsibilities

Distribution and allocating of task should be thoroughly thought out. Constructing a timetable or outline of what-must-be-done is very crucial for it will be the basis for monitoring means of how the plan is going. Top management has ultimate responsibility for the organization and the overall effectiveness of risk control related programs. It initiates them, sets their goals, specifies procedures, allocates resources, and provides competent managers. Top management must create a culture that is supportive of risk control, and encourage all personnel to actively participate and contribute to the program’s success. It must also oversee program effectiveness and enforce discipline for non-conformance to agreed-upon standards and objectives. When top management cannot achieve these ends on its own, it must provide for those who can. Top management’s responsibility in these cases is not transferred to those it designates. It is shared.

“Delegating” is a perfectly good word, but in many management circles, it has acquired some negative baggage. It implies a handing down or passing off of something; that the something delegated is beneath or not important enough for the individual doing the delegating. “Assigning responsibility”, on the other hand, implies an active, positive process; one where care is taken to select and groom the right person, and insure that he or she has the proper resources, support, and authority to do the job properly.

Basic Guidelines for Assigning Responsibility

• Focus on Performance. - Assign responsibility so that managers, supervisors and employees clearly understand what performance is expected of each of them – what they must DO - to succeed in that task. It is performance objectives that determine:
1. What the individual must know to do the job,
2. What skills he or she must have,
3. What resources are needed, and
4. What level of authority is required.

• Make all assignments in writing. - Whenever possible, assignments should be in writing. The rule of thumb in assigning responsibilities is that the need for written assignment increases with complexity of the required tasks and or the organization. Verbal messages can be vague, misheard, misunderstood, ignored, even forgotten. Committing something to paper requires greater precision of thought and assignment, and reduces confusion and uncertainty for all parties involved. The written document can also be reproduced and distributed efficiently, and constitutes a record for purposes of accountability.
• Communicate the assignment of responsibilities and authority to all applicable levels of the organization. – This is especially true when the assigned responsibility requires interdepartmental action. Departmental “turf wars” can be minimized, the program will be better understood, and managers and employees can be held accountable more readily when everyone involved understands the rules.
• Provide adequate authority and resources to meet responsibilities. - It is unreasonable to assign responsibility without providing adequate authority and resources to accomplish the task. Essential resources may include:
1. Competent Staffing – an adequate number, properly trained and equipped.
2. Training – appropriate for responsibilities, both for supervisors and employees.
3. Equipment – the right tool, and enough of them to do the job.
4. Budget - adequate funds for operational expenditures

Setting timelines

The importance of time management would strike you at some point of your career. You would be inundated with work, and you will need to evaluate how to manage your time. There are a few factors why time management is important for your career success.
1. Time Is A Limited Resource

Remember that time is a limited resource. There is a Chinese proverb that says ‘no amount of gold will buy you time that has passed.’ Knowing that time is a limited resource, you would naturally need to cherish it. After all, deadlines to work will continue to inch closer to you whether or not you have started or you are slow on it. Once time is lost, you can never make up for it. Your work will have to be compromised - given that you have not managed your time. The importance of managing time to your career cannot be trivialized. Know the importance, take steps to perfect this skill to increase your chances of career success.
2. Small Steps Build Into Big Goals

Understand the importance of time management, as your career success depends on these small steps across time. If you not take care of the seconds, the minutes will waste, and so will the hours and days. All these will accumulate into poor results. The importance of time management is to understand that small steps across time build into big goals. And a main part of achieving goals is about time management.
3. Efficiency Of Your Work Relates To Time

Being efficient at work is about managing your time. Optimum use of your time means you accomplish more in the least possible time. Being able to manage your time well gives you a competitive advantage over your colleagues. You get more done and hence you get assigned to more important projects in the future.

When bosses see you as an efficient worker, you become a competitive advantage to your unit. This translates to better performance score, more trust and respect from colleagues and bosses. The importance of time management in this aspect should be kept in mind if you want to climb higher in the corporate ladder.

