What are the benefits and drawbacks of starting most new hires at the help-desk function? The IT Department at Hamelin Hospital Hamelin Hospital is a large (700-bed) regional hospital in the northeastern United States. The information technology (IT) department employs 75 people and has an operating budget of over $35 million. The department is responsible for managing 30–40 projects, ranging from small, such as redesigning computer screens, to very large, such as multimillion-dollar system development projects that can run for over a year. Hamelin’s IT department has been growing steadily, reflecting the hospital’s commitment to expanding its information storage and processing capacities. The two principal functions of the IT department are developing new software applications and maintaining the current information system. Project management is a way of life for the department.