The team and its communication are of supreme importance to a project’s success (Walley, 2013). The development of a healthcare IT project is likely to require the collaboration of informatics professionals (IP) and the clinical staff to ensure its success (Gale, 2012). There are multiple roles that an IP can play when participating in a project. A Project Sponsor, for example, does not only ensure the financing but also becomes the champion of the project, which is likely to involve being the project’s spokesperson, reaching, engaging, and managing stakeholders, and other leadership activities that make the role a critical one for the project’s development (Project Management Institute, 2013, p. 25).
In this respect, the qualifications of an IP are likely to help him or her to engage and inspire the stakeholders through personal competence, which is also likely to facilitate the process of communicating the project’s specifics. Concerning the role of a Subject Matter Expert, it is apparent that an IP is an expert in the field, which would allow him or her to carry out the responsibilities of this role and provide expert judgments at every stage of the project development.
Finally, as a Project Manager (PM) or a member of a management office, an IP can once again combine a leadership role with and that of an expert in the field in carrying out the responsibilities of managing the project (Project Management Institute, 2013, p. 26). The latter are numerous since a PM is central to a project. In particular, a PM ensures the cooperation of all the stakeholders as well as the fulfillment of the plans, the achievement of objectives, and the management of risks.
References
- Gale, S.F. (2012). The human element. PM Network, 26(12), 27-32.
- Project Management Institute. (2013). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide ) (5th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
- Walley, P. (2013). Stakeholder management: the sociodynamics approach. International Journal Of Managing Projects In Business, 6(3), 485-504. Web.