Management focus: people and planning in computerized information system selection

The CIS selection process is a multi-million dollar project which has much in common with a hospital construction project. Both require careful planning to assure the hospital of the best system to meet its present and future needs. One way to do this is to organize a hospital's human resources to facilitate participatory management in the CIS selection process. With our proposed cross-section of hospital staff, all of whom use the same evaluation methodology, the hospital will select a system which addresses defined information needs. Our experience has shown time and again that with careful planning and user participation, a hospital can be confident that the CIS it selects is "best." This process, used successfully in a number of hospitals, will improve the accuracy and timeliness of information flow throughout the hospital while providing a higher level of quality patient care and, concurrently, providing a comprehensive reporting system to control costs and enhance the financial operation of the hospital.