Improvement support options

Project management

The ACI can help local teams with key aspects of project initiation and management.

Getting started

Developing a compelling case for change
Project planning, including scoping and scheduling
Stakeholder engagement and mapping
Local sponsorship and governance
Developing a communication strategy – the what, how and who to

Understanding the problem

Using data to understand the cause of the issues you wish to address
Making sense of the data/information available about the issue to identify gaps/barriers in clinical care
Using tools such as process mapping, patient journey mapping and root cause analysis
Identifying root causes of problems to focus on local targeted solutions
Creating and prioritising a list of issues that can be considered to address the problem

Planning the change

Developing solutions to the issues identified
Prioritising the solutions: quick wins, short-term and long-term projects
Testing solutions in many different ways
Introducing the change and person/s responsible
Coaching to work through challenges / barriers as they arise
Planning monitoring and evaluation strategy – how, when data are required

Making and sustaining the change

Implementing the project plan systematically
Addressing the human elements of change
Taking a shared stakeholder management approach
Communicating to all stakeholders
Evaluating progress and planning for subsequent

Change management

The ACI uses the redesign methodology in our approach to change management. This supports change in collaboration with consumers, networks, hospitals, local health districts and specialty health networks.

Key change activities

1 Form a team and set a goal

You will need people with the fundamental knowledge and skillset to achieve your desired project outcomes (e.g. staff who work with this patient group and an improvement lead).
2 Collect your data

Consider the data needed to better understand your current issues, capturing information from a wide range of sources and stakeholders.
3 Collate and share your findings

Data collation and analysis will allow you to identify the extent and potentially the cause of the problem or issue, so you can make informed decisions based on evidence, instead of guesswork.
4 Prioritise the issues

Share the data findings with your stakeholders and develop a list of issues. Prioritise the issues you wish to address first.
5 Generate solutions

Brainstorm and develop potential solutions to your identified problem/s with your stakeholders.
6 Prioritise the solution/s

Prioritise and choose one or more solution/s with the highest potential impact (outcome/result) that is easiest to implement.
7 Refine your solution

This can be done through PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) cycles, prototyping, dry runs/ simulation testing, pilot testing, or a combination of methods.
8 Adapt, adopt and embed

Develop change management strategies to implement the change, embed into daily practice and monitor to achieve desired outcomes.
9 Evaluate and share

Evaluate and share the benefits and successes you have achieved and spread your project to other areas.