Assume? Or Ask.

Posted by
February 24, 2016 3:52 pm

“Don’t ever assume that you know what’s important to your stakeholders. Ask them!”

In project and executive leadership meetings, decisions are often are made based on assumptions of the priorities of the projects’ key stakeholders. Individuals in leadership should never assume they know the key goals behind a client’s expectations or healthcare technology performance needs.

For example, in the case of electronic medical records (EMR), it is often the physicians and nurses that project teams’ leadership decisions impact the most. If you really want to know what is important for the acceptance or adoption of an EMR, ask the physicians and nurses.

Since these individuals have the most direct contact with existing EMR systems, they are just as ready to provide honest feedback about their likes and dislikes about existing EMR software as executives are ready to insist that an upgrade be implemented. While many project leaders in the healthcare technology industry have gained valuable experience with the wave of EMR implementation in recent years, it is important that they talk with key stakeholders to understand current challenges and future needs before making official implementation decisions.

Not only is it the right strategy, it’s the right customer service attitude. And with the right customer service attitude, the goals of the healthcare technology industry can not only be met, but can be exceeded as well.