NHS Computer System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

NHS Computer System - Research Paper Example Project management is further explained in five processes including initiation, planning, execution, controlling and closure. Moreover, it involves other knowledge areas such as time, scope, expenditure, risks involved, quality, commucation, procurement and even, integration at times (Milosevic 2003). The activities managed by the project team include identifying requirements, managing the expectations of stakeholders, and competing for time, scope, risk, cost, and quality. Projects are always marred by deviations from the scope, objectives and execution, and this has pushed project managers to link and harmonise change management, project control and risk management. This is because risks usually arise from inefficiency in management and inadequate documentation of changes (Heldman & Heldman 2007). Frame (2003) explains the importance of readiness by the project team to deal with changes and that it is risky to ignore a project’s environmental impacts and adequate information in the planning stage. According to Kerzner (2006), change and risk management is important as it reduces the number and level of surprises. He further he explains that risks and changes are â€Å"hand in hand† as risks are usually created by changes. NHS computer system NHS computer system was created under the functioning of UK Department of Health, and the system was produced to deliver the NHS National Programme which falls under IT (NPfIT). NPfIT was, however, initiated by the Department of Health of England which was given the task of shifting England`s National Health Service (NHS) to an integrated, electronic care record which can be centrally managed for patients, also which has the capacity... The NHS program has recently come under criticism especially with Department of Health refusing to give solid information about its progress to external observers. This has even led to academics in computer related fields to write a letter to the Health Select Committee raising concern about the program. The government has also been under fire for its apparent reluctance to evaluate and audit the program, and in case the development of the policy gets failed, i.e. the ICT policy proposed tends to cost less and benefit more, much evidence regarding technology is lacking.In 2009, the Public Accounts Committee reported that, the risks to the deployment system are getting higher and further termed in as being â€Å"as serious as ever,† whereby they further continued to say that the base of the project is now almost â€Å"way off the pace†, at this point further indicating the revision date which has already been extended i.e. the completion due date of 2014-2015 is still in doubt especially in the aftermath of the Fujitsu's contract being terminated, which had to cover the South. Moreover, it was concluded that there is already delay in essential systems, thus even if an effort to deploy the system is made, the clinical staff has high expectations which will not be possible to comply with. Furthermore, considering the current cost of the program, along with the managerial issues going on and also with the four IT providers being sacked, there has been an increase in the criticism going on about the project.