Project Proposal
In today’s world, technology plays an integral part in providing services and manufacture of goods. Technology has helped streamline and introduce efficiency in many processes performed by industries. One primary function that digitalization has focused on is the development of software that helps in performing mundane tasks such as management and decision making in the healthcare industry (Baharom, 2020). Companies have gone to the extent of integrating systems development into the core functions of the organization. Firms wish to develop, design, and implement custom-developed systems into the healthcare firms owing to the importance that the systems development process holds.
Organizations represent a system that heavily relies on various resources such as management and employees to function correctly. Understanding the connection that exists between the system helps create an ideal situation for the systems development process. Employees contribute to effectively manage the business once they get a basic understanding of the developed information system (Grenci &Hull, 2020). Knowing that a business is similar to a system, employees behave in a manner that makes it easy for the administration to manage the business.
Proposed Information System
Basic knowledge of the expected outcomes of the information system will help in the development of an effective information system. A lot of information is collected during the planning and analysis stage of information systems. The information provided helps in decision making by providing the necessary information (Grenci &Hull, 2020). The proposed system will have to perform essential functions such as categorization of patients, tracking of medication, monitoring patient progress, and collecting feedback from patients.
Attaining the proposed objective will require sufficient planning and effective objective making. This understanding helps individuals in business learn about the importance of planning and setting goals before the start of a project (Grenci &Hull, 2020). Evaluation of progress at the end of the project helps the organization track its growth as well as show the effectiveness of the systems development process.
The designed system will utilize the services of a transaction processing system. The design will have the capability of tracking drugs sold in the health center. Additionally, the software will also incorporate the use of knowledge base systems to understand the customers of the business better. Therefore, the newly designed system will have the features of both transaction and knowledge databases.
The designed software utilizes similar processes of the Inventory Management Software (IMS) and the Customer relationship Management Software. IMS keeps track of all inventories, customers, and products. The tool helps in the management and tracking of items from the supplier to the consumer. It makes it possible to assess the items in the warehouse, items sold, defective products and, inventory stored as stock (Schwartz, 2014). Similar channels will have to be applied to track medicine and other inventory purchased by the company to ensure that the healthcare center can track its inventory to avoid stealing or the loss of any items purchased by the organization. On the other hand, customer relationship management assesses customer trends and feedback to provide an analysis of customer tastes and preferences (Nykamp, 2019). The system would customize the CMS to ensure that the health center assesses feedback from its patients and develops new cultures and procedures by evaluating input that they provide during checkout from the hospital. Lastly, using the knowledge base as the core foundation for the designed system will help the healthcare center categorize and utilize all its data.
Risk Assessment
A SWOT analysis is a fundamental risk assessment technique used to perform both internal and external audits of any organization to assess the viability of the selected technology. The tool helps in the identification of strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities available for the organization. Managers heavily rely on the instrument during goal development and decision making. Healthcare organizations also reap the key benefits of the application of the specific tool. Healthcare centers use the tool to learn more about their operations and impact on patients. The audits ensure that organizations strive to attain their prior-set goals and objectives. All health centers should perform a SWOT analysis bi-annually regardless of its size owing to the multiple benefits that the audit provides. SWOT analysis forms a fundamental part of quality checks and audit assessments in the healthcare industry. Managers rely on the tools to offer tips for future planning, market research, and self-assessment.
Strengths
The chosen design makes it possible for the organization to analyze and make necessary changes to its culture and processes. The designed system also categorizes all data and records collected in the hospital. Using the knowledge-based database also provides an opportunity for the center to provide supervision access to supervisors who will monitor and track the progress of patients. Supervisors and doctors will oversee the development of their patients by assessing patients’ records stored in the knowledge database. The software also analyzes patients’ feedback making it easy for the organization to fine-tune its services to meet the requirements of both in and out-patients.
Weaknesses
The chosen system requires training for employees to understand how it works. The training process will require financing, which might be costly if the organization wants everyone to receive sufficient training. The system also provides all the company’s information in a shared database, making it prone to hacking.
Opportunities
Collected feedback will help the management in decision-making and will increase the efficiency of follow up among patients.
Threats
The company faces the threat of attacks from hackers in the form of ransomware or destruction of actual information contained in databases.
Future Assessment
Through the use of the information system, the center seeks to become acknowledged among the leading healthcare institutions in the region. The public health center aims to provide quality services to the extent that it becomes recognized in the area. The SWOT analysis looks at the weaknesses and threats that the center faces and helps improve the strengths and opportunities of the clinic. Through small gains such as following patient feedback and increasing follow-up, efforts would help the hospital provide excellent care to patients (Gretzky, 2010). The short objectives become crucial elements for planning towards their vision.
Market Assessment
A market assessment provides an opportunity for hospitals to test the viability of a particular service or plan of action. Understanding the market offers an opportunity for hospitals to prepare to meet their objectives. Market research requires industry and competitors” analysis. The center will have to compare its weaknesses and strengths to that of similar hospitals to enhance its services (Gretzky, 2010). Performing market assessment through the designed software ensures that the hospitals’ services meet customer needs. Hospitals seek to respond to a niche in the market. The niche might be quality service, affordable healthcare, and sufficient patient space in the hospital.
Stakeholders Requirements
The stakeholders involved in the application of the software include the investors, employees, and developers. The investors will have to provide sufficient financing for the development and implementation of the software. Employees will have to incorporate the software as part of the hospital’s culture. Lastly, developers will have to customize the software to meet the specific needs of the center. The developers will also train hospital staff on how to use the software, make decisions based on the information collected, and enhance the privacy of the information system.
Conclusion
Lastly, a basic understanding of the information systems will help all individuals work toward a specific goal. Individuals align their organization function to the purposes of the software. Individuals work hard, knowing that they have specific goals to attain through the creation of the software (Grenci &Hull, 2020). All individuals in the organization work in harmony since the goals create a sense of unity and direction. The different departments in the organization do not clash or interfere with the functioning of other groups. A unified understanding of the company’s direction boosts the morale and ensures that the company works hard to achieve its goals.
Overall, a basic understanding of the information system and the development process yields significant results in the healthcare industry. Every stakeholder understands the role that they have to play and what is expected of them. The indirect benefits of understanding systems development help companies introduce new behaviors and cultures that increase the efficiency and productivity of the business. Although decision-making takes some time owing to the involvement of multiple individuals, the result creates harmony and unity in the organization. Individuals work together, just like systems, to ensure that all goals established in the planning stage are attained.
References
Baharom, F. (2020). A survey on the current practices of the software development process in Malaysia. Journal of Information and Communication Technology, 4, 57-76.
Grenci, R. T., & Hull, B. Z. (2020). New dog, old tricks: ERP and the systems development life cycle. Journal of Information Systems Education, 15(3), 7.
Gretzky, W. (2010). Strategic planning and SWOT analysis. Essentials of Strategic Planning in Healthcare, 91-97.
Schwartz, R.R., International Business Machines Corp, 2014. Electronically tracking inventory in a retail store. U.S. Patent Application 13/859,155.
University Hospital Sharjah (2020). University Hospital Sharjah UAE | Health Care Institutions Ajman. Retrieved from https://www.uhs.ae/mission-and-vision/
van Wijngaarden, J. D., Scholten, G. R., & van Wijk, K. P. (2012). Strategic analysis for health care organizations: the suitability of the SWOT‐analysis. The International Journal of health planning and management, 27(1), 34-49.
Nykamp, M., 2019. The Customer Differential The Complete Guide to Implementing Customer Relationship Management. American Management Association.