ADVANCE LABORATORY MANAGEMENT SKILLS

1. ADVANCE LABORATORY MANAGEMENT SKILLS TAREQ OBAID

2. StrategyA Manager’s Primary Responsibility • Directing the immediate operations of the laboratory. The day- to- day, and often minute- to- minute, activities of the laboratory. • Understanding the environment in which the laboratory functions, and anticipating potential problems that might arise within it. • Balancing their time and their many overlapping responsibilities with a well- organized approach.

3. Con. • Looking to the future and thinking about how major trends might affect the operation of the laboratory. • View changes in the operational environment as opportunities to make needed improvements in staffing, technology, and processes. • A good manager is a “high- performance” manager. The high- performance manager is:- • A Strategist – One who looks to the future, makes educated guesses about the major forces and trends he can see, and interprets them in terms of opportunities for growth and progress.

4. Performance Manager • A Problem Solver – One who clearly perceives the differences between the anticipated future and the unfolding present and decides what must be done. • A Teacher – One who guides others and helps them to identify and solve problems, so that they can perform their tasks effectively.

5. Planning Planning is the process of formulating objectives and determining the steps which will be employed in obtaining them. Strategic Planning • Strategic planning is a process whereby an organization defines its mission, identifies directions, develops a unified approach, prioritizes long- and short- term goals, assigns accountabilities, and allocates financial resources.

6. When we Plan, Must.. • Involve staff at every level in developing a strategic plan. gain feedback from individuals who really know what’s going on and who will be responsible for executing the plan. • Be flexible in developing a plan by circulating drafts and allowing people to provide feedback. • Ensure that everyone knows their responsibility for deployment of the plan and that feedback mechanisms are implemented. • The most carefully written plan will fail if those responsible for its execution do not know their roles, deadlines, and resource allocations.

7. The Objective Of Planning • The Objective Of Planning Is To Set An Achievable Course Of Action. • By Establishing Long- And Short- Term Goals, • Monitoring Progress, • And Establishing An Environment Where Day- To- Day Activities Are Well Controlled, Measurable, And Thoroughly Understood.

8. Selecting a Planning Group • A small, knowledgeable, and motivated group from within the laboratory should be assembled by the senior leader to participate in strategic planning. • Typically consisting of seven to eleven persons broadly representing the management level of the various organizational functions. • The group must contain key people from all areas of the laboratory. there should be executive- level representatives from all functional areas (for example, hematology, microbiology, chemistry, and immunology), as well as key administrative and support leaders (for example, sales, marketing, accounting, and billing).

9. Cont. • Other key people in the laboratory who possess a strong working knowledge of policies, procedures, technology, and processes should also be included. • The group must be large enough to be inclusive of all areas affected by the plan, but not so large that it is not conducive to a free exchange of ideas in a conversational setting.

10. Environmental Analysis • It is critical for a manager to be aware of the changes that are constantly occurring in the operational environment. Awareness of these changes is necessary during the planning process. • This awareness stems from active involvement and participation. • The manager must have professional affiliations to gain the insight and perspective of peers in other organizations. • Some examples include the American Petroleum Institute (API), Institute of Petroleum (IP) , the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Pathology, and the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)

11. Cont. • Laboratory managers must also regularly read laboratory- specific literature and journals. • An environmental analysis should be performed at the very beginning of the planning process. Reliable data should be gathered from every possible source. • These data should include financial information (trends, current fiscal situation, and projections), capital equipment inventories, personnel data, and laboratory- specific performance data. • The most important consideration in performing an environmental analysis is to be completely forthcoming about the internal and external factors that affect the laboratory.

12. Swot Analysis • The modern healthcare organization must appraise its strengths and weaknesses so that it can determine its future opportunities and environmental threats. • A necessary component of an environmental analysis is the careful consideration of the laboratory’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, often called a SWOT analysis. • Comparing the laboratory’s existing strengths to known opportunities makes it possible to put concrete strategies in place to capitalize on those opportunities. Using the same approach, matching the laboratory’s known weaknesses to actual environmental threats is useful in avoiding costly mistakes.

13. Vision and Mission Statements • At the beginning of the planning process a vision statement should be written to articulate what the organization seeks to become. • A vision statement should be lofty in its ideals. It should state a common purpose, and it should express the long- term goal of the organization. • An example of a vision statement, from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Department of Pathology, states, “Our vision is to become a preeminent Department of Pathology in the United States, which is recognized for excellence in biomedical research, the education of healthcare professionals, and the innovative application of science and technology to the diagnosis and management of human disease.

