You will be provided with details of a case study in project management along with a set of four questions pertaining to the case study. You must also include an RMIT Harvard/Business format reference list at the close of your submission. No title sheet, introduction, conclusion or executive summary is required. You just need to answer the four questions and include a reference list. Ensure you present your answer to each question logically. Your answers should focus on project management concepts, practice and evidence- based solutions that respond to the questions rather than a detailed description of issues evident in the case. Avoid over reliance on quotations in your answer. Can you demonstrate independent research in project management concepts? Thus, the references provided in the case study and the course text may be cited but will not be included in the minimum reference requirements. Marking criteria will consider your: (i) ability to undertake an original critical analysis of key project management concepts with respect to a case study in project management; (ii) critical thinking and problem-solving skills; and (iii) ability to incorporate relevant disciplinary learning when solving problems.

Here are the criteria for good answers :

An exceptionally clear understanding of subject matter and appreciation of issues; well-organised, formulated and sustained arguments; well-thought-out and structured diagrams; relevant literature referenced. Evidence of creative insight and originality in terms of comprehension, application and analysis with at least some synthesis and evaluation.

Here is the Case study and the questions you should answer:

Case study: VIME/Portal Project - Department of Health

Following a cluster of baby deaths at Djerriwarrh Health Services in 2016, the Victorian Government commissioned a report known as "Targeting Zero" which highlighted the then Department of Health and Human Services1 (DHHS) was not effectively leading and overseeing quality and safety across the health system (VAGO, 2021, Department of Health, 2016). The report made several recommendations to improve clinical governance and noted the Victorian Auditor- General's Office (VAGO) should follow up on the Department of Health's (DoH) progress in improving clinical governance across the Victorian health system.

To this end, in 2021, The VAGO undertook an audit and released the "Clinical Governance: Department of Health" report. This report highlighted that the DoH has made some clinical governance improvements since Targeting Zero, such as improving its risk assessment approach so that it no longer masks poor quality and safety performance, and improvement in sentimental event reporting. However, five years on from the Targeting Zero report, significant improvement is still required as the "Department of Health's ability to reasonably assure Victorians of the health system's quality and safety is limited" (VAGO, 2021).

One of the recommendations made in the 2016 Targeting Zero report was for the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) to develop an interactive online portal to give health services and internal stakeholders better access to quality and safety data (VAGO, 2021). This portal, called the VAHI Information Management Environment, or "VIME/Portal" was to include development of a data-rich, interactive website to allow transparent public reporting of health service information and a portal for clinicians to support improved clinical practice and patient outcomes (VAHI, 2019). In essence it was envisioned the system should:

"...allow health services and clinicians direct access to data to easily compare and benchmark their hospital's performance, and then drill down into their own records, examine drivers of clinical variation and map patient journeys across facilities and over time" (VAGO, 2021 p.53)

The VIME and Portal Project Board was set up in 2018-19 to provide overall project governance for the VAHI Information Management Environment (VIME)/Portal project. The project board met approximately monthly in 2018-2019 to oversee the establishment of the project and the first of three phases of development as set out in Table 1.

Project Stage	Target Audience	Intended Outcomes	Status
1	The public	Redevelop VAHI's Victorian Services Performance Website and transition it to the cloud	VAHI planned to acheive this stage in March 2019 It completed this stage in November 2019 Delayed as VAHI needed to work with DHHS to clarify and document data specifications, rules for reporting measures in past DHHS reports, define dataset specifications and document report production processes
2	Health service boards and executives	- Provide secure online access to existing quality and safety reports in PDF format - Provide disaggregated quality and safety indicators from existing quality and safety reports - Develop new interactive dashboards to replace quality and safety reports, starting with Monitor reports, to provide new drill-down functionality to individual patients' medical records	- VAHI planned to acheive this stage in November 2019 - In November 2019, VAHI started an eight-week pilot to test the new interactive Monitor dashboards - VAHI was still implementing it at the time of the VAGO audit in September 2021 due to COVID-19 and delays in completing Stage 1
3	Health service clinicians and other staff	- Develop additional interactive dashboards to replace other quality and safety reports - Provide live links to health services' local databases	VAHI planned to acehive this stage in June 2020. However, it had not started at the time of the VAGO audit in September 2021.

Table 1: Three Stages of the VIME/Portal Project, Adapted from VAGO

VAHI undertook an internal audit of the VIME/Portal project in November 2020 to assess the design and operational effectiveness of its key project management controls. It's overall finding was that the controls "requires improvement". Of note, the internal audit highlighted that VAHI has not developed a:

- Formal benefits realisation plan and benefits register to monitor and track the project's intended benefits

- Timeline to guide the project beyond May 2020

- A change management plan, stakeholder engagement plan and change

impact assessments

Covid-19 had a significant impact on the VIME/Portal project with VAHI's priorities frequently changing to respond to the pandemic (VAGO, 2021, VAHI, 2019). Since March 2020, VAHI worked intensively to develop new interactive dashboards to provide health services and internal stakeholders with up-to-date information about COVID-19 cases in the state. These interactive dashboards provided valuable information and drill-down functionality for stakeholders in line with the original objectives of the VIME/Portal project (VAGO, 2021, VAHI, 2019). Thus, despite the VIME/Portal project not fully delivering on its intended benefits, this does show that VAHI has built the necessary foundational infrastructure to deliver Targeting Zero's recommendations for the VIME/Portal.

Nonetheless, VAHI has been found to have done limited planning for its resources and milestones for non-COVID-19-related activities. In addition, stakeholder engagement was limited with less than 20% of users authorised to use the system logging into the portal during testing (VAGO, 2021). Responses to a user feedback survey were also limited with 17 out of 35 testers providing feedback. When VAGO surveyed intended users, they found that VAHI had not adequately engaged and consulted key stakeholders during its 8-week pilot with limited awareness of the system in key stakeholders and usability issues with the system.

Questions

Can you answer the following four questions in accordance with the instructions set out in the detailed outline?

Question 1:

Critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of an agile, waterfall or hybrid project management approach for the VIME/Portal project. Include in your discussion the impact these approaches may have on the project lifecycle.

Question 2 :

Stakeholder engagement is critical to ensuring effective governance of projects to ensure they deliver the intended benefits. Evaluate the approach to stakeholder engagement evident in the VIME/Portal project. In doing so highlight what more effective stakeholder engagement would look like and the benefits it may have had for the project.

Question 3:

Discuss the pros and cons of a formal Gateway Review (phase gate) process. In doing so, explain why you would, or would not, recommend the use of a gateway review process in the case of the VIME/Portal project.

Question 4:

Project control is the process of comparing actual performance against the plan to identify deviations, evaluate possible alternative courses of action and taking appropriate corrective action. Discuss the control steps that you believe should have been undertaken as part of the VIME/Portal project and why.

References

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 2016. Targeting zero: Supporting the Victorian hospital system to eliminate avoidable harm and strengthen quality of care. Victorian Government.

VAGO 2021. Clinical Governance: Department of Health. In: VICTORIAN AUDITOR- GENERAL'S OFFICE (ed.). Victorian Government Printer.

VAHI 2019. Year in Review 2018-2019. Melbourne, Victoria: Victorian Government.