So it’s time to upgrade your system. Are you fork lifting it (total removal and installing new system) or are you updating your legacy system? It’s important to know the answer to these two choices. If you already know which path you’re taking, then you know there is a great difference in time involved for the upgrade.

In imaging, your choices are huge. From an overnight software upgrade to a months long replacement. These changes involve decisions being made from medical staff to imaging departments to CIOs.  Downtime is not to be taken lightly, even to the long in tooth Imaging professional. Sometimes we’re blessed with having test servers and VMs to assist in making the changes seamless. After confirmed testing of the new system or software, we can have that upgrade “go live”.

If we’re talking about system replacements or adding new workflow changing upgrades, there better be a Radiologist or Cardiologist involved. Don’t even think about moving forward with any changes without consulting and getting approval from the end users. Hopefully, they’ve already sat through numerous  demos and asked all the questions that are imperative to them. It would be smart to get a sign off list. Make sure you also understand what you are getting and understand the SOW (scope of work) and timeline.

Once work has been started, make sure you or an assigned member of your weekly progress team is keeping notes and assignments. Who’s responsible for what and where are we with progress. PMs should be holding meetings and they will hold you responsible for delays that aren’t brought up in the weekly meeting, so stay up to date and do what you’re assigned to do.

In our next discussion, we’ll go over system go lives.