14. Vision and Mission Statements • A mission statement for the laboratory should also be developed at the beginning of the planning process. • A mission statement answers certain fundamental questions about the organization, such as What is our purpose?, In what activities will we be engaged to accomplish that purpose?, and What are our basic values and shared beliefs? • An example of a mission statement, also from the VCU Department of Pathology, states, “The mission of the Department of Pathology is to provide high- quality, cost-effective pathology services in a manner that supports the patient care, education, and research missions of the VCU Health System Academic Medical Center and the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.”

15. Goals and Strategies • The planning group should develop a list of goals and strategies that will guide laboratory management decisions for a period of time. • An example of a goal is “to enhance laboratory revenue by increasing referral testing from external sources.” This is a clear statement of something that the laboratory will try to achieve. • A strategy is an action taken to reach a goal. Every stated goal can have numerous strategies. For this example, a strategy relevant to the above goal might be to “hire a marketing director to develop business and increase referrals from community hospitals.”

16. Prioritization In planning, as in every other aspect of effective management, it is necessary to assign priority by weighing the importance of the tasks at hand to determine which have the highest level of immediate importance. Therefore, planning is often a struggle between “must do” and “want to do” decisions. Accountability An effective plan must have built- in accountability for all objectives and strategies. This means attaching specific names to specific action items. If everybody is accountable for a certain task, then nobody will take proprietary ownership to make certain that the task is done correctly and in a timely way.

17. Measuring Success (Metrics) • Once a strategic plan is drawn, a process of implementation must be followed to track advancement toward completion of specific aims. • The actual strategic plan is articulated in a document that lists the goals, strategies, accountabilities, and deadlines. • Progress in planning must be monitored with thorough, quantifiable measurements. • Metrics, or standards of measurement that accurately gauge progress, must be attached to each goal. That which cannot be measured cannot be managed. Therefore, great care must be taken in assigning metrics that are appropriate to the goals.

18. Cont. • A regular reporting mechanism must be established to review progress, reevaluate priorities, and make updates based on a constantly changing operating environment. • The ideal venue for reviewing metrics is a regularly scheduled meeting attended by everyone who has assigned accountabilities. • At this meeting, accountable people are asked to report upon the progress made on their assignments. • A regular reporting forum helps to maintain momentum by removing the human inclination to procrastinate. Monthly, or perhaps even weekly, meetings should be scheduled to discuss progress toward stated goals and objectives.

19. A strategic planning process includes the following steps • Select a knowledgeable planning group. • Perform an environmental analysis. • Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. • Make a manageable and realistically achievable list of goals. • Prioritize goals. • Develop strategies to accomplish goals. • Assign accountabilities and timelines. • Measure progress with metrics. • Review progress and make updates on a regular basis.

21. Organizing • Organizing is the process of structuring activities, materials, and personnel for accomplishing predetermined objectives. • One of the most important functions of a manager is to organize the activities of the laboratory in such a way that use of time is carefully considered so that effort is minimized while output is maximized. • The difference between profit and loss is often determined by how well the resources and workflow of the laboratory are organized

22. Organizational Chart • An organizational chart shows hierarchical relationships between functional areas. It is a visual depiction of the organization. It helps to clarify workflow, reporting lines, and areas of responsibility by explicitly listing delineated work areas, be it by division, laboratory, or medical specialty. • A laboratory manager possesses authority within the organization if he has the right to issue instructions that others are expected to follow. The organizational chart serves as a visual aid for evaluating each of these basics. • The organizational chart also attempts to show relationships between line and staff. In this organizational concept, a line position is one in which a superior exercises direct supervision over a subordinate.

23. Time Management • The surest way to be well organized is to develop a structured approach to time management. • Every hour of a manager’s day is occupied with urgent concerns and pressing issues. • Without a disciplined time management system, a manager can quickly become overwhelmed, consumed by the demands of small crises.

24. Approaches To Time Management • Your office email system very likely has a calendar function built in. Google, Lotus Notes, BlackBerry, Outlook, and Yahoo! all have calendar functions, and there are many other choices. • There are hand- held personal digital assistant products and programs for desktop computers, smart phones, and laptops. • A traditional paper calendar book can still be quite useful.

