The Project Manager’’s Guide to Health Information Technology Implementation

This book focuses on providing information on project management specific for software implementations within the healthcare industry. It can be used as a guide for beginners as well as a reference for current project managers who might be new to software implementations. Utilizing the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) methodology, process groups and knowledge areas are defined as they relate to implementing custom and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software. The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a standard for developing custom software, but can also be followed for implementing COTS applications as well. How will the system be set up from an architecture and hardware standpoint? What environments will be needed and why? How are changes managed throughout the project and after? These questions and more will be reviewed. The differences between types of testing are defined as well as when each are utilized. Planning for the activation and measuring the success of the project and how well the strategic need has been met are key activities that are often not given the time and effort as the other parts of the implementation project.

This new edition updates the current content to better align with the newest version of the PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), as well as the latest technology and concepts. In addition, this new edition includes additional chapters on agile management, stakeholder management, and choosing the right methodology.

Susan Houston is a senior consultant in healthcare IT after retiring as the Chief, Portfolio Office within the Department of Clinical Research Informatics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. Her background includes clinical nursing, program-project management, consulting, clinical informatics and portfolio management. Susan has presented at the local, regional, national and international levels as well as being published on both project management and informatics topics.