One of the most common question I get from managers is ‘How do I lessen my stress?’ I have learned that the first thing is to have them think about their time management skills. The importance of time management skill is also understanding that it can help lessen your stress.
If you have poor time management skills, work gets backlogged. You are caught chasing your own tail; overdue work gets caught up with current work while future projects are being given to you. These unattended work piles on the pressure. Before you know it, you are stressed over work. You start to complain about being overloaded. However, you fail to realize that it is your lack of time management skills that has created this stress.

5. Knowing Your Priority At Work

The importance of time management in your career success also comes in the form of allowing you to prioritize. Part of good time management skills involves knowing when to do what is urgent and important. Being able to recognize work that needs focus at the right time is a skill that is important to achieving career success.
When you are able to crystallize what is important, you will attend to the actual task that needs your focus. You become more effective. Becoming efficient and effective at your workplace will automatically contribute significantly to your career success.
The importance of time management to your career success cannot be trivialized. Learn these important skills and see your career soar.

Utilization of resources

It is of practical act to properly make use of all the resources available for the system. Analysis of the resources should be made. A university should look out for any source accessible. Overlooked resource could be a big lost for one’s organization. Human can be utilized as a resource, in which this resource is very vital. In organizations, it is important to determine both current and future organizational requirements for both core employees and the contingent workforce in terms of their skills/technical abilities, competencies, flexibility etc. The analysis requires consideration of the internal and external factors that can have an effect on the resourcing, development, motivation and retention of employees and other workers. The external factors are those largely out-with the control of the organization and include issues such as the economic climate, current and future trends of the labor market e.g. skills, education level, government investment into industries etc. On the other hand internal influences are broadly within the control of the organization to predict determine and monitor, for example the organizational culture underpinned by management behaviours (or style), environmental climate and the approach to ethical and corporate social responsibilities. Human resources is a term used to refer to how people are managed by organizations. The field has moved from a traditionally administrative function to a strategic one that recognizes the link between talented and engaged people and organizational success. The field draws upon concepts developed in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and System Theory. Human resources has at least two related interpretations depending on context. The original usage derives from political economy and economics, where it was traditionally called labor, one of four factors of production although this perspective is changing as a function of new and ongoing research into more strategic approaches at national levels.[1] This first usage is used more in terms of 'human resources development', and can go beyond just organizations to the level of nations [2]. The more traditional usage within corporations and businesses refers to the individuals within a firm or agency, and to the portion of the organization that deals with hiring, firing, training, and other personnel issues, typically referred to as 'human resources management'.

Monitoring of the growth of development

To keep track with the project schedules must be observed. Any progress should be made recognize. Updates and improvements must also be identified and evaluated if it has been going well with what has been planned for the system. Monitoring is an important part of the project management. Proper monitoring has get different advantages like you must know the development of the project, correcting the technical or other types of problems, promoting the team members to achieve the goal etc.

Monitoring is regular activity of the project manager to keep eyes on the different phases of the projects. It is essential that each team member must know the objective of the monitoring of the projects. You must have to know the actual development between the actual plan and the achievements of the project at different phase. Based on the defined schedule, you must have to finish the goal based on the time fixed by you and time lapse. The monitoring of the project should be based on the time, work and the resources utilize by the project team. You must have to keep watching on the monitoring of the activity or productivity of the employee. It is essential to keep watch on activity. You must have to conduct a regular interaction with the team to know the developments of the project. You should also know the problems faces by the team member at the grass root level. You must have to short out the problems so that you should be running as per schedule. You must have to monitor the technical problem too. If you are working on large employment group than you must have to solve the inter-personal issues too. As project manager, you must have to keep eye on the welfare of the issues.

Assessments and revisions of plans

It is an evaluation and comparison of the actual system implementation with the original ISP. Changes would not be inevitable and so as with what has been intended or planned for the ISP. In this phase, with what is good for the betterment, alteration or modification of the original plan is being done.


References:
http://www.harleysvillegroup.com/losc/PDFs/LCT1005.pdf
http://www.career-success-for-newbies.com/importance-of-time-management.html
http://www.1866projectmanagement.com/importance-of-project-monitoring.html

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