Information and communication technology adoption for business benefits: a case analysis of an integrated paperless system

This case study analyses the benefits of implementing a paperless software solution (Alert®pfh–Alert Paperfree Hospital, developed by Alert Life Sciences Computing) in a Portuguese Hospital, the Espírito Santo Hospital, in the city of Évora. Alert®pfh is a complete hospital clinical information system with real time clinical information input. It was implemented in emergency medical services, inpatient and outpatient services, and operating room services. Data were collected between 2006 and 2011 prior to, during and after the system's implementation. The case analysis demonstrates that paperless software systems have a significant potential when applied in healthcare organization services. Besides financial benefits, other important organizational features were identified, namely higher levels of patient and professional satisfaction; an increase in efficiency in hospital operations; improvement in the quality of information for management decision-making; and a reduction in medical errors. Lessons learned are noted and conclusions drawn for both theoretical and practical ICT benefits analysis

Linking benefits to maturity models

Many organizations today need to deliver more complex products and services in a better, faster, and cheaper way. The business problems that some companies address require enterprise-wide solutions that call for an integrated approach and an effective management of organizational resources to achieve business objectives with an acceptable level of risk. A maturity model is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective change. It can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization. Maturity models help integrate traditionally separate organizational functions, set process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide benchmark for appraising current processes outcomes. The benefits management approach emerges as a complement to traditional management practices and proposes a continuous mapping of benefits, implementing and monitoring intermediate results. Benefits management reinforces the distinction between project results and business benefits. Based on a case study the authors show how a set of business objectives can be obtained from identifying, structuring and monitoring business benefits, supported by information technology enablers and organizational transformations, and as a result of a certain maturity level. The authors also state that the main focus of an investment success lies not only in technology implementation, but mainly in changes in organizational performance and business efficiency by means of improved processes and modifications in the way the work is done. We emphasize that the integration between a Maturity Model and a Benefits Management approach can increase the effectiveness of projects, programs or portfolios outcomes. Besides, this linkage can also improve decision-makers confidence that the investments done match the desired maturity stages and will then, with more probability, collect more value for businessesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Linking benefits to balanced scorecard strategy map

In this paper the authors propose a link between the Benefits Dependency Network, from a Benefits Management approach, and a Strategy Map, from Balanced Scorecard, to improve the management of business benefits and to ensure that actions taken along the investment life-cycle lead to foreseen benefits realization. The goal of this integration is to build a framework that combines useful features of both methods. We sustain that they can be complementary. As a Strategy Map is committed with strategic alignment, communication and monitoring of strategy execution at all levels of an organization, a Benefits Dependency Network is aimed at explaining how benefits are going to be obtained through organizational change. Using the results of a case-study research, we explain how a Strategy Map can cross with the Benefits Dependency Network. The integrated contribution is meant to increase the investments effectiveness, giving to stakeholders the confidence on a clearer delivery path for their expected benefitsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gaining competitive advantage through the balanced scorecard

One of the most important questions emerged of an intense debate in the field of strategic management is: “how do firms achieve competitive advantage?”. Competitive advantage is seen as the main source to explain the superior firm’s performance, and thus comes to represent the fundamental aim of strategic management. The Porter’s view (1985) popularized by the Harvard Business School raised from the Industrial Organization paradigm (Bain, 1959; Mason, 1949) and emphasized that competitive advantage is the most important and influential mechanism for explaining the superior organizational performance. From the 70s, various currents of economic thought address the topic of competitive advantage using different conceptual approaches. In the 1990s, some strategic authors (Barney, 1991; Grant, 1996; Wernerfelt, 1984) proposed the Resource-Based View of firm (RBV) as an alternative strategy to Porter’s proposals. They argue that the greatest variation in profitability between firms was not between firms in different industries, but between firms in the same industry. This suggests that it is not so much differences in the structural factors within industry that determines profitability of firms, but what is inside an organization, resources or assets that allows them to compete. The combined work of Wernerfelt (1984), Rumelt (1984) and Barney (1986), has been mentioned as a reference of the contemporary benchmarks to the study of sustainable competitive advantage. In today's economy, where intangible assets have become the main reason of competitive advantage, the organizations required tools such as the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to monitor and measure the strategy implementation, including the initiatives involving investments in IS/IT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Improving project success : A case study using benefits and project management

