The process of selecting and acquiring an information system (IS) takes a great deal of time and a lot of planning. Each organization is different and must be able to suit their needs in order for them to be successful. An organization must decide if it wants to outsource their IS or to bring in information technology (IT) to work within the facility. But before an organization can even think about what system they want to implement they must be able to ask a couple of questions that will be able to narrow it down to what they need. First, the organization must ask “What expense are we willing to spend on implementing this new process and what are the benefits from each choice, outsourcing or in house?” (Hicks, N.D.). By answering these questions honestly, it will give the organization a better understanding of selecting an IS. Secondly, an organization must set up goals as to what it wants and needs in the new system. Within these goals should be listed the wants of the employees, the goals from the senior management level and all participating physicians, and of course the goals needed to achieve patient satisfaction. By having these goals established will give a better idea of what the organization needs to focus on to achieve maximum results.
An organization’s strategic goals can influence what type of IS they will get. It heavily depends on what they need it for, what are they trying to accomplish, and to decide to either outsource or keep it in-house. First a team needs to be selected and then determine the overall goal of the project and what is expected to come of the project. Then the team will determine ways that the project should be completed and once they have decided, then the team can have a proposition of the system to begin. The personnel chosen for the team should be selected from their experiences and backgrounds that can have a significant impact on the data required for choosing the new system and understand the strategic goals of the organization. The magnitude of choosing a new IS must be carefully examined and researched due to the high start-up costs and most importantly the organization does not want to spend money unnecessarily. This is why it is important to have the right personnel on the team, are able to conduct the research, and either have the skills and knowledge to make it happen without any interruption of day to day operations that will have a significant impact on patient care.
The roles and responsibilities of the stakeholder’s play an intricate role in implementing a new IS project. In order to be successful in this area and in order to achieve this, the stakeholder’s must be engaged in the prerequisite gathering and documentation effort. Every stakeholder has a perspective and valuable insight for a broad and full approach. Users are willing to work with technology as long as it is simple, provides information, and makes their job easier. If any of these characteristics are missing the implementation of the new IS could fail. “If a key stakeholder group is excluded in the requirements gathering process,