Performance Improvement Project for Buck Lake Animal Hospital
Project Overview
Context: This project was completed as part of the EME 6691 Performance Systems Analysis course at Florida State University. The project assignment had classmates form small teams to work together with an approved real-world client and address a specific performance issue the client was experiencing.
Conditions: I worked with my team to complete this project from start to finish for the duration of the semester. The professor gave our team the client information and provided us with support as we progressed through the different phases of the performance improvement analysis. The professor was originally a customer of the client, Buck Lake Animal Hospital, and she gave a brief explanation of the performance issues the client was facing. Our team developed all the remaining objectives, analysis, and intervention recommendations. This final report is based on the findings from three other reports created by the team during the semester including an Organizational and Environmental Analysis, a Gap and Cause Analysis, and an Intervention and Selection report.
Scope: This report represents that final submission and what was presented to the client. The report was submitted to the client, but we are unaware if any of the recommended solutions or interventions were implemented.
Role: I worked with three other team members to complete this project. I was the team’s project manager, and my responsibilities included scheduling team meetings, writing, and disseminating meeting notes, and ensuring that all team members were on track to meet their project responsibilities by the deadline. While this report represents a culmination of work done in an entire semester, as mentioned above in the conditions section, the team split responsibilities to ensure each section was completed. My concentration for this report was the evaluation section.
Below is a list of the competencies and how they were demonstrated on this project.
Methodology - Four step approach to complete the analysis
Methodology Models – ISPI Performance Improvement Model & Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model
Findings – Major performance gaps & causes
Intervention Selection and Final Recommendation
Communication Skills
Communicate effectively in written, oral, and visual formats.
Produce clear, concise, and grammatically correct messages.
Facilitate meetings to achieve agenda and goals.
Use appropriate tools to communicate with learners, clients, and other stakeholders.
Practice active listening.
The purpose of this performance improvement project was to help Buck Lake Animal Hospital (BLAH) continue to deliver on its organizational mission of providing the highest quality medical care and customer service experience for their patients by resolving the human performance issues that were hindering the organization. I along with three other team members worked to help identify and solve these problems. We named our team the Human Pawformance Technologists (or Paws team for short) based on the subject matter and each team member’s common love for animals. Developing this report involved systematic and methodical analysis of BLAH's organization and office environment, identifying performance gaps, analyzing their causes, recommending solutions, and implementing an evaluation plan to ensure the effectiveness of interventions. We also spoke with key stakeholders, communicated with different team members of the BLAH office, and generated a comprehensive final report of our findings, analysis, and recommendations.
All these actions could have only been accomplished by using highly effective communication skills to produce clear messages for our clients and work efficiently as a team. We practiced active listening when interacting with our clients to make sure we were hearing everything they had to say and not become distracted or influenced by any previous biases or preconceived assumptions. The Paws team was fully remote with different members located across the country. We held weekly team meetings to give progress updates, express ideas or concerns, and work through any challenges with our effective communication skills to avoid any confusion or frustration regarding expectations or team member responsibilities.
Most importantly, this report holds valuable information for BLAH to reach its organizational goals. We needed to make sure we were communicating the critical information so that they could comprehend our analysis and follow through on the proposed intervention solutions.
Analysis Skills
Analyze learning and performance problems to recommend appropriate solutions.
Use a variety of analysis practices such as performance system analysis, needs assessment, goal, task, learner, and context analysis.
Use appropriate data collection methods and tools to conduct analyses.
Analyze content from a variety of human and non-human sources.
Write analysis reports and disseminate findings to stakeholders.
To determine the most appropriate interventions for BLAH, the Paws team used a four-step approach to understanding the performance issues, and then recommended interventions to solve performance problems within the office. For our first step we needed to define the performance problem. After interviewing the office manager, Paula, we learned that BLAH had an employee retention issue with their receptionist department. All newly hired receptionist trainees had quit within a couple of weeks of their start date and could not fill the position. The lack of staff in the reception area caused problems throughout the entire practice.
Next, the Paws Team conducted an Environmental and Organizational Analysis, gathering details on the office environment and organization. This included studying day-to-day operations and office flow, leading to the creation of a workplace flowchart to map the patient intake process and information flow from the front desk area throughout the office. We also researched Google and Facebook reviews for BLAH to see how other customers were responding to the performance issues.
The team conducted a Gap and Causal Analysis to determine ideal and current performance in the reception area, identify performance gaps, and explore potential causes. The ISPI Human Performance Technology Model and Gilbert’s Performance Behavior Engineering Model guided our analyses of perceived performance gaps among positions in the office. Interventions were chosen based on findings from previous reports that the team had conducted.
Data collection for our Gap and Cause Analysis and our Interventions came from three major sources. Firstly, the Office Manager at BLAH provided insights throughout the process. Secondly, Dr. Linda Smith, a longtime customer of BLAH, was interviewed over a Zoom call. Lastly, surveys were conducted among Receptionists and Vet Techs to identify areas for improvement in training, retention, and workflow. Despite limited responses, the data informed the Gap and Cause Analysis.
