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from left, Stephen A. Williams; Janet Yackey, PMP;
PM NETWORK
Doug Winkelhake; Teresa DECEMBER
Stroud; 2010 WWW.PMI.ORG
Janice Weaver, PMP
T
The eastern part of Jefferson County in tional designs, programs, job descrip- On the technology front, the facility >>Healing Regime
the Louisville, Kentucky, USA metro tions or work processes to the job,” he was being equipped with IT systems
December 2005................ Funding approved
area had experienced rapid growth, and explains. used in other parts of the Norton net-
it became clear that the community One such innovation is the emphasis work, as well as 12 new systems, says September 2006............... Program manager assigned
needed a new medical facility. A home- on peace and quiet. There’s no tradi- Ms. Weaver, associate vice president of
December 2006................ Construction contract awarded
town healthcare giant offered a remedy: tional overhead paging system; instead, Norton Healthcare’s enterprise program
the city’s first new hospital in 25 years. staff communicate via wireless devices. management office (PMO). February 2007.................. Subject matter experts solicited
Norton Healthcare has a network of In addition, carpeted hallways help The staffing, training and IT sub- Design planned
five hospitals and 11 immediate-care reduce noise. projects proceeded along their own July 2007.......................... Groundbreaking ceremony
centers. But executives at the not-for- Like any project sponsors, though, trajectories and timetables. Still, they
profit organization were determined to the Norton executive team also wanted needed to come together and “go August 2007...................... Interior design approved
make this project unlike anything that the project delivered on time and within through integrated testing to make sure
November 2007................ IT requirements discussed
came before. budget. With funding approved in that everything would work when the
“In the past, hospitals were designed 2005, the team set to work combining hospital opened its doors,” she says. February 2008.................. Hospital processes defined
primarily around the healthcare pro- construction, IT and training expertise. “And that really kept me awake at
April 2008......................... IT subprojects launched
cesses and the convenience of the hos- night.”
pital staff and physicians. The design In Sync Given how tightly the subprojects June 2008......................... Staff training and education planned
frequently is not the most conducive Messer/TMG, a local firm, began con- were interwoven, the team realized it
September 2008............... Construction and operational
to the patients, families and guests they struction on the 298,000-square-foot didn’t do any good to finish ahead of schedules integrated
serve,” says Stephen A. Williams, presi- (27,685-square-meter) Norton Browns- schedule.
dent and CEO of Norton Healthcare. boro Hospital in July 2007. “When you are opening a healthcare December 2008................ Medical equipment begins arriving
“We wanted an entirely new-concept A construction project of this nature facility, and the marketing department
April 2009......................... Employee training starts
hospital that was designed and built on usually takes 30 months to complete, is putting up billboards that say it is
new thinking—from what the patients says John Megibben, senior project exec- going to open on August 26, it does May 2009........................... Monthly departmental readiness
and guests optimally wanted in a health- utive at Messer/TMG. The hospital’s no good to open on August 20,” Ms. assessments begin
care experience, to what the physicians schedule was accelerated to 23 months. Weaver says. “It has to be on schedule, Nursing units placed on IT system
and staff desired in functionality and “At the same time that the construc- and it is important for everyone to fin- July 2009.......................... Construction complete
maximally efficient work processes. tion was heading down its path, we also ish together.” IT integration testing
“The entire initiative was a tremen- had the staffing of the hospital heading
August 2009..................... IT infrastructure and staff training
dous challenge in that we would not down its path,” says Janice Weaver, PMP, A Matter of Trust
complete
allow the planners to bring any tradi- who led the US$146.3 million project. For all the pieces to come together,
effective communications and trust had 26 August 2009............... Norton Brownsboro Hospital opens
to be established right from the start.
>>Cost Cutters “From our very first meeting, we
talked about how we work together as tionship is fuller in an in-person meet-
Norton Healthcare went in with a bold vision of a cutting-edge hospital—but it a team,” Ms. Weaver says. “We had to ing. You can read body language and
make sure that when issues came up, we find out about concerns that you might
had to do so with a fixed budget of US$146.3 million. would nip those things in the bud. Any not learn on a phone call. It makes it
“The first construction cost iteration was over-budget,” says John Megibben, type of issue, if left on its own, could easier to ward off a problem.”
become a major roadblock. And we When trust is established, project
Messer/TMG, the Louisville, Kentucky, USA commercial construction company
could not allow that. We did not have leaders don’t have to micro-manage
working on the hospital project. time for it.” and can let project managers and team
The team scrutinized all major aspects of the building, taking out the “nice-to- Ms. Weaver implemented manda- members work autonomously.
tory, weekly project-integration meet- “I had a wonderful person who was >> The Search Is On
haves”—such as a clear cover over the rooftop garden and Italian wall tiles—and
ings for all 15-plus members of the responsible for the technology infra- Know of a particularly
downsizing other features to keep the price down. project leadership team. structure,” she says. “I had total confi-
If someone couldn’t attend, he or she dence in that project manager, so I did
impressive project?
“For example, the parapet was originally designed to be 36 inches (0.9
would be teleconferenced in—but “the not go and look after her work. The Nominate it for the
meters). To reduce costs, the parapet was changed to 18 inches (0.5 meters),
strong preference was that they physi- same thing with construction. I felt PMI 2011 Project of
with the understanding that workers would need to take special precautions cally attend in person,” Ms. Weaver totally comfortable with our construc-
says. “Yes, you can hear people on a tion company. I literally trusted my life
the Year Award. Learn
when working on the roof for safety,” Mr. Megibben says.
conference call, but the personal rela- to those people.” more at PMI.org.
700
Working in a sector rife with regu- report,” Ms. Weaver says. “I need it
lations also added some wrinkles. For to create the overall program progress
example, the team had to obtain certifi- report that goes to all the key stake-
cates of need to make many of the numer- holders, which includes our vice presi-
ous adjustments and scope changes that dent of strategic planning, who has to
are common in a project of this size. The report to the state every six months.” The number of
Cabinet for Health and Family Services, The combination of monthly employees to be hired
a state government agency that adminis- project reports and weekly integra-
ters programs to promote the mental and tion meetings “provided the sufficient and trained before the
physical health of Kentuckians, requires amount of communication structure hospital opened
these certificates to manage services and that I needed to feel comfortable that
costs of healthcare. things were under control,” she says.
US$146.3
“You would not believe all of the
agencies—dozens and dozens of Crossing the
agencies—from whom you have to get Finish Line Together
million
approvals for changes,” Ms. Weaver says. The Norton Brownsboro Hospital
project was delivered on time and
Putting in Face Time US$2.9 million under budget. The
This is the largest, most came into the project knowing what to Once staff training began in Janu- acute-care facility, with 127 beds and The project budget
expect,” she says. ary 2009, the team’s weekly meet- eight operating rooms, opened at 6 a.m.