Stars Air Ambulance
Content
Stars Air Ambulance
Prof. Ron Thompson Information Technology Final Paper By: Wes Sheffield 10/31/10
Key Issues Sharaz Khan has a myriad of obstacles which need to be addressed in order to develop an IS infrastructure that aligns with STARS AIR ( SAA ) core strategy of finding patients, assessing the medical situation, and transporting patients.Specific areas to be discussed are as follows: Operational efficiency (i.e. centralization, core infrastructure development between separate departments) Which business processes will receive IT dollars (RFP process, clearly defining projects) Employee structure / existing consultant relationship Resistance to change correlated with changing IT environment (IT relevance in the eyes of its peers) Analysis The current technology environment consisting of the Emergency Link Center, Aviation, MedOps, Foundation, Admin, Design Lab, Engineering, and STARS Center have developed a selfdirected workforce which in current form weighs heavily on SAA from a cost basis. Implementation and global cost reconciliation of individual IT projects has no formal RFP process and existing workplace environment operates in a reactionary mode due to incorrect labeling of project importance and scope/timeline inefficiencies. The distributed IT budget produced no uniformity across departments and managers weren t incentivized to be smart with their budget, but rather spend what was allocated to them. Infrastructure obsolescence will continue to waste money for SAA, and the inability to consolidate departmental servers created response time inefficiency and further IT cost overruns. Existing employee structure needs major overhaul to create synergies between the individual departments and the IT staff under Sharaz. Manager s need to be held accountable for individual IT projects within their department and consistently monitored for operational efficiencies. Employees need to be made aware that with IT efficiency the core strategy of the company is ultimately improved, lives are saved, and the vision of partnership within the organization is realized.
Recommendations Sharaz should move forward with the Network Change Project immediately this evaluation is essential, recommend Sharaz make this his first priority, and ensure a thorough process which will enable cost reconciliation of existing IT infrastructure, projects, and establish a measurement basis upon which managers will be tested against. Sharaz (or sponsor) should interview each department head to get a sense of how they operate within the chain of survival system and further to gauge the personality/sentiments of the staff with respect to change. Hire or appoint (not a consultant) a person to be project sponsor, for the oversight and implementation of the Network Change Project, presumably, someone who could remain
neutral towards the various departments within the organization during the process. This person should be responsible for presenting / reporting on the activities of the project to key stockholders (i.e. CEO, CIO, and other key management figures). This allows visibility for the IT initiative while also allowing Sharaz to focus on how IT can improve the core business strategy as well as establishing a sponsor responsible for delivering the project smoothly. Centralize all information technology within the organization under one network umbrella must have buy in on this from the CEO as it will greatly change how things have historically been done. The ability for current management to coordinate projects on the basis of their budget allocation is counterintuitive towards achieving the organizational goals of being efficient. Sharaz should develop a process to account for and approve every project management decision going forward in the company. Continue project management office plan discussions with Powell, even though it requires additional funds and an employee. RFP process should be implemented by the new project management office employee for all IT project approvals going forward. Establish an environment where no project within the entire organization is undertaken without approval achieved through the formal approval process. This initiative should immediately impact the current structure on a cost basis by eliminating unneeded projects within separate departments and cut down on consulting costs rampant within the organization (to be further discussed). As soon as viably possible move away from the current culture within the organization in dealing with consultants. The three consultants currently on the IT team should be let go immediately and their positions filled from existing IT full time employees. Obsolescent equipment should be phased out during the centralization of the organization; Sharaz should establish that any existing infrastructure which may require repair and maintenance from a consultant be supervised and approved though the project management office. As new infrastructure is built plan to phase out consultant work completely and have everything maintained through the IT team employees. New uniformity in system should dispel historical spending on projects which served individual departments. Incentivize the department managers by implementing a scoring system by department tied to their performance basis. Key metrics should be efficiency with safety response within their department, but more importantly on each department s interaction with their business partners. This would alleviate any competitive habits between the separate divisions, while formerly incentivizing cooperation and synergies amongst them. If I was managing this new performance scoring method, I would make it highly visible and well known throughout the company who was scored as the most efficient department. Let Sharaz manage the global IT implementation and leverage his good relationship with the CEO to facilitate change within the organization. The project management office and Network Change Project sponsor, free up Sharaz to develop relationships with the various managers and departments heads as the change process manifests. The vision and strategic planning to align IT with the business goals of the company should be conveyed through Sharaz; he will be responsible for communicating and defending the need for an information technology change
throughout the organization, and be the facilitator (change agent) for creating an open and receptive environment. Recommend Sharaz hold weekly meetings with the individual department heads in an open forum to discuss new processes being implemented and the transition to a centralized network. This allows management to have a voice during the change process and to feel a part of the transition it also would allow Sharaz to have a pulse on the cultural dynamics within the organization and ensure the managers grasped the impact of these new initiatives. Ultimately, Sharaz won t succeed if the IT initiatives don t further promote SAA s core business strategy.
Concerns of Recommendations Cost is the main issue Sharaz has been asked to limit IT spending by 10% and I m currently suggesting to centralize their infrastructure, hire a project sponsor, and to fund a new project manager office and employee. The proposed structure should greatly reduce the current consulting expenses as well as repairs and maintenance. However, the issue would be to get buy-in from Dr. Greg Powell on the necessity of these changes and viability of them to ensure the new AW139 planes are appropriately utilized by the organization. The non-profit business model, demands that the public notoriety of the company be positive in this case. I would argue with Dr. Powell that the IT initiatives although expensive upfront yield a much greater benefit to the longevity of the company by enabling more efficient pick up times and ultimately saving more lives because of it. This in turn should lead to greater public funding through donations.
