SP 11.5- Adoption of ‘Agile’ project management principles significantly accelerated the development of a multidisciplinary Emergency Laparotomy pathway
Published Date: 01st September 2019
Publication Authors: Kirkham S, Vitovska E, Pantak G, Macadam R, Singh S
Aims
Creating patient pathways and protocols that require the input of multiple senior clinicians can be challenging and projects may be delayed, deadlines missed, and ultimately patients may have poorer outcomes.
Method(s)
'Agile' is an approach to software development using collaborative self-organizing teams, often in different locations. Trello is a free-to-use web-based project management tool designed for 'Agile' projects that draws on the principles of Kanban, a method of visualizing workflows to provide an overview of a project from start to finish, using boards, lists and cards. 20 individuals (Clinical Directors and clinicians from eight specialties, senior managers and finance executives) were invited to collaborate on this pathway.
Result(s)
All key stakeholder registered and contributed. The project Trello board evolved to contain lists that showed background and context to the project, national guidelines, links to online resources including NELA, milestones and deadlines, and issues to resolve. Three iterations of a 4-page pathway and its supporting documentation were uploaded before, following a single face-to-face sign-off meeting, it was delivered to the Trust 19 days after it was requested.
Conclusion(s)
'Agile' is not another management fad. It is used every day to speed up iterations of projects created by teams across the globe and although clinicians may be co-located in one Trust - at times they may as well be on different continents. Using Trello ensured that the drivers for change were apparent, the group had defined objectives, unnecessary meetings were avoided, and the progress of the project was clear to all.
Reader, H; Kirkham, S; Vitovska, E; Pantak, G; Macadam, R; Singh, S (2019). SP 11.5- Adoption of ‘Agile’ project management principles significantly accelerated the development of a multidisciplinary Emergency Laparotomy pathway. British Journal of Surgery. 106 (S5), 45.