Retaining IT talent in healthcare continues to be a tall order for many organizations. In my role as an IT project management executive, I look for business domain knowledge as well as knowledge of the healthcare industry and how that works. It takes people time to get up to speed in order to really add the most value that they can. That means applying their technical skills to their business domain knowledge. I look at this as a simple equation: 100 percent effectiveness = 80 percent technical skills + 20 percent industry insight.
With that backdrop, it’s not surprising that my overall strategy has always been to help people see the bigger picture while also helping them focus and giving them specific guidance. I’m more of an educator around processes, which in an organization of our size is about far more than just claims. Even within claims there are many different sub-processes, so it’s very easy to get lost in the details, nuances, and information that we come across.
Learning for me is the ultimate motivating opportunity — it helps people feel like they’re making a big contribution and becoming more successful. You must explain why this is important, where it all fits in, and how it's connected to the larger business environment. Because we all love to learn. We all like to think we’re not just bricklayers, but we’re actually building a cathedral. That’s the strategy I’ve used, and I think it’s been fairly successful.
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Jen Skrabak, PMP, PfMP, MBA, is a senior level project executive, leading high profile business and technology transformation projects, programs, and portfolios. She currently serves as the leader for the Program Management Office at a Fortune 15 company, and has over 18 years of professional experience across broad industries such as healthcare, biotechnology, entertainment, and financial services. Her recent accomplishments include establishing a PMO Center of Excellence that includes both PMs and BAs, implementing a global $50 million program across multiple sites, and managing a $500 million portfolio. She has a successful track record of delivering business transformation initiatives – including Enterprise Resource Planning/SAP, Manufacturing Execution System, E-health platform, Project Portfolio Management System, Document Management System, Automated Plasma Disposition System, Laboratory Information Management System, Clinical Drug Supply System, Business Process Management, Learning Management System, and Operational Excellence programs.
