It’s the final few weeks before our major Epic go live at the University of Vermont Health Network on November 1^st. Yes, we have some parts of the project still in yellow or red status as of our 30 day Go Live Readiness Assessment (GLRA). But the majority are green (on track) or blue (complete).  I’m seeing many best practices that have us on a path towards success. Individual and team behaviors and practices that are worth sharing:

Flexibility – On any given day, you don’t know what issues you might need to deal with or what meeting you’ll have to add to your calendar.  Be willing to adjust as needed throughout the day and know what can wait for another day.

Raising issues – Don’t be afraid to raise issues that need resolution. Don’t assume someone else has more time or knowledge to handle the issue – be willing to take ownership if you can.

Utility players – You need generalists who can be put into a variety of situations to temporarily help. If you are one of these people, don’t hesitate to raise your hand when you see gaps.

Step up and lead – Leadership takes many forms. Even if you may feel unready, don’t be afraid to step in and fill a leadership gap if needed.

Cross coverage – Being dependent on one person’s knowledge and skills can create delays when that person is unexpectedly unavailable. Knowing who you can hand off to and having confidence in that person stepping in is critical to projects staying on schedule.

Decisions log – Managing scope means knowing collectively what has already been decided. Avoid wasting time revisiting unless there has been a business-driven change necessitating that you revisit a previous decision.

Ownership – When everyone owns it no one owns it. Yes, these are team efforts but clarifying who is on point and owns something will ensure it gets done.

Daily huddles – There is incredible power in assembling the right people to review issues, monitor progress with clear metrics, and agree on action items. It is a good way to get “ground truth” and identify where help is needed. Keep the huddles short and focused.

Laugh and have fun – I’ve said more than once in recent weeks that if we weren’t laughing, we’d be crying. Laughter is a great stress relief.

Collaboration – Last, but certainly not least, never forget that it’s a team effort.

What did I miss?

Related Posts:

IT takes a village

Plans, processes, people: lessons from a successful EHR implementation

Three days and counting….

Values in action….