25. Time Management System Allows A Manager To: • Minimize time wasted on nonproductive issues • Be prepared for meetings • Be aware of existing commitments • Understand the capacity to take on new assignments and when to say “no” • Plan each day’s work efficiently and effectively • Make certain that no project (large or small) is neglected

26. Workflow • A laboratory manager must be a master of all the interconnected processes within the laboratory, or organizing tasks in a particular way to accomplish a specified result. • Analysis of workflow within a laboratory often identifies inefficiencies that can be corrected, resulting in a more productive process. • This analysis should include an evaluation of equipment, technology, information services, computer systems, physical layout, and location of resources. • The important tool for analyzing workflow is the flowchart. Process design flowcharting is a fact- gathering technique used to make the effort of a task visible by writing down what is done.

27. Staffing • A successful laboratory is dependent on good leadership, and good leadership is dependent on the quality and loyalty of employees. The selection process is critical in matching people and their skills with the appropriate jobs. • A manager must ensure that efficient staffing is maintained at all times. The best- equipped laboratory will not function at top efficiency if it is improperly staffed. • Accurate staffing must be pegged to the organizational chart, taking into consideration how each laboratory component serves the ultimate mission of the laboratory as a whole.

28. Staffing • Staffing should be a topic of discussion in the strategic planning process. A well- thought- out strategic plan considers staffing, and the resulting carefully considered staffing models enable a manager to make long- term predictions about future staffing needs. • Plan- based staffing decisions remove much of the guesswork, thus allowing a manager to stay ahead of staffing issues and providing lead- time to hire and train efficiently. • Specifically, staffing of a laboratory is a two- step process. The initial step is to set up a table of organization denoting laboratory structure and chain of command.

29. Directing • Directing is the process of influencing people to attain predetermined objectives. • A manager is a director of people and activities. Staff members require and expect direction in their activities. The action of management is in directing people in their activities.

30. Communicating • No matter how great the plan or how talented the person, if managers cannot communicate effectively with other members of the team, their ideas and inputs are doomed. • Although it is not listed as a separate management process, communication is an integral part of each management function. It is embedded in every action taken. • Clear written and verbal communication— from manager to employee, from employee to manager, between managers, and between peers— influences every action. • Without it, there is no effective way of articulating expectations, expressing concerns, providing feedback, and ensuring that policies are implemented.

31. Communicating Flows • Downward communications travel from the superior to the immediate subordinate. Downward communications are used to transmit information and instruct employees in the performance of their jobs. • Upward communication travels from the subordinate to the immediate supervisor, and it is used to provide feedback on how things are going. • Lateral communication takes place between people on the same level of authority within an organization, and it is used for promoting coordination and teamwork. • Diagonal communication occurs between people who are neither in the same department nor on the same level of authority within the organization. Diagonal communication is used for cutting across organizational boundaries in an effort to save time.

32. The Elements Of Successful Communication Are • Listening • Empathy • Trust • Continuous communication • Consistency • Clarity • Honesty • Multidirectional • Verbal and nonverbal methods of communication • Active communication

33. Delegating • Delegation is the process of selecting people from a very limited pool (current job incumbents) to perform a task. • When a manager delegates work to someone, that manager is predicting that the employee will meet performance expectations. Therefore, do not delegate to an individual until it is clearly understood that the person can deliver as required. • Wisely delegated assignments can only be made if the manager has a strong and current knowledge of the processes and procedures of the laboratory.

34. Managing Change • A manager’s challenge in managing change is to reduce the instinctive resistance to it by presenting it in a way that gives staff members reason to understand that the change will bring an improvement. • A change in procedure is a response to an unsatisfactory situation and the desire to improve an outcome. • When implementing a procedural change, a manager must be very careful to communicate with staff members to assure them that their performance is not being criticized and that their jobs are not threatened.

35. Whenever changes are introduced in a laboratory, it is important to remember the “laws of organizational change.” • People don’t resist change; they resist being changed  . If you want their cooperation, you’ve got to keep them on board for every step of the change. Ask for their opinions. What do they hope will happen? • Things are the way they are simply because they got that way. Somebody, sometime, had to write the policy or create the process that you are now trying to change. • Unless things change, they are likely to remain the same. If you want improvement, people will need to change the way they work. • Change would be easy if it weren’t for all the people.

