Going live does not mean going alone!

Following on from last month’s blog around the Importance of Correct Change Management, I wanted to discuss another area that is hugely critical in any clinical system delivery; post go-live support.

Picture this, as an NHS organisation you have taken the time to go through that long and lengthy process of tendering for, and choosing, a new system. You have set out your project plans, brought in a hugely knowledgeable and skilled team to implement that system thoroughly through each work stream, all with resounding success.

You have completed the work around change and transformation, rolled out the benefits to the stakeholders and then spent the next 12 to 18 months tirelessly integrating the new chosen software into your environment; spending a substantial amount of both money and time in doing so. Finally, you go-live, overcoming the stresses and pitfalls this can bring, but you get there and you see the extremely positive initial impact the new system is already bringing…brilliant!

Right, job done then! It’s now time to get rid of all the resources, save on costs and get back to normality whilst handing the project back to the business.

Well, no. You’re not finished yet.

Post go-live is where many projects falter and an area which should be given the upmost attention and care. Why on earth would you spend all that time, resource and money to then expel all that knowledge and expertise at the first opportunity? If it is down to cost alone then you need to look at the plans you put together in the first place, which should have taken this stage into account.

Stabilising the system so it works for the Trust and making sure that you are getting the optimum performance from it is hugely critical. Do not ruin the great work that has been done over the previous 2-3 years by so many people by simply neglecting the short amount of time following.

It’s like getting an extension on your house. You spend months thinking about doing it, weeks getting quotes, decide it must be done and then finalise the timescales in which the work needs to be completed.

You hire skilled labourers who are in your house for weeks. The work is stressful for you as the client (stakeholder) and for them (the project team) as both parties are doing their upmost in making sure the build is perfect. They get to the end and the extension is done bar a few finishing touches, but before they can check and test that all is in order, you get rid of them to save a few quid on labour costs.

They haven’t been able to make sure your extension is stable, that the heat stays in, that you get enough light or that the paint and finishing’s are to a good standard the finer details. The job is three quarters done.

You wouldn’t do this would you?

If you did, in a few weeks’ time as you sit in the dark, wrapped up in layers with rain-sodden blankets you would be calling those contractors back, asking them to come and fix the lights that aren’t turning on, the paint that is cracking on the wall, the heating that isn’t producing any heat and the windows that are not sealed properly. Overall, the whole project has not been completed to the standard you wanted.

This is the same in any clinical implementation. I think it is so important for Trusts to achieve exactly what they set out to do and not get three quarters of the way before calling it to an end; that point being go-live.

All the successful projects that I have been involved in and helped resource for, have been constructed from a brilliant change strategy and a plan beyond go-live to make sure that they truly get from the system what the set out to achieve.

They are certain that all work is completed to a point where project leads are able to hand the system back confidently, with full knowledge that every option has been extensively exhausted in utilising the new implementation and getting the maximum performance possible.

When this, and only this is the case, the project can be classed as a full success. I would put good money on these projects being the ones, that in the long-term, save the Trust money and allowing the users in being able get full and proper use of the system.

Compare this to those who release resources at the first available opportunity and then have to go through the entire rigmarole of fixing issues that would never had arisen in the first place if more care was taken post go-live. It’s just not worth it.

All in all, the message is very straight forward. Keep those experts for a little longer and have that post go-live strategy in place to make sure the teething issues that usually arise are addressed and extinguished before they spark into wildfires.

Simply put, just because you have gone live, doesn’t mean you should go alone.