Healthcare and Project Management
SERIES ARTICLE
By Dr. Deepa Bhide, MBBS, DCH, PMP
Hyderabad, India
Abstract
The core need of project and program management is creating and delivering value for its customers. With the rapid growth of information technology and access to the global networks of resources, organizations rapidly moved towards a decentralized model of working with dispersed teams. The acceleration lent varied advantages to the organizations in the form of the availability of skilled resources from various geographical regions, 24*7 availability, and lower costs to maintain a competitive advantage. However, the acceleration also created challenges working across varied locations, time zones, and socio-economic ecosystems. The healthcare industry has followed this trajectory, from primary health set up at a rural level to global operations of a multi-national healthcare corporation.
A few examples of global healthcare management include operations of international governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and disease management operations (e.g., a global polio eradication program, a global tuberculosis program, etc.), a more recently executed program on Covid-19 vaccination, and similar. These programs are conceived, planned, managed, and monitored on a global scale with numerous stakeholders involved. Projects such as mergers & acquisitions, healthcare outsourcing, healthcare disaster relief management, information technology enablement, knowledge management (KM), program and portfolio management, and more have helped scale up operations globally.
This article, the first of the two parts, discusses a few key concepts of global project management in healthcare.
Key terms: Global project management; project management framework; PMO, mergers & acquisitions; healthcare outsourcing; volunteering
Author: Hello, Mary. How are you today? How is your job going on?
Mary*: I am good. Thank you! I am enjoying my work. I am excited to see the direct application of learnings from our discussions and especially the last one on project management approaches. The discussion on the topic has helped me better understand the principle of tailoring a project methodology to suit the project’s needs.
Author: That is good to know. Didn’t we want to discuss global project management in today’s session?
Mary: Yes, that is on my mind. Recently, in our team meeting, we had an exciting discussion on how project management plays a pivotal role in the successful execution of some of the world’s most significant, most complex, and long-term projects, such as building large dams and airports and even projects related to the space program headed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Healthcare has a broad spectrum of operations, from a singular physician-patient interaction to managing international projects related to the environment, health, food, shelter, human rights, education, etc. I was wondering how project management supports global healthcare. I am sure the trajectory from a project in a localized environment to a project around global healthcare is not straightforward.
Author: As we discuss global project management, I request you to recall our discussions on our earlier conversations around nuances of healthcare as an industry1, the universe of projects2, understanding and managing shortages in healthcare3, ethical considerations in healthcare4, patient care as a project5, and the different project management (PM) approaches6. This will help you connect the various dots in this puzzle.
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Editor’s note: This series of articles about project management in healthcare is by Dr. Deepa Bhide, a pediatrician with additional experience in information technology and project management. Being a physician herself, she has recently experienced healthcare from a patient’s perspective while recovering from a broken ankle. In this series, Dr. Bhide discusses programs, projects, and project management in various aspects of healthcare from industry, provider, and human patient perspectives. Learn more about Dr. Bhide in her author profile at the end of this article.
How to cite this paper: Bhide, D. (2023). Healthcare Projects in a Global Perspective (Part I), Healthcare and Project Management, series article, PM World Journal, Vol. XII, Issue VIII, August. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/pmwj132-Aug2023-Bhide-healthcare-projects-in-a-global-perspective-part-1.pdf
About the Author
Dr. Deepa Bhide
Hyderabad, India
Dr. Deepa Bhide, MBBS, DCH, PMP, has over 20 years of professional experience where she has blended medical practice and research with IT and Project Management. She juggles consulting, training, and operations and is proficient in clinical medicine, project management, and healthcare information technology. Starting her career as a medical practitioner, she has worked with varied organizations before her current stint as director and clinical expert for Inventurus Knowledge Solutions.
Deepa’s growing interest and work in these areas, born from her day-to-day patient interactions, helped her view Project Management as a backbone of progressive healthcare. Her paper on “Patient Care – A Project Management Perspective” has received global recognition and acclaim. With a physician background as a solid foundation to leverage IT/PM skills and knowledge, Deepa has blended her broad-based experience and learnings to present a unified, holistic, and wholesome view of Project Management and Healthcare, a cross-domain confluence. Through various webinars, events, talks, and writings across platforms, Deepa has been an evangelist in championing global project management during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Gold medalist from Osmania University for standing First in the MBBS course, she pursued her DCH in Pediatrics and Child health. Deepa has served various roles in local and global Project Management Institute (PMI) regions. She remains actively engaged with PMI and has been a participant and speaker for various national and global meetings and online events.
Deepa lives in Hyderabad, India, and loves traveling, singing, and experimenting with global cuisine. She can be contacted at deepa.bhide@gmail.com.
To view other works by Dr. Bhide, visit her author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/dr-deepa-bhide/