In the face of rapid technological changes, short product cycles and strong global competition, it is vital that organizations know how to optimize their scarce resources and thus profit from investments with the goal of obtaining the expected benefits and successes. One of the great difficulties facing organizations is the large number of projects that they usually have in their portfolio. Therefore, it is necessary to select and prioritize which projects become essential, to guarantee the maximum return on investments and the sustainability of the organization. Although there are several approaches to analyzing and selecting projects, there is no unanimity about which methodologies to apply. When analyzed in more detail, all approaches presented advantages and disadvantages which need to be considered. Project selection also depends on the nature and profile of the managers and on the techniques, that best fit the organization’s environment. This study analyzes and establishes the link between the academic literature and a pilot model of selection and prioritization of projects developed by the Portuguese Navy. The project was carried out to improve the support and allocation of the necessary resources and forces for the accomplishment of the Navy’s missions in the context of Portugal’s National Defense. The results obtained ensure the necessary alignment with the academic literature and reinforces the credibility of the proposal model for the selection and prioritization process. .info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Maturity, benefits and project management shaping project success

Organisations are under constant pressure. Externally, they face a scenario of intense competition, coupled with a changing environment which is full of uncertainty. Internally, organisations have to deal with limited resources, whilst at the same time comply with increasing requirements and strategic demands. A key to success is the successful management of organisational projects. According to worldwide studies, information systems and information technology (IS/IT) projects have a relatively low success rate. To face these various business challenges, the authors suggest that emphasis should be put on the integration of various and disperse management tools. By combining project management maturity models with benefits management approaches, we expect to reinforce support for the drive to use organisational projects to fulfill organisations’ strategic plans that will enhance the control techniques of project management, whilst recognising the need for organisational change and for ensuring the interpersonal skills necessary to orchestrate the successful completion of a project.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Projects selection and prioritization: a Portuguese Navy pilot model

In the face of rapid technological changes, short product cycles and strong global competition, it is vital that organizations know how to optimize their scarce resources and thus profit from investments with the goal of obtaining the expected benefits and successes. One of the great difficulties facing organizations is the large number of projects that they usually have in their portfolio. Therefore, it is necessary to select and prioritize which projects become essential, to guarantee the maximum return on investments and the sustainability of the organization. Although there are several approaches to analyzing and selecting projects, there is no unanimity about which methodologies to apply. When analyzed in more detail, all approaches presented advantages and disadvantages which need to be considered. Project selection also depends on the nature and profile of the managers and on the techniques, that best fit the organization’s environment. This study analyzes and establishes the link between the academic literature and a pilot model of selection and prioritization of projects developed by the Portuguese Navy. The project was carried out to improve the support and allocation of the necessary resources and forces for the accomplishment of the Navy’s missions in the context of Portugal’s National Defense. The results obtained ensure the necessary alignment with the academic literature and reinforces the credibility of the proposal model for the selection and prioritization process. .info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Benefits management for an e-invoice process

This paper presents the application of a Benefits Management (BM) Methodology to an e-lnvoice project, and analyzes the results brought forth by the application of the methodology to the project and its contribution towards a wider adoption in the targeted Organization. A Case Study research method has been used which began with a gathering and treatment of data related to the emission and reception of the invoices, continued with the identification of the type of investment and ended with the application of the chosen BM approach. The methodology demonstrated the financial viability of the project, identified and structured the resulting benefits and facilitated the understanding and preparation for the required transformations in the Organization, including processes, competencies/skills and technologies. The BM approach brings to the Organization a more wide and consolidated vision for the projects, a greater foresight and support for a rational decision on IS/IT investments and the strategic alignment of resources with the company objectives and priorities

The impact of uncertainty in the measurement of progress in earned value analysis

