Project Management - Put the Right People on Your Team.mov

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the excitement of project management when strategically executed, highlighting the importance of a clear goal and working backwards to identify necessary steps and team members. Leveraging tools like Gantt charts, the key lies in assembling a diverse team of experts to innovate and drive project success. At Mass General Hospital, an innovation task force was formed to foster and adopt cutting-edge technologies, ensuring they benefit patients, which has shaped their ongoing innovation strategy.

Takeaways

• 📈 Start with a strategic plan: The importance of having a clear goal is emphasized for effective project management.
• 🔍 Work backwards from the goal: Identifying the necessary steps and stakeholders by working in reverse from the desired outcome.
• 🛠 Utilize project management tools: Leveraging tools like Gantt charts to manage various aspects of the project.
• 💡 Assemble the perfect team: The leader's role in putting together a team with diverse expertise is crucial for success.
• 🌟 Value the team's intelligence: The leader does not need to be the smartest but should surround themselves with experts in their respective fields.
• 🌱 Foster innovation: The speaker's excitement about nurturing innovation within an organization, particularly in healthcare.
• 🔬 Build an innovation task force: The creation of a diverse team to drive innovation in laboratories and clinical practices.
• 📈 Prioritize evidence-based adoption: Ensuring that new technologies are adopted based on their evidence base and cost justification.
• 🤔 Ask the right questions: The importance of questioning and understanding the field to make informed decisions about technology adoption.
• 📊 Develop a long-term strategy: The innovation task force's plan continues to influence decision-making years after its creation.
• 🏥 Apply insights to patient care: Ensuring that innovations directly benefit patients, which is a central goal of the project.

Q & A

What is the initial step in the project management process as described in the script?

The initial step is to start with a strategic plan, which involves having a clear idea of what is to be achieved.

How does the speaker suggest articulating project goals?

The speaker suggests articulating project goals carefully so that you can work backwards to figure out the necessary steps and who needs to be involved.

What role do tools like Gantt charts play in project management according to the script?

Tools like Gantt charts are essential for managing all the various pieces of the project, helping to organize and track progress.

What does the speaker consider their most important job as a leader in project management?

The speaker considers putting together the perfect project team as their most important job, ensuring that the right people are involved in the process.

Why is it important to have the smartest people in each area involved in the project according to the speaker?

It is important to have the smartest people in each area involved to leverage their expertise and see what they can do with the kernel of an idea provided by the leader.

What is the significance of nurturing innovation in the context of the script?

Nurturing innovation is significant because it helps build the organization's reputation and ensures that innovations benefit patients by getting out to the clinical practices.

What was the purpose of creating an innovation task force at Mass General Hospital as mentioned in the script?

The purpose was to nurture innovations in laboratories and clinical practices and to determine the hospital's position on the adoption curve for new technologies.

How did the innovation task force approach the adoption of new technologies according to the script?

The task force aimed to adopt state-of-the-art technologies with an evidence base that justifies the cost, while also considering being slower adopters until the technologies have established a track record.

What kind of team was assembled for the innovation task force at Mass General Hospital?

The team consisted of scientists, administrators, nurses, and sometimes patients who were users, ensuring a diverse and knowledgeable group to evaluate innovations.

What was the outcome of the innovation task force's work as described in the script?

The task force developed an exciting plan that continues to form the basis of the hospital's innovation strategy and drives decision-making on a regular basis.

How did the innovation task force ensure they were asking the right questions according to the script?

They engaged in a collaborative process where team members, including patients, provided feedback on the questions being asked, ensuring a comprehensive and practical approach.