Introduction
SDLC is a process consisting of a detailed plan describing all the parts concerning the development, maintenance, and modification of specific software. It is a methodology used to enhance the software’s quality and improve the overall engineering process (Modi et al., 2017). Thus, this software is crucial to creating and maintaining nursing documentation. Accordingly, the advantages and challenges of involving a nurse leader in the implementation of health information technology should be investigated.
Planning and Requirements Definition
It is significant to remark that the first step in a software development program is to identify the current problem. The next step within the SDLC is planning; it determines the new software’s requirements and analyzes the cost (Modi et al., 2017). In this phase, the team determines the requirements for the new software and examines the value required for it. Thus, it is crucial to involve a nurse who critically evaluates the hospital’s and other nurses’ needs. The nurse can draw on the experience of colleagues in other healthcare institutions to suggest effective methods of implementing the system and present them to the group. At the same time, the positive role of the nurse at this stage is to understand not only the needs of healthcare professionals but also the needs of patients (Modi et al., 2017). Accordingly, the nurse manager can draw up a plan for implementing a new document management system based on the hospital’s specific characteristics. It is not enough, though, for a nurse manager to develop an estimate and settle payment issues.
Analysis
The nurse may also analyze the granularity of risks and provide sub-plans to mitigate those risks. At this stage, a software requirements specification document is created. The nurse acts as an intermediary between software developers and hospital management. Accordingly, nurse manager involvement also has the advantage of defining clear definitions of product requirements (Modi et al., 2017). Therefore, in the case of an analysis of the high cost or absence of certain required functions, the nurse manager can promptly convey the information to the developers. Difficulties occur at the stage when planning related to quality assurance is needed since the nurse manager does not have sufficient knowledge of the technical approaches and methods of creating the program.
Design of The New System
The next phase in the software development lifecycle is product development. Thus, the positive role of the nurses is that the person can communicate with other nurses and evaluate their desires and requirements for the new workflow system. Accordingly, this phase defines the system elements, components, security level, modules, architecture, different interfaces, and data types operated by the system (Modi et al., 2017). Consequently, the information gathered by the nurse manager will allow the software to be fully adapted to the needs of the people who will interact with the workflow system. It is crucial to emphasize that the nurse manager can outline the system’s design with a pen on a piece of paper, but it will clearly indicate what the system should design and function accordingly (Modi et al., 2017). This will permit other team members to evaluate the potential appearance and responsiveness of the system based on the proposed design.
Implementation
It is significant to mention that this step incorporates feedback from final users. Depending on their response, changes and adjustments need to be made. In this phase, the nurse manager’s role is the most significant in the team because when the other team members decide on the cost of provisioning and technical support, the system functions need to be tested (Modi et al., 2017). As a consequence, the nurse manager will enforce the system among the nurses and provide feedback on the advantages and disadvantages of the software. This will permit the team to decide whether certain features can be removed or integrated (Modi et al., 2017). Only after the technical issues causing problems in use are resolved the final launch of the program is possible.
Post-implementation Support
The software development lifecycle phases include another step, which is support. In this stage, periodic system maintenance is performed to confirm that the system is not outdated (Modi et al., 2017). Accordingly, the nurse manager cannot replace old hardware but can continually evaluate performance. Thus, the nurse manager notifies the other team members when changes need to be implemented. In this way, the nurse manager facilitates the update of specific components to verify that the system satisfies the necessary standards and new technologies to prevent exposure to current security threats.
Conclusion
Hence, the role of the nurse manager on the health information technology development team facilitates the creation of the necessary program design to perform the patient registration functions. The involvement of a nurse manager also helps to incorporate similar experiences of colleagues, which ensures a successful implementation. Moreover, during the implementation and support step, the nurse manager performs as a tester of the new system and communicates this to the team. The nurse manager’s challenges arise at the costing and support stages of program development, as these stages require specialized knowledge. In general, the nurse manager is one of the key people in the team.
Reference
Modi, H. S., Singh, N. K., & Chauhan, H. P. (2017). Comprehensive analysis of software development life cycle models. International Journal of Engineering Technology, 4(6), 117-122.