For this activity, we were asked to think of a project that we were involved with where a new technology, program or idea was implemented. When considering this, my experience with a previous organization came to mind. The focus of the project was to develop the digital forms of the dental assessment to be used in the electronic health record.
Prior to working on the project, the leaders communicated the overall goals and purpose of an electronic health record, how it was going to benefit both the staff and patients and discussed the implementation plan during a couple of “town hall” meetings where most staff attended; however, due to varying employee schedules, it was difficult to reach everyone this way. Therefore, they decided to have each manager/director communicate the goals to the members of the team and emailed news bulletins. If people had questions about the project and the manager did not have an answer, then they had someone from senior management/administration to come and talk to the team. When reflecting on the different phases of project management, the initiation and most of the planning was done by the senior management team. As stated in chapter three of Project Management, they had determined the “major deliverables” and identified the “working groups” (Watt, 2014, para. 3).
Working together to achieve a goal. 
Image by geralt on Pixabay
The next step was to have a representative(s) for each department meet with the design team to discuss the needs of the team and how the digital forms should look and work. I was asked to meet the design team in one of the computer rooms to do this. We worked on question and answer formatting – free text, check boxes, drop down answers, etc.; how each section of the assessment should look; was it similar to an assessment from another department and how both could be incorporated together, so repetition didn’t occur. We worked on the many different aspects of the digital form. If we completed one area, then we tried it to see if it worked. We did this for about four weeks (one to two days a week, since I still provided care for our patients) until the whole form was completed. During this time, we identified that there was one aspect missing from the form; however, there was no plan in obtaining that part due to the cost. Therefore, we worked our way around this by using a different option which was one of the many contingency plans that were considered. When we were happy with the overall outcome, the assessment forms were incorporated and went live. The process that was used is very similar to the scrum methodology that was described in Watt (2014) as using “sequential sprints for development” (para. 66).
When reflecting on the readings and applying project management to my current position at the college, I can see myself using a methodology that would be flexible and adaptable especially when working in the digital environment. Our students are very diverse and have different capabilities especially when it comes to the digital world. Concepts and technologies are always changing while complex issues may arise; therefore, we need to adapt as we proceed. One thing to consider is reducing or removing the barriers by doing a comprehensive systems analysis (Conway, Masters & Thorold, 2017). Issues can be solved before they occur which leads to a better outcome. Another concept to consider is promoting engagement in the digital environment. The Four C’s Framework of connecting, communicating, collaborating and creating (University of Calgary, 2014) would be effective to use. As mentioned in the Strategic Framework for Learning Technologies, “[t]he strategic and adaptive plans appear to be the most useful in describing the role of learning technologies” (University of Calgary, 2014, p. 38). Because the digital environment is always changing, it may be necessary to use a combination of methodologies to address issues and manage projects.
References:
Conway, R., Masters, J., & Thorold, J., (2017). From design thinking to systems change: How to invest in innovation for social impact. Royal Society of Arts, Action and Research Centre.
University of Calgary, Learning Technologies Task Force. (2014). Strategic framework for Learning Technologies.
Watt, A. (2014). Project Management. Victoria, BC: BCcampus.