How can you keep your healthcare IT project within budget and on schedule?

2 Plan the budget

Once you have defined the scope, you need to plan the budget of your project. How much money do you need to complete your project? How will you allocate the funds to different activities, resources, and phases of your project? What are the sources and types of funding for your project? How will you track and control the spending of your project? By answering these questions, you can create a project budget that estimates the costs and revenues of your project. This will help you avoid cost overrun, which is when the project exceeds its original budget due to unexpected or unplanned expenses.

3 Schedule the tasks

After you have planned the budget, you need to schedule the tasks of your project. What are the main activities and milestones of your project? How long will each activity take and what are the dependencies and prerequisites of each activity? Who will be responsible for each activity and what are the roles and responsibilities of each team member? How will you coordinate and communicate with your team and other stakeholders? By answering these questions, you can create a project schedule that defines the timeline and sequence of your project. This will help you avoid schedule delay, which is when the project misses its original deadline due to unforeseen or unmanaged issues.

4 Monitor the progress

As you execute your project, you need to monitor the progress of your project. How will you measure and report the performance and quality of your project? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) and success criteria of your project? How will you identify and resolve any problems or changes that occur during your project? How will you manage the expectations and feedback of your stakeholders and customers? By answering these questions, you can create a project dashboard that tracks and displays the status and results of your project. This will help you avoid performance gap, which is when the project fails to meet its original objectives or standards.

5 Evaluate the outcomes

When you finish your project, you need to evaluate the outcomes of your project. How will you assess and document the achievements and lessons learned of your project? How will you celebrate and acknowledge the contributions and efforts of your team and other stakeholders? How will you ensure the sustainability and scalability of your project? How will you transfer the ownership and maintenance of your project to the end users or customers? By answering these questions, you can create a project closure report that summarizes and concludes your project. This will help you avoid outcome mismatch, which is when the project does not deliver the expected value or benefits to the organization or the society.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?