Case Study Analysis Management Research Coursework

Case Study Analysis
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Case Study Analysis
Conducting and completing a capital budget project in any organization is a daunting prospect bearing the processes and challenges that such initiatives trigger. Large projects require inputs of more people and more resources. Sometimes, failures emerge from the mere ability to manage the resources. On other occasions, the challenges that emerge in the course of the project effectively limit its success. Project managers and organizational leaders must understand their projects, especially in terms of the possible challenges before they implement them. However, the fact that some of such projects are too large to manage individually, mistakes occur that can lead to long-term or short-term challenges upon completion of the project. Hence, the primary question is on how to address the successes and failures that come with the implementation of large projects before they impede the objectives of the projects. In this paper, the emphasis is put on analyzing a case of project management at the Memorial Mental Health Science (MMHS), Canada. Exploring the MMHS case on the grounds of its successes and failures is vital in understanding large-scale project management because it prepares managers for aspects such as resources, the participation of the people, communication, and time constraints that can affect the outcomes of a project either positively or negatively.
The MMHS Case
The Memorial Mental Health Science is one of Canada’s largest mental health hospitals that intends to improve its performance shortly. The facility harbors 360 in-patient beds, 35 outpatient clinics, and over 1500 front-line employees, with a national and international reputation for the excellence of its services and its role in teaching and research. MMHS provides mental health services for people in Ontario, Canada, and specialized consulting services on a regional and national basis. MMHS is interested in joining the Healthcare Information and Management Systems community, where they would partner with other organizations to draw on their world-class mental health research and health education to research new treatments and improve health education and mental health care delivery. In this capacity, MMHS patients will benefit from effective coordination of patient care through the utilization of the EHR. Patient care information will be easily accessible and up-to-date with comprehensive patient information. This allows patients to directly send, receive, correct, and update health information through patient portals, open notes, and shared EHR space for booking appointments. Besides, clinicians will coordinate and track care delivery across all clinical settings.
There are various steps that MMHS has taken to ensure that the project is completed effectively. Principally, the facility conducted its needs assessment test. That is a test conducted to explore the actual reasons why an organization may need to indulge in a capital budgeting investment (Flanagan, 2016). Superficially, the management at MMHS has noted the deficiency instilled by their electronic healthcare record (EHR) systems. The available system is not sophisticated enough to address the needs of the facility. Besides, the facility is large and keeps growing. Keeping the current system can only lead to dismal patient outcomes in the future. MMHS also understands that the future of healthcare is anchored on the effective use of contemporary and futuristic technologies. Hence, insisting on a traditional system can be inadequate. To achieve its goals, the organization also developed a team, led by John L., the Chief Operational Officer, and Dee W., Director of Information and technology. The leaders are followed by a range of other leaders who specialize in the specific responsibilities geared towards the completion of the project. From such a position, MMHS stands between aspects of success and failure on the course to executing this project that will revive the electronic record system on the organization.
Aspects of Successes
There are notable areas of success derivable from the content of the MMHS case. The first notable element of success is the development of a team to oversee the completion of the project. Capital budget projects are exhaustive (Hewlett-Packard Development Company, 2013). Hence, such projects require large inputs of resources to be completed. Often, managing all the resources while also completing the logistical elements of the project can be a challenge. Besides, the project is poised to affect the entirety of the organization. Embedding all the ideals of the project on one individual can be detrimental in multiple ways. Primarily, an individual may not understand the needs of all the departments within an organization bearing the fact that most organizations are disintegrated at the operational level. It can also be overwhelming for one individual to control all the resources linked to the completion of a project as large as replacing an entire electronic health record system in such a large organization (Flanagan, 2016). Ultimately, working as an individual is time-consuming and can be overwhelming. Hence, initiating a team to oversee the completion of the project is an aspect of need.
The other element of success in the MMHS case is the composition and structure of the team that will oversee the project. It is not obvious that teams will deliver on large projects just because they have the resources and expertise. While developing a team to complete a project, the project managers must understand why individual professionals are needed in the teams (Mello et al., 2014). A team without coherence is one that can barely deliver in a long-term project. However, a team that consists of members who can work individually and collectively to pursue the team goals is needed to oversee such a project. To that extent, MMHS was successful. That is because they created a diverse team that consisted of many professionals. The professionals are driven throughout the organization. It implies that all the functional units are professionally represented in the team. The team also consists of experienced leaders. As noted, John L and Dee W are both experienced professionals who have worked through multiple projects in their careers. The leadership skills of the two individuals will be needed to oversee the success of the project. The team also consists of other professionals who will ensure the smooth operations of the project without a hitch.
The other element of success in the case is an efficient needs assessment. The advancements in technology have driven organizations into making decisions that they barely need. Organizations have implemented changes that would otherwise be avoided and the resources allocated to other important projects. Conducting a needs assessment was a vital component of this project. MMHS is a large hospital. Five years from now, more people will be seeking services from that facility. Having such a facility comes with various demands. For instance, the facility must have the capacity to serve all its clients with the required efficiency. Currently, it is expensive to hire professionals to attend to individual cases (Mello et al., 2014). Besides the fact that such professionals are scarce, it is also expensive to attempt such a strategy. Hence, resorting to technology when it is that necessary is an aspect of success. At least, MMHS...