Prof. Ron Thompson Information Technology Final Paper By: Wes Sheffield 10/31/10
Key Issues Sharaz Khan has a myriad of obstacles which need to be addressed in order to develop an IS infrastructure that aligns with STARS AIR ( SAA ) core strategy of finding patients, assessing the medical situation, and transporting patients.Specific areas to be discussed are as follows: Operational efficiency (i.e. centralization, core infrastructure development between separate departments) Which business processes will receive IT dollars (RFP process, clearly defining projects) Employee structure / existing consultant relationship Resistance to change correlated with changing IT environment (IT relevance in the eyes of its peers) Analysis The current technology environment consisting of the Emergency Link Center, Aviation, MedOps, Foundation, Admin, Design Lab, Engineering, and STARS Center have developed a selfdirected workforce which in current form weighs heavily on SAA from a cost basis. Implementation and global cost reconciliation of individual IT projects has no formal RFP process and existing workplace environment operates in a reactionary mode due to incorrect labeling of project importance and scope/timeline inefficiencies. The distributed IT budget produced no uniformity across departments and managers weren t incentivized to be smart with their budget, but rather spend what was allocated to them. Infrastructure obsolescence will continue to waste money for SAA, and the inability to consolidate departmental servers created response time inefficiency and further IT cost overruns. Existing employee structure needs major overhaul to create synergies between the individual departments and the IT staff under Sharaz. Manager s need to be held accountable for individual IT projects within their department and consistently monitored for operational efficiencies. Employees need to be made aware that with IT efficiency the core strategy of the company is ultimately improved, lives are saved, and the vision of partnership within the organization is realized.
Recommendations Sharaz should move forward with the Network Change Project immediately this evaluation is essential, recommend Sharaz make this his first priority, and ensure a thorough process which will enable cost reconciliation of existing IT infrastructure, projects, and establish a measurement basis upon which managers will be tested against. Sharaz (or sponsor) should interview each department head to get a sense of how they operate within the chain of survival system and further to gauge the personality/sentiments of the staff with respect to change. Hire or appoint (not a consultant) a person to be project sponsor, for the oversight and implementation of the Network Change Project, presumably, someone who could remain
neutral towards the various departments within the organization during the process. This person should be responsible for presenting / reporting on the activities of the project to key stockholders (i.e. CEO, CIO, and other key management figures). This allows visibility for the IT initiative while also allowing Sharaz to focus on how IT can improve the core business strategy as well as establishing a sponsor responsible for delivering the project smoothly. Centralize all information technology within the organization under one network umbrella must have buy in on this from the CEO as it will greatly change how things have historically been done. The ability for current management to coordinate projects on the basis of their budget allocation is counterintuitive towards achieving the organizational goals of being efficient. Sharaz should develop a process to account for and approve every project management decision going forward in the company. Continue project management office plan discussions with Powell, even though it requires additional funds and an employee. RFP process should be implemented by the new project management office employee for all IT project approvals going forward. Establish an environment where no project within the entire organization is undertaken without approval achieved through the formal approval process. This initiative should immediately impact the current structure on a cost basis by eliminating unneeded projects within separate departments and cut down on consulting costs rampant within the organization (to be further discussed). As soon as viably possible move away from the current culture within the organization in dealing with consultants. The three consultants currently on the IT team should be let go immediately and their positions filled from existing IT full time employees. Obsolescent equipment should be phased out during the centralization of the organization; Sharaz should establish that any existing infrastructure which may require repair and maintenance from a consultant be supervised and approved though the project management office. As new infrastructure is built plan to phase out consultant work completely and have everything maintained through the IT team employees. New uniformity in system should dispel historical spending on projects which served individual departments. Incentivize the department managers by implementing a scoring system by department tied to their performance basis. Key metrics should be efficiency with safety response within their department, but more importantly on each department s interaction with their business partners. This would alleviate any competitive habits between the separate divisions, while formerly incentivizing cooperation and synergies amongst them. If I was managing this new performance scoring method, I would make it highly visible and well known throughout the company who was scored as the most efficient department. Let Sharaz manage the global IT implementation and leverage his good relationship with the CEO to facilitate change within the organization. The project management office and Network Change Project sponsor, free up Sharaz to develop relationships with the various managers and departments heads as the change process manifests. The vision and strategic planning to align IT with the business goals of the company should be conveyed through Sharaz; he will be responsible for communicating and defending the need for an information technology change
throughout the organization, and be the facilitator (change agent) for creating an open and receptive environment. Recommend Sharaz hold weekly meetings with the individual department heads in an open forum to discuss new processes being implemented and the transition to a centralized network. This allows management to have a voice during the change process and to feel a part of the transition it also would allow Sharaz to have a pulse on the cultural dynamics within the organization and ensure the managers grasped the impact of these new initiatives. Ultimately, Sharaz won t succeed if the IT initiatives don t further promote SAA s core business strategy.
Concerns of Recommendations Cost is the main issue Sharaz has been asked to limit IT spending by 10% and I m currently suggesting to centralize their infrastructure, hire a project sponsor, and to fund a new project manager office and employee. The proposed structure should greatly reduce the current consulting expenses as well as repairs and maintenance. However, the issue would be to get buy-in from Dr. Greg Powell on the necessity of these changes and viability of them to ensure the new AW139 planes are appropriately utilized by the organization. The non-profit business model, demands that the public notoriety of the company be positive in this case. I would argue with Dr. Powell that the IT initiatives although expensive upfront yield a much greater benefit to the longevity of the company by enabling more efficient pick up times and ultimately saving more lives because of it. This in turn should lead to greater public funding through donations.
