If you are going to ask your staff to build a Case Management System, you need to give them the Hammer, Nails, and Wood to build It!!!

A Few Questions to Ponder...

Would you ever ask your CFO to do therapy?...No.

Would you ask one of your therapists to present the budget to the board?... No.

Would you ask one of your maintenance workers to lead a therapy session?... No.

As a therapist, would you ask a client to complete a task that you know, as the therapist, they are not ready or able to complete? … No.  

Working in the social service industry we would never set people up to fail.  In most cases, it goes against one of the core values and reasons of why we chose to help people.  So when trying to implement new software, what makes us expect people to perform tasks they are not qualified or prepared for in the future?  When you work in a non-profit there is a simple underlining principal that we all accept.  When a new project is presented new staff are not hired, but rather the current staff are asked to do more in the same 40 hour work week (50-60 hours in reality) without having any responsibilities being removed or assigned to other staff. They are asked to understand how a database works differently from word documents and excel files without any training.  Speaking from experience, I had one course in DOS in 1992, and in 2010 I was asked to be one of the project managers to implement a new database for an agency. I was lucky, my boss gave me the tools I needed to succeed.  But that is not always the case.  

Are You Setting Your PM up to Fail?

Project managers have to understand how everyone at their agency records, documents, and reports on clients while at the same time doing the job they were hired to do in the first place.  Is it fair, maybe not! Is it right, probably not! Do they do it…..YES.

They do it because the person that is selected has a higher purpose and a drive that is different than anyone else at their agency. They know if they learn the database, there is one group of people that will benefit, the CLIENT.  The child who has been abused, the parent who does not have the knowledge to parent a child with disabilities, or the client learning how to deal with a disease.  And at the end of the day - it is the client whom we're here to serve.

Does Your PM Have a New Shiny Toolbox?

I have yet to find an agency who has a staff member with nothing better to do then to learn a new database system.  We give these staff members only one tool to build a system instead of giving them a complete tool box. So what is the solution?  Give them more tools.  Society and problems have changed.  Why do you think we now have the DSM V and the ICD 10? There is a reason why they do not use the old diagnosis tools to treat the client (DSM IV and ICD 9).  The therapists have been given new tools to address the needs of the clients.  So let’s give the projects managers the same tools.  So what are these tools?  

When implementing a new case management system, here are the new tools:

1. Time: Change their jobs description to give them the time to address and learn. Give them the time to learn others' jobs, to let them understand what needs to be developed. 

2. Budget: Do not make those who do not deal with the budget on a daily basis take on a project that involves thousands of dollars.  Make sure before signing the contract you have the hours and budget for the needs that are to be developed. 

3. Training: Have them spend time with other agencies, including the executive team whose name is on the dotted line.  

4. Executive Support:  They will be asked by other staff, “Why do I have to learn a system?”.  The answer should be, "because our CEO and Executive said it is part of your job, and if you do not learn it your employment will be affected".  

Time, Budget, and Training are the hammer, nails and materials you need to build a successful system. We would never set our client up for failure, let’s make sure we do not put our staff in the same situation.   

For more information about this subject, please download our Special Report -The 7 Deadly Sins of Software Implementations.