By: Bridget graham, mbah, pmp
WHY should you establish a comprehensive transition and activation team?
Managing the Transition and Activation of a new hospital construction project, at its most fundamental level, is complex. While organizations investing in major construction often focus on establishing teams for design, construction, and technology, it is even more critical to identify a dedicated team to support the internal operational transition of each department to ensure a successful opening.
Unlike plugging into existing systems, new hospital construction often demands a thorough evaluation of operations at the department level. This allows for a reimagining of care delivery that takes advantage of innovative technology within the new physical environment based on the approved design. Therefore, when building your new facility project team, it is critical to include an effective leadership team to drive the transition. This will guarantee that the building prepared and the intended personnel and operational models are successfully implemented upon activation.
WHO should you have on your Transition and Activation team?
Establishing a dedicated team to guide and manage the daily tasks associated with the transition and activation of a new facility is a significant undertaking. In the current healthcare environment, leaders are managing numerous responsibilities outside of their core duties. Therefore, it is critical to carefully evaluate the roles and responsibilities, skills, and experience required to support the detailed planning efforts.
The first step is to ensure you have the right Executive Leadership in place to sponsor the project. This individual should be able to dedicate time and energy to ensure the project progresses, support the teams in getting what they need to complete the work, remove any barriers, and make key decisions when necessary. Once the executive leadership role is established, it is important to determine who is capable of supporting the detailed planning and implementation of the Transition and Activation work.
The Transition and Activation lead reports directly to the sponsor and is responsible for overseeing the Transition and Activation program. This individual should possess an inherent ability to support teams while also enforcing timelines and advocating for the operational side of the work. Based on our experience, it is incredibly important for this role to be a assigned a leadership title and support from the Executive Leadership team to ensure the requirements of the project are met. This role should be in place as the organization goes through design development with the design team to ensure operational end users can provide input. If the organization decides to bring in a consultant to support the Transition and Activation work, then it is critical that this role is filled prior to the formal bid for Transition and Activation services is published.
A Transition and Activation lead, much like a great coach, is only as good as the team they manage. Evaluating your organization’s internal resources and capabilities is a critical step when putting a team together. Some organizations have an Enterprise Project Management Office or a Performance Improvement department that can assign support staff, while others may rely on the managers to direct work individually. It is important to note that assigning this management responsibility is most effective when leaders are solely focused on the transition and activation project. We recommend assigning a dedicated team to support the work, encouraging manager involvement in detailed planning, but not making them solely responsible for project management of the transition and activation.
Beyond evaluating resources, understanding their expertise in Transition and Activation planning is crucial. While healthcare construction is extensive, not every health system or community hospital has experience managing the opening of a brand-new facility. Internal resources can be most effective if they possess a strong understanding of all hospital operations or have experience collaborating across a highly matrixed organization. In situations where the necessary expertise is lacking, investing in a Transition and Activation planning partner to guide your team in opening the facility can be beneficial.
Having worked as the operational project manager of a hospital opening a new facility, I researched Transition and Activation planning extensively but found limited resources to guide my work. The most impactful operational investment the organization made was engaging a transition and activation partner. This collaboration provided me with a clear understanding of the timeline, tasks, and forthcoming work necessary to ensure a successful opening. We understand, however, that not all organizations have the budget to bring on a consultant, so in 2020 and 2021, Yellow Brick wrote two guides to provide operations managers a roadmap to support the Transition and Activation planning process.
While Transition and Activation work is often considered late along the project timeline, having an internal team established early on your new facility journey will have a significant impact on the success of the project. Evaluation of your resources and expertise should occur at the same time as you evaluate the resources needed to support the design, construction, and technology planning of the hospital. This will allow for more comprehensive planning and establish an operational project management structure that includes the voice of the hospital leadership in design.
If you are looking to supplement your internal teams with Transition and Activation firms, begin researching organizations at least by the time the organization starts construction. Attending a conference focused on healthcare construction projects, like Healthcare Design, Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo, or the PDC Summit, can be beneficial for hearing from experts to understand the work ahead. The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design is a wonderful organization that can connect you to nurses, designers and industry leaders who have experience brining new facilities to life. Additionally, most Transition and Activation organizations are willing to provide guidance and samples to support the development of your RFP, including site visits to milestone events. Speaking with peers is something we strongly recommend, as they have walked in your shoes and are able to share valuable lessons learned that can be directly applied to your project.
Establishing your internal team at the beginning of your project, including executive sponsors and leaders overseeing the operational aspects of Transition and Activation will foster an environment of collaboration early in your project. This allows teams to better evaluate resource needs and provides time to hire and onboard the necessary expertise early. If you are considering a Transition and Activation partner’s expertise, involving them at least 24 months before your first patient day will greatly contribute to the successful launch of your new facility.
CONCLUSION
Undertaking the responsibility of planning the transition of a new facility for your organization represents a uniquely rewarding, stressful and exciting project in one’s career. The key to navigating this significant undertaking lies in assembling a team that is not only experienced, motivated, and knowledgeable about the work ahead but also inherently supportive. Reflecting on my first hospital transition, I am profoundly grateful for the support and leadership provided by my team. Cultivating a strong team of supportive individuals and capable leaders will undoubtedly lead to a lifetime of fond memories and an acute awareness of the incredible impact your team had on the healthcare system and community it serves.