Understanding workflow design principles and implementation

Workflow Design

The author of this response has been asked to offer a summary of three concepts or terms that relate to workflow design, what they really mean and how they can be applied in the medical/nursing field in particular. The author will do just that in the next section. All three of the terms are strongly inter-related with one another.

Process Improvement

A process is any set of steps or procedures that people generally follow during the course of completing their work. As technology, laws, ethics and other frameworks change and evolve over the years, this requires a change, or at least a consistent reexamination, of the processes and procedures used to make sure they are still current and they are not wasteful or dangerous. The "wasteful" angle will be covered later in this response (University of Michigan, 2013).

In short, a process should be evaluated and changed as needed based on the efficacy, applicability and properness of the procedure in the modern context. This process should not be excessive or pointless but it needs to happen often enough so that deficiencies in the process are spotted early on and thus can be corrected in an expedient fashion. Doing otherwise in a medical setting can put lives and reputations at stake. The author of this response would make it a point to always pay attention to how well a process works and whether it can work better (University of Michigan, 2013).

Modeling

Part of the process improvement process is mapping out what is currently done, ascertaining what (if anything) is wrong or lacking with the current framework and then finding ways to improve, correct or streamline the process. This is known as modeling and this is the general task that all process improvement research should follow in some manner or form. Workflow diagrams including how data flows, what personnel must or should be involved and how all of this fits together is a part of the modeling process. The author of this response would use modeling to diagram and map out what is being done and why and perhaps figuring out where things can be improved (University of Michigan, 2013).

Inefficiency

As touched upon earlier, and as will be delved into much more deeply in this section, inefficiency is a major metric that can and should be evaluated when undergoing evaluations of process improvement or any other angle or review of a process or its parts. Inefficiency can lead to wastes of money and/or put lives at risk so it is important that any process or task is as basic as it needs to be but not too basic that important things are glossed over or missed. There needs to be a balance between spending only the money that is necessary while at the same time making sure that all the necessary milestones and performance measures are met.

Going too cheap on such metrics will lead to inopportune shortages and other calamities while spending too much time or money leads to waste and more pressing and urgent issues getting delayed or even missed. The author of this response would make sure to have all necessary resources and supplies on hand while not being wasteful.

Technology's Effects on Workflow & Article Review

The author of this response has been asked to offer an opinion on the impact of technology on workflow. It is important to use technology as a tool and to use it adeptly but technology is no replacement for common sense and people need to remember that a computer or measurement tool is only as smart as the person using it. Technology can be a huge part of process improvement success but only if it's used in a common-sense and gifted way.