Following the gap analysis, the team conducted a causal analysis to identify potential contributing factors to the gaps. Feedback from the Office Manager, Customer, and surveys highlighted overwhelming patient volume as a significant issue. Findings suggest that the introduction of a third Doctor exacerbated performance gaps, leading to challenges in training receptionists and maintaining standards. This, in turn, affected receptionists' confidence and led to role confusion between Receptionists and Vet Techs. These interconnected issues contribute to scheduling and checkout errors, disrupting office flow. Overall, high patient volume and understaffing have led to task saturation for receptionists, resulting in errors.
Implementation Planning
Incorporating the online patient portal
Evaluation Strategy
Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model / Intervention Recommendations / Defining Success / Performance Goals
Design Skills
Apply learning theory and systems thinking to design practice.
Design interventions to address learning and performance.
Work with team members to design interventions.
Provide a rationale for design decisions.
The team identified four performance gaps: receptionist retention, training support for new hires, role clarification in relation to hierarchy necessity in tasking, and incorrect booking and scheduling.
We offered three key recommendations to address identified performance gaps. Firstly, we recommended BLAH should enhance training for newly hired receptionists by increasing the qualifications and skills required for the position during the interview process. Secondly, creating a job aid based on the training manual can support trainees in their duties amid time and staffing constraints. Lastly, implementing the patient portal application, Buck Lake Mobile App, can alleviate overwhelmed receptionists by providing online access to billing, appointments, patient information, and medication inquiries.
To provide aid in coming up with ways to implement the suggested interventions, John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change was consulted. This gave us ideas of where the office may struggle, what the office should focus on when leading change, and where resistance could be met. Based on the interventions we developed we provided a plan for implementing each of them. This included expanding the candidate search using local job agencies, working with recruiters, or using online resources. To create a new training manual for new hires BLAH could use free online sources or software that they already possess on their computer. BLAH could also partner with local students or recent college graduates who are looking to expand their portfolio or complete volunteer work. BLAH would also experience short term wins from implementing the mobile app like cutting down on mistakes and creating more accessibility for their clients.
Evaluation and Research Skills
Design and develop formative and summative evaluation plans.
Develop a communication, implementation, and monitoring plan.
Provide a rationale for evaluation decisions.
For the evaluation strategy, the Paws team recommends that BLAH conduct a Summative Evaluation on the intervention recommendations. Summative evaluation focuses on the immediate effectiveness of a performance intervention after it is implemented. The evaluation should occur within the first 90 days of the intervention being implemented. To help guide the Summative Evaluation, The Paws Team recommends that BLAH use Kirkpatrick’s Evaluation Model to evaluate the outcomes of the intervention recommendations on four different levels. Success criteria vary by intervention: retention of newly hired receptionists, reduction of common errors through job aid use, and decreased errors due to staff overload via the patient portal's functionalities.
These interventions require both quantitative and qualitative data metrics from various stakeholders, including customers, trainees, and office management. We recommend a mix of data collection methods. For instance, management should conduct direct observations of trainees following the new interview standards and job aid implementation, noting performance improvements, perceived mistakes, and required supervision time at the 30-60-90-day marks. Additionally, interviews, surveys, or questionnaires should gather qualitative data within the same timeframe from receptionist trainees, receptionists, and vet techs regarding job aid effectiveness and trainee progress. Regarding the Buck Lake Animal Hospital Mobile App, management can gather qualitative feedback from receptionists and customers through interviews, surveys, or questionnaires, while quantitative data from app stores and reviews can provide insights into its success.
Management Skills
Establish project scope and goals.
Manage project personnel.
Collaborate with team members, clients, and stakeholders.
Use appropriate management tools.
When communicating with the office manager, we outlined our project's scope and goals. Given Buck Lake's busy nature, we opted for efficiency, conducting interviews, and deploying staff surveys. Our client liaison conducted multiple interviews with the office manager to grasp day-to-day operations and potential improvement areas. The team set internal deadlines and maintained communication regarding any missed deadlines or needed assistance. We utilized digital calendars for organization.
Personal & Interpersonal Skills
Collaborate effectively with others.
Give and receive constructive feedback.
Build positive relationships with team members, clients, and other stakeholders
For this project I worked together with three other team members to create our final report, executive summary, and executive summary PowerPoint presentation. The members of the Paws team worked collaboratively with one another to ensure the successful achievement of the client’s desired performance goals. Each team member had their own roles and responsibilities including client liaison, team leader, project manager, and project analyst. The Paws team also strived to have a collaborative partnership with our client as we valued a high customer service experience. As a group effort, we consistently offered and received constructive feedback on individual responsibilities and project contributions. Meetings with the professor also provided valuable input, resulting in a robust work product and growth as performance improvement specialists.
To access the full Executive Summary presentation and Final Report, click on the links below: