Project_Management_Proposal

Project Management Performance Project management is an important aspect of any business, and in the health care industry it is no different. Being able to manage productivity is a vital role of operation management since there is always a need to focus on reducing cost and increase productivity. “Productivity is an overall measure of the ability to produce a good or service. More specifically, productivity is the measure of how specified resources are managed to accomplish timely objectives as stated in terms of quantity and quality” (Productivity concepts and measures, n.d.). In a hospital setting there are many areas in which performance needs to be evaluated, and should be evaluated in order to improve productivity and reduce cost. In regard to hospitals foodservices, reducing cost is an important aspect that can bring into the hospital good profit. In order to be able to reduce the bottom line cost and improve productivity by being able to maintain better control over the many different aspects involved in this area. The foodservice area in Trinity General Hospital really needs management attention for solutions. Presently there are two supervisors, three cooks, four prep technicians, and six cashiers whose average work time is about eight hours daily and their wages hourly is $7.00. “The total food supply expense is $500 per day and more than 1400 patients and guest meals served daily” (Langabeer, 2008, p. 135). Before being able to implement productivity solutions, there really needs to be an evaluation of the present situation of the department. Identifying the specific areas or factors needing improvement will help lower labor costs while improving productivity. Constraints Measurement Measuring the growth of productivity can be imputed by the data that is available. Data helps in providing real measurements of productivity. Constraints can impact productivity measurements. As a manager, specifically a project manager, understanding the impact is vital. Lack of training or not enough training is a major constraint as well as availability of resources or data. The multi and single factor productivity table shows that they need to work on continuing to increase productivity. Although the table also reflects that there has been improvement from previous months, there is still improvement that is needed. One major aspect is being able to keep up with the internal patterns of productivity. Being able to identify the fluctuations of productivity in a monthly period and be able to use them for comparison against other hospitals or even within the same hospital within a monthly or yearly period would really impact Trinity General’s foodservice department. Project Management Application Being able to manage cost using metrics of labor productivity may be a good approach for other health care organizations. However, in the place of Trinity General Hospital this approach will not be sufficient. A good method to use would be to consider implementing a project using the four stages of project management. These stages are pre-approval of project, project organization and definition, project scheduling and design, and project control and management (Langabeer, 2008). The application of management in regards to the project can be very beneficial. Having a process to follow can really impact the results and have a successful impact in productivity while quality would be improved and the cost of labor reduced. Using a staffing model, which can be used by dividing employees, who are full-time, into their best skill sets can be one application used. Being able to manage the time spent on nonproductive things and putting in place the labor of part-time employees is called labor model, which is another application that can be used. In the case of Trinity General Hospital, the single and multi-factor productivity ratios, which are mainly used to monitor, measure and rate the effectiveness of variances was used. Using Figures to Monitor Productivity There is a technique used to integrate the schedule, scope and resources of a project and be able to report and measure the performance of a project from beginning to end and it is called Earned value (Callahan, 2007). An example would be to create the length of a project is expected to be completed, the duration to complete, the value planned and then reviewing the actual results. The actual time used in the first week, any additional time needed just to mention some of the figures to evaluate when monitoring productivity. Being able to measure productivity can help make cost effective decisions. Breakeven Point Calculation Calculating a breakeven point can help determine if a specific service is financially stable. If there were a decrease in volume, for example, a loss would occur if the opposite happens then a profit would be made. This process can really let management be aware of the volume needed to make a profit. Calculation the breakeven point for Trinity General Hospital, specifically the foodservice department offers some insight. The areas to look into are the fixed cost, variable cost, price per unit and the formula to calculate the point that is FC/(P-VC). Breakeven (50,000) = FC ($150,000) / ($4 - $1) In order for the hospital to be able to serve the amount of patients needed to breakeven, based on the above calculations, Trinity General Hospital would need to serve 50,000 meals in order to reach the breakeven point. Decision Making Making decisions is not always an easy thing. Especially when there are issues that involve the cost and productivity both of which can really have an impact on an organization’s finances. Being able to evaluate the gather information and using it to make major decisions can make a difference, a huge difference in the results. Being able to measure inputs and outputs, or better yet into outputs, can make the difference between being able to the implementation of a project. Conclusion Finding ways to improve productivity and reduce cost should be a constant job for any health care operations manager. It is important not to underestimate the difficulties, challenges and resistance that can be encounter to be successful. Having basic skills of management could make a huge difference. An operations manager should also posses the ability to use the information gathered and be able to apply it effectively into improving cost and productivity. References Callahan, K. (2007). Project Management Accounting: Budgeting, Tracking, and Reporting Costs & Profitability. : John Whiley & Sons Inc. Langabeer. J. R. (2008). Health Care Operations Management: A quantitative approach to business and logistics. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publisher, Inc. Productivity concepts and measures. (n.d.). In Encyclopedia of business. Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Pr-Sa/Productivity-Concepts-and- Measures.html