Science or art: risk and project management in healthcare

Despite its rapid growth in recent literature, risks in project management have received limited critical attention when compared to Lean principles and total quality management. The aim of this article is to examine the ongoing dialogue within health services funders and providers concerning the relationship between project management and its relationship to hard and soft environmental risk factors. The failure of high profile projects and cost to the taxpayer is on the increase. This article argues that the lack of understanding in relation to a holistic assessment of project success factors contributes to increased risk of failure. It argues that greater emphasis is needed on placing risk relative to both operational and cultural factors, as opposed to the frequent use of prescriptive mechanistic methodologies. These changes have the potential not merely to improve the success rates of healthcare management projects, but health outcomes too

Case Study 3 - Curriculum design to improve graduate employment

In response to increasing global recognition of the significant contribution of Project Management (PM) to worldwide economic development, the curriculum changes I instigated and led changed the curriculum for many degrees offered by Kingston University. Kingston now offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with embedded PM modules and training at FBSS, GISMA, Mumbai and the Computing and Engineering Schools with a total of 938 postgraduate and 312 undergraduates currently enrolled in training for 2020/1 modules and courses. My recognition of the changing job market influenced changes in our collaboration and engagement with employers that impacted on the curriculum content to include skills and knowledge relevant to today’s business need that later included embedding professional qualifications in the curriculum. The consistent rise in Kingston University ratings to reach the top 40 Universities in the UK is matched by the increasing student recruitment to my modules and courses and improvement in employment of Business School graduates. My courses attract a high number of BAME students for whom national graduate employment rates to high skilled jobs is lower compared to other ethnic groups. A positive Impact of this approach is the high employment figures for our graduates that goes against the national trend