Training activity information
Details
Identify projects taking place within a department and identify the policy or strategic drivers underpining the projects and perform a gap analysis between the projects and local strategy
Type
Developmental training activity (DTA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee.
Reflection on the activity at one or more time points after the event including learning from the activity and/or areas of the trainees practice for development.
An action plan to implement learning and/or to address skills or knowledge gaps identified.
Considerations
- Organisational strategies and policies
Reflective practice guidance
The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.
Before action
- How will you identify the relevant projects within the department? What sources of information will you use to understand the policy and strategic drivers?
- What insights do you hope to gain about how local projects are initiated and aligned with broader strategic goals? What do you already know about project management, policy drivers, and gap analysis at a departmental level? How do you expect to develop your skills in identifying connections between operational activities and strategic objectives? What do you anticipate learning about the challenges of ensuring project alignment within a department
- Discuss this activity with your training officer or relevant departmental staff to understand which projects to focus on and where to find information about their drivers and the local strategy. Familiarise yourself with the relevant local informatics strategy and any related departmental plans. Consider how you will document the policy drivers for each project and the methodology you will use for the gap analysis. Think about potential discrepancies you might find and how you will approach analysing these gaps. Reflect on your understanding of project lifecycles and strategic planning, and identify any areas where you need to refresh your knowledge.
In action
- What methods are you using to identify the projects and their underlying drivers? Who are you talking to or what documentation are you reviewing? Why have you chosen these methods?
- What decisions are you making about which policies or strategies are most relevant to each project? What criteria are you using to make these connections?
- Which aspects of identifying projects and their drivers feel straightforward based on your understanding of the department and its strategies? Where are you having to actively seek out information or make informed inferences?
- How effectively are you identifying the connections between projects and policies/strategies? Are you able to clearly articulate these links?
- What challenges are you facing in identifying projects, their drivers, or in performing the gap analysis? Are there projects where the drivers are unclear, or where alignment is difficult to assess?
- What are you learning about the relationship between projects and strategic drivers, and the process of gap analysis, as you undertake this activity?
- Are there alternative ways you could be identifying projects or their drivers, or performing the gap analysis
- Do you need to seek guidance on how to define project boundaries or identify strategic drivers more effectively?
- Are you ensuring your identification of projects, drivers, and the gap analysis remains within the scope of the departmental activities and local strategy?
On action
- Begin by listing the key projects you identified within the department. What policy or strategic drivers did you identify as underpinning these projects? Were these drivers clearly stated? What were the main gaps you found between the projects and the local strategy?
- What skills or knowledge did you develop or improve in identifying projects, their drivers, and performing a gap analysis? Did you gain a better understanding of how local strategy should guide departmental activities? Were there any difficulties in identifying the drivers or performing the gap analysis? What did you learn about the relationship between projects and strategy? How did your approach to gathering information and conducting the analysis (reflection-in-action) influence your findings? How is the ability to link projects to strategy and identify gaps important for your future professional practice?
- What areas do you need to develop further in your understanding of strategic alignment at a departmental level or in conducting gap analyses? How can you apply this learning to ensure that future projects you are involved in are strategically aligned? What ‘next steps’ will you take to enhance your skills in this area? What support or resources would be beneficial for your continued development?
Beyond action
- Considering your current understanding of departmental projects and strategic alignment, how would you approach identifying policy and strategic drivers now? Have you undertaken similar gap analysis exercises since this training activity? How does your current approach compare to your initial experience? Did discussions with your training officer or colleagues reveal other potential policy drivers or gaps you may have initially overlooked? Revisit your reflect-on-action notes. Has your understanding of the relationship between projects and local strategy deepened since this activity?
- Has your ability to identify policy drivers influenced how you understand the rationale behind departmental initiatives? How has performing a gap analysis contributed to your understanding of strategic implementation and potential misalignments? Has this experience helped you appreciate the importance of understanding the broader strategic context of projects within a department? Has it influenced how you consider the potential impact of policy on local activities?
- What analytical and problem-solving skills did you develop through this training activity that will be valuable in future project management or strategic planning roles? What further learning will you undertake to enhance your understanding of policy and strategy in driving departmental activities? How will your ability to identify strategic drivers and perform gap analyses contribute to your future effectiveness in ensuring projects align with organisational goals?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 |
Outcome
Critically appraise organisational informatics strategies in relation to national policy and strategy. |
| # 2 |
Outcome
Critically evaluate the application of quality control and quality assurance measures within organisational informatics strategies, including how patient care outcomes and patient safety are addressed. |
| # 3 |
Outcome
Perform and report gap and alignment analysis of projects against local and national strategies including recommendations to resolve issue identified. |
| # 4 |
Outcome
Identify drivers for projects, appraising the relationship to policy and strategy. |