Needs Assessment

About the exercise

• Schedule
  • Topic of each session, duration
  • People from the client team needed for different parts
  • People from Bahmni team participating
  • Dates
• Communication Channel (if done remotely)
  • Tools
• Materials shared before the exercise
  • Schedule
  • Prior understanding
  • Questionnaire

Current Situation

• Client's organisation profile and structure
• Services provided by the client and the health facilities from which these services are provided
  • Types of service (out-patient, in-patient, surgery, lab, community care etc.)
  • Number and types of providers, patients (per day/week)
  • Nature of the facility (always open, few days a week, on need basis)
• Current information systems in place
  • Technical details of the system
  • Departments in which it is used
  • Issues with current system
  • Ability to Export data in .CSV or .XLS format
• Infrastructure
  • LAN
  • Power backup for servers
  • Internet connectivity

Requirements

• Primary objective of the system
  • Drivers (e.g. data entry, point of care use, reporting, patient care outcome improvements)
• As is process understanding

• Department (Service/Location) based breakup of requirements

  • Functions that need to be supported
  • Type of users and workload details
  • Internet connectivity at these locations (if it is outside the hospital)
  • Any paper forms and files used in as-is process
  • List of current reports (Electronic and Paper based). Reports needed by each department. Reports sent to the government.
  • Printouts required in each department
• Organisational requirements

  • Reports sent to government

• Typical requirements that may get missed
  • How a patient is identified
  • PACS integration
  • Detailed understanding of the processes that would be supported by "modules not implemented anywhere in Bahmni"
  • Do they perform any surveys? Is it expected that Bahmni would be a solution for that too?
  • Is money taken only at billing? Or it is at multiple places?
• Data migration requirements (import existing data)
  • Would the required reference data and meta-data be provided by the client, or is available in the old system, or would have to be created from scratch?
• High level milestones or releases in which new system could be rolled out
• Artefacts to get
  • image of paper forms
  • sample of database extract

Solution

• Mapping requirements to Bahmni's features
• Infrastructure assessment
• Deciding server configuration
• Projection of number of client devices required
• Identification of gaps (between requirements and Bahmni features). Things that need to be developed in product.

Engagement

• IT/Data people availability who have to administer or implement Bahmni. Familiarity with the following:
  • Network
  • Linux, Windows
  • Excel (macros?)
  • SQL
• Engagement model (TW, Implementer and Client)

End Deliverables Expected

• Software (modules in Bahmni)
• Implementation of Bahmni
  • Individual items that would be configured from this checklist.
• Integration with other systems
• Bahmni deployment
• Data migration from existing systems
• Training to people
  • System administrator
  • End user
  • Local implementation team

Tips

• If something seems unrealistic then ask question about whether it is aspirational?
• When deciding the release size, the trade-off is between travel costs and size of release (also organisation change as a result)
• Keep updating your plan as needed, this is just a guide
• To find out about the skill levels, just asking directly is the best way.
• Try ice-breakers if you feel awkward starting off. Introductions generally are enough though
• Figure out when to give a demo during this exercise

(If you find that there are things missing in this list then please add to it)