How we created a mobile application to replace the current manual approach to scheduling for traveling nurses.

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES

Our client needed to create a mobile application to replace the current manual approach to scheduling for their traveling nurses. Their existing model was inefficient and involved printed schedules, which put Patient Health Information (PHI) at risk of potential exposure and violation of HIPAA regulations. The client’s development schedule included aggressive release deadlines, including production of a working first release of the mobile app within three months. Given the tight timelines, project team continuity and efficient assimilation into the client’s development environment was critical.

SOLUTION

To meet the client’s aggressive timelines, our engagement team, including our digital practice SME, collaborated with client stakeholders to understand the application requirements and the level of effort to successfully meet the release schedule. We created a customized screening and onboarding process in order to accelerate resource identification and integration to the project. We then built a project team uniquely equipped to create a mobile app to accomplish the client’s goals. The team included:

  • A Project Manager/Scrum Master
  • DevOps Engineer
  • Three Service Developers

In order to maintain team consistency and control attrition, we also built a structured high-touch retention strategy. Our engagement team delivered weekly status updates to address development progress and monthly reporting around workforce performance to guarantee application releases were on time and any issues and risks were quickly addressed.

RESULTS

Our project team’s success increased productivity for the client’s nurses by making their scheduling process more efficient, which resulted in reduced down-time and more patient visits per day. The use of a mobile application also drastically reduced potential issues created by manual processes. Additionally, our engagement management program was able to deliver the application on time with a reduced cost by retaining the team for the entire project duration.