Step 6: Implementing Your Action Plan

Step 6
Implementing Your Action Plan

Begin to implement the action plan.

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The action plan that you crafted in Step 5 comes to life as the Internet becomes integrated into your everyday business. Although every organization shares some common uses of the Internet, each will adapt it in a slightly different fashion.

In this section, you will see how HEALTHLINK 2000's implementation of Internet use took place. Although some of what occurred will sound familiar to you, your organization's experience will be unique. Some of what happens will go smoother than planned; other things might not work out quite as easily. A few weeks or months from now, however, you will be amazed at how far your organization has progressed as a member of the Internet community.

Overview: Implementing Your Internet Action Plan

No matter how much you have prepared your staff, introducing the Internet into your organization will have its stressful moments. Change is afoot. If you stay optimistic and focused on the goals of the action plan, your colleagues will work with you.

As you incorporate the Internet into your normal operations, keep these suggestions in mind:

1. Be patient. You cannot accomplish everything immediately.

2. Be flexible. Refer to your action plan as a guide, but remember that you may need to revise some parts of the plan as you implement it.

3. If you encounter significant problems, find out their cause. Is it a technology problem? Staff resistance? Or perhaps the goal is not as critical to your mission as you originally thought. A solution will be more apparent once you have identified the barrier.

4. Continue to talk to (or e-mail) other organizations to learn how they are using the Internet and how they have solved problems they have encountered. The organizations described in these case studies illustrate some examples, but you will come across many more on your own.

5. Keep the big picture in mind. While you are implementing the plan, think of your overall goals and whether the Internet is helping you achieve them.

Using the Action Plan as a Guide

Because every action plan and every organization is different, we cannot predict exactly how the introduction of the Internet will proceed for you and your co-workers. We can predict that you will have some very positive achievements, along with some frustrations. It will help if you recognize this as you start the implementation phase. That way, you—as your organization's Internet champion—will be better able to keep people focused on the fact that new systems take time to become part of the organization's normal way of doing business. If you have set realistic goals and tasks in your action plan, the plan will point the way and allow you to track progress.

HEALTHLINK 2000 TAKES THE PLUNGE

After assembling a core team to develop an action plan, Tina shared it with Joan, HEALTHLINK 2000's president, and the staff. In fact, several of the goals had already been accomplished. But more work lay ahead.

For Goal 1, introducing the Internet, Tina worked with a local ISP that was recommended to her by a colleague. A representative arranged a 90-minute presentation at his office. Tina worked with him beforehand to make sure that he showed health-related Web sites and discussion groups during the presentation.

For Goal 2, introducing the Internet and beginning to use it, Tina checked with a number of vendors before making her decisions. Looking for equipment and services was more time-consuming than she anticipated, but after three months, the office had Internet access and an e-mail account set up on its one computer. The first time that Tina successfully sent and received e-mail from a partner organization in the United States was exciting for the entire office.

Training was also time-consuming. Without the budget to hire an outside trainer for the entire staff, Tina conducted the training. Moreover, with only one computer, she knew it was difficult to try to get everyone to crowd around it for any length of time. Therefore, she trained one or two people at a time, usually at lunch or early in the morning.

For Goal 3, HEALTHLINK 2000 was to begin distributing its newsletter via e-mail. Tina worked with Sam, the newsletter editor, on this. They decided that they still needed a hard-copy version, and would introduce the e-mail version over time. They began by making it text-only and sending it to a small group of HEALTHLINK 2000 supporters for their feedback. In the meantime, they and the rest of the staff began routinely asking their outside associates for their e-mail addresses. Sam started compiling them.

For Goal 4, reducing by half the amount of money spent on international communications, HEALTHLINK 2000 is making progress, but slowly. HEALTHLINK 2000's business manager, who watches over the budget, cannot wait for this to happen. However, people are still in the habit of sending and receiving hard-copy faxes. The fact that the organization has only one computer deters more frequent use of the Internet. If someone else is using the computer, a staff person in a hurry uses the phone or fax, rather than waiting. However, the business manager shared the monthly accounts with the rest of the staff, and seeing the numbers definitely made an impression.

For Goal 5, HEALTHLINK 2000 was to review its progress in accomplishing the other goals of its plan. A description of how HEALTHLINK 2000 approached this goal is in the discussion of Step 7.

Are You Ready for the Next Step?

As your organization begins to use the Internet, you will be evaluating the process as part of your normal routine. Is the Internet benefiting your organization as you intended? Are you saving the time and money that you envisioned? Are you getting information out to your members more efficiently? Some aspects of the implementation will be working very smoothly, while others will need improvement. In Step 7, we will suggest some questions to ask and ways to evaluate whether you are meeting your goals with the Internet. We will also look ahead at new ways that the Internet can benefit your organization.

Step 5 | Table of Contents | Step 7