36. Coaching • Coaching is providing a person or group with the guidance, support, and confidence to enable them to enhance their performance continuously. • Guidance enables someone to develop his or her skills and knowledge appropriately. • Support means being there when you’re needed. • Confidence means believing in someone so that they can believe in themselves and perform effectively. • Continuously means all the time! Coaching is not something which is turned on and off like a tap.

37. Controlling • Controlling is the process of determining that everything is going according to plan. • A manager must review the current situation in the laboratory to ensure that there are no unattended details. • The best way to avoid big problems is to address and solve small problems before they have a chance to become resource hogs that drain productivity and threaten accuracy. • By controlling the details, a manager ensures that the laboratory functions at the highest possible level of efficiency.

38. URHere Co.Company Background • URHere was founded in 1967 by Owen Trikum, who built and tested his first device with an approved Chilean government satellite linkage. • URHere one of seven companies manufactured global positioning systems equipment worldwide, including two major US competitors and one significant European competitor. • Given its strong technology focus, URHere Co. managed to remain number one in market share, but profits and share had been eroding.

39. Con. • The company was depending on traditional processes, and failed to keep up with the competition with its non engineering- or nonmanufacturing-related activities. • Thus, its inefficiency elsewhere in the organization (accounting, customer service, shipping, etc) caused it to bear increasing costs and become far less profitable than its nearby competitors. • However, its recent financial erosion was generating a very cold shoulder among existing and potential investors. Something had to change.

40. Strategy Map

41. URHere Co.Scenario • URHere executives decided to allocate additional resources to improve nonmanufacturing- and nonengineering-related functions and activities.. • They believe with a solid product and an energetic sales and marketing group, the company could grow further by strengthening their infrastructure. • They realized that they had become the perfect candidate for improved policies, methods, procedures, and activities known by many as business process improvement.

42. URHere Co.Structure of URHere Enterprise view.

43. URHere Co.Structure of URHere Micro credit view

44. Vision and GoalsBuild or Validate the Vision • When engaging an organization, we start with the review or development of vision, goals, and objectives. Business process improvement (BPI) takes place within an organization and must be cemented within that context. • A meeting conduct with URHere micro manager to dream up her perfect work life, detailing the kind of work she would be doing, how and where she would be working, and with whom. • The three things she wanted most were job excellence, a specific career path, and to work at an overseas asset.

45. Cont.The Challenge • URHere manager made a list of all the things that she could do - technical skills, hobbies, and competencies. • Then they assessed the skills she possessed to determine if they were enough to achieve the things she wanted. The answers were not always positive. • The final output was a detailed five-year plan that outlined ways she would develop the skills she lacked and hone existing skills. • URHere manager firmly established a vision, goals, objectives, and an action plan for going forward.

46. Cont.State the Vision • An organization’s vision is like the client’s dream. It is how the organization views itself when it is running at full steam, without constraints. • URHere’s micro credit business unit provides investment capital for micro entrepreneurs in village and impoverished regions. • Its vision is “To be the leading micro credit financial institution in the region, reduce poverty, encouraging savings and personal development throughout the organization, thus ensuring client satisfaction.

47. Cont.State the Vision • The elements of the vision are broken down as follows: • To be the leading micro credit financial institution in the region. • To alleviate poverty and encourage savings among customers by realizing the financial benefits of a global positioning system (GPS). • To ensure the personal and professional development of human capital. • To maintain a comparable annual rate of return for its funders.

48. Vision and GoalsCreating Vision • The business process improvement team can use the following questions to assist with the development or review of the organization’s vision:- • To what extent does the current vision give an idea of what this perfect day will be like? • Is the vision understood by most members of the organization? • How easily can this statement be translated by the employees? • How can we make this statement more tangible for employees? • Is the vision communicated to every member of the organization?

49. Cont.Set Goals • Goals must be aligned to support the vision; they must therefore make sense and add value by enabling measurement toward the vision. • Goals are the stepping-stones or milestones that support the what of the vision. • More specifically, goals answer the question, “What will it look like as we begin to realize and approach the vision?” • When the manager identified the three things she wanted, she was setting goals.

50. Cont.Set Goals • Start thinking about goals by answering these questions:- • What are the three to five things that you want the organization to achieve in the next two years, three years, or five years? • What will be different when we achieve our goals? • How will we know that we have achieved our goals? • How do these achievements relate to the organization’s vision?