When planning a new institutional or commercial facility, it’s essential to scope the right concept before getting too far into the facility planning phase, according to Curtis Skolnick, managing director for CBRE Healthcare, in an article on Healthcare Facilities Today.
Planners are often asked to test a facilities concept, define the amount of space it will take, and determine the cost to complete. These questions are useful in the early concept phase of a project, but the basis for planning is missing. What am I solving for, and how does this potential bricks-and-mortar solution meet a defined service, market, or strategic need of the organization?
Defining and documenting project scope — the project intention, goal, or purpose — at the outset and controlling scope throughout the planning and delivery process is essential to ensuring the project vision becomes reality. Ask yourself:
• What strategies and goals are we trying to achieve?
• What is the scope of the envisioned project, and how was it defined? Clearly defining the project, then articulating the scope and rationale to the team is paramount prior to launch.
Scope typically relates to:
• meeting the demands of the organization’s patients
• cultivating a new or expanded service line opportunity
• helping to improve throughput and operations
• fixing an infrastructure or standard-of-care issue
• scope control/communicating clear scope of work
• attaining successful project definition.
Rushing into design and construction without clearly defining the project scope can lead to project delay and frustration later in the process. If each team member cannot clearly articulate the project’s scope, stop and get everyone on the same page. Establish measurable project goals early to stay on track.
This Quick Read was submitted by Cathryn Jakicic, Healthcare Industries Editor, FacilitiesNet. For more about hospital campuses and other medical facilities, visit https://www.facilitiesnet.com/healthcarefacilities.
