This case study seeks to provide a brief analysis of the improvement of service in an assisted living facility. The paper focuses on the roles of different stakeholders and their expectations from the implementation of the proposed changes. The case study explains the efforts of the owner of an assisted living facility directed towards improving service delivery in their facility by adopting a patient-centered approach. The implementation of the proposed changes is carried out by the administrator and the staff using the Six Sigma approach to improvement. The administrator adopts the DMAIC project methodology to go through the phases of Six Sigma. Using this project methodology, the views of different stakeholder groups are sought, as well as their values. It is expected that the inclusion of different views will result in the successful implementation of the proposed changes, leading to a patient-centered experience for its residents.
Relevant Stakeholders and Values
The project to implement the patient-centered program in the assisted living facility would affect different groups of people (stakeholders), and an evaluation of the different stakeholders, their interests, and values is important in this case study. In a project management setting, a number of stakeholders usually have an interest in a project (Carroll 12). In the project to improve the service offered at the assisted living facility, there are several stakeholders including patients at the facility, patients’ families, staff members, and the owner. Patients are considered to be major stakeholders in this project in that the risks and benefits will directly affect them in terms of service quality, as well as in terms of their safety during their stay. Patients at the facility, therefore, value their freedom and service quality, making them important elements in determining the changes to be implemented.
Family members of patients staying at the facility are also ranked highly as stakeholders based on the fact that it is their people living in the facility. In this regard, they highly value the costs incurred to keep their kin at the facility, the quality of the service offered, as well as their safety during their stay. Other important stakeholders of the improvement project are the staff members, whose concern is mainly their efficiency in delivering the needed services to their patients. Lastly, the owner of the assisted living facility is a major stakeholder, and issues of concern to him include efficiency and quality of service offered, the patient experiences, and profitability of the facility.
Role of Administrator
The administrator of the assisted living facility acts as the project manager in this case, and therefore, their role is similar to that played by a project manager in normal projects. The administrator, in this case, is charged with the overall responsibility to initiate the changes, plan, design, execute, control, monitor, and close the project after its completion (Chakraborty and Chuan 993). One of the key roles of the administrator is to recognize that risks that face the project have a direct impact on the success of the process and that it is important to formally and informally measure them throughout the implementation process (Kendrick 13). Another role of the administrator is to interface or act as the link between the project and the owner of the business. Communicating and encouraging the need for the changes between the owner of the assisted living facility and the administrator is considered important in that it ensures the changes are implemented within the overall organizational strategy and capabilities, increasing the chances of success (Ludovic-Alexandre and Marle 1097). Without the continuous communication and change preparedness in the business, chances that disruptions and delays may occur tend to increase. The administrator is also responsible for monitoring the overall progress of the project and initiating any corrective action that may be necessary, adopting and applying quality strategies, standards, and methodologies such as Six Sigma (Serra and Kunc 54). The indication is that managing the overall administration of the project is the responsibility of the administrator.
Final Decision Making Authority
Effective decision-making requires the incorporation of the views of different stakeholders in an organization setting. It is vital to ensure that the interests of all stakeholders are balanced and that they all support the project (O’Sullivan 1386). In the case of the assisted living improvement project, there are two main stakeholders who are critical to decision-making, and these are the owner of the facility and the administrator. Since this is considered to be a normal business, the owner of the business has final decision-making authority, although this is exercised through an agency relationship with the administrator (O’Sullivan 1387). The owner has selected the administrator (manager) to manage their interests in the facility, and thus they serve as their agent (Kendrick 15). The indication is that the decisions made by the administrator are in the best interest of the owner and the facility, and they must be made in consultation with the owner. It can, therefore, be concluded that the owner of the assisted living facility is the final decision-making authority.
Conclusion/Final Decision
The project to adopt a patient-centered programming in the assisted living facility will affect various stakeholders and, therefore, their interests and values should be incorporated during the planning and design stage. However, as noted above, the owner of the assisted living facility is the final decision-making authority although this function is exercised by the facility administrator who acts as the owner’s agent. The administrator is also the project manager and thus assumes the different roles that ensure the project is implemented successfully. In addition, the use of Six Sigma by incorporating the DMAIC methodology in the implementation of the program is an illustration of the need for a guided and structured way of project implementation, thus increasing the chances of success. In conclusion, it is expected that with the inclusion of the views of the various stakeholders, the new patient-centered program at the assisted living facility will improve service delivery and, consequently, the success of the business as a whole.
Ethical Principles Illustrated
The implementation of this program at the assisted living facility illustrates two main principles related to the provision of healthcare. The principle of beneficence is shown when the owner of the facility feels the need for a patient-centered program, to ensure their patients receive the best care (Schroder-Back et al. 3). Additionally, the principle of non-maleficence is also illustrated where some staff members are concerned that the changes may interfere with their commitment to do no harm to the patients (Schroder-Back et al. 3).These considerations are a clear indication that the implementation was conducted in an ethical manner.
Summary of Learning
Evaluating and analyzing the case study was an important experience in that I learned about issues related to stakeholder management in the context of project implementation and management. In addition, I realized the role of the administrator, who in this case acted as the project manager. Overall, analyzing the case on the introduction of a patient-centered program at the assisted living facility was an important learning experience where the content can be applied in my future professional work.