Earned value management (EVM) is a project management methodology that integrates scope, cost and time, and requires the periodic measurement of cost and work performed. It is supported by a quantitative technique, earned value analysis (EVA), to evaluate project's performance and to forecast its final results thru the monitoring of: planned value (PV}, earned value (EV) and actual cost (A C). In EVA, the EV of an activity represents the amount of work performed in a period and, if defined as the product of percent complete (PC) by PV, it represents the project's progress. Thus, the error associated with EV may result from the uncertainty in any of those values. Although the uncertainty with PV has been widely discussed, the impact of the uncertainty associated with progress measurement has not. Progress is hard to measure, especially in an integrated vision of scope, cost and time. It results from people's judgment and, therefore, it comprises uncertainty. Nevertheless, EV is a deterministic measurement technique. This paper intends to contribute for this discussion by evaluating the error in EV driven by the uncertainty of progress measurement, with a ceteris paribus analysis of the PC of activities, and its impact on EVA performance metrics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Desenvolvimento de complexos de Eu e Tb com aplicação imagiológica e terapêutica no cancro

Tese de mestrado em Bioquímica, apresentada à Universidade de Lisboa, através da Faculdade de Ciências, 2013Os lantanídeos (Ln) têm sido muito estudados devido às suas propriedades fluorescentes únicas, tais como um grande desvio de Stokes e tempos de decaimentos longos. A síntese de complexos de Európio (Eu) e Térbio (Tb) tem um grande número de aplicações possíveis na área da medicina. Com a descoberta recente de compostos orgânicos (8-hidroxiquinolina) que actuam especificamente em células cancerígenas, através do recrutamento de cobre, reduzindo a proliferação e provocando a apoptose, a síntese de complexos de Ln que actuam em células cancerígenas tem ganho interesse. O objectivo do presente trabalho foi sintetizar complexos de Eu/Tb (8 com e 8 sem cobre) que possam recrutar cobre (Cu) especificamente em células cancerígenas, tendo uma acção terapêutica e funcionando como biosondas. Os complexos, para além do Ln, possuem uma molécula que promove o efeito antena (2,2’-bipiridina), e têm uma ligando adicional que recruta Cu nas células tumorais (testados quatro ligandos diferentes). Os complexos foram caracterizados através da espectroscopia vibracional, confirmando a estrutura dos mesmos. Espectroscopia de UV/Vis e de fluorescência foram também realizadas, para estudar as propriedades fotoluminescentes dos complexos. Os mesmos demonstraram que possuem excelentes propriedades fluorescentes, especialmente C2 para os complexos de Eu e C9 para os de Tb, podendo assim funcionar como biosondas. O recrutamento de Cu por parte dos complexos foi confirmado por espectroscopia de UV/Vis, o que deixou em aberto a possibilidade do recrutamento de Cu poder acontecer de forma específica para células cancerígenas. Os efeitos na viabilidade celular por parte dos complexos foram estudados em células HeLa e A549, utilizando um método colorimétrico (MTT). Os complexos sem Cu não interferiram na viabilidade celular, contrariamente aos complexos bimetálicos, que reduziram significativamente a viabilidade. Os estudos de fluorescência em meio celular permitiram confirmar os resultados obtidos em solução. Concluindo, os complexos de Eu/Tb sintetizados podem funcionar como biosondas e como moléculas anticancerígenas.Lanthanides (Ln) have been studied extensively because of their unique fluorescent properties, such as a long Stokes shift, exceptionally decay times and long excitable wavelength. The complexation of these metals, especially europium (Eu) and terbium (Tb), has a large number of applications in medicine. With a discovery of an organic compound (8-hydroxyquinoline) that target cancer cells specifically, by recruiting copper, reducing their proliferation and leading to apoptosis, the synthesis of the lanthanides complexes that target cancer cells has been gaining a major interest. The objective of the current work was synthetize Eu/Tb complexes (8 with and 8 without copper) that can recruit copper specifically from cancer cells, having a therapeutic action and working like imaging probe. The complexes, besides the metal, have a 2,2’-bypyridine molecule that promotes the antenna effect for the Ln, and have one additional ligand that targets and recruits copper in tumours cells (four different ligands were tested). The complexes were characterized with vibrational spectroscopy, confirming the structure of them. Fluorescent and UV/Vis spectroscopy were also done, to study the photoluminescent properties of the complexes. The complexes have shown that have great fluorescent properties, especially C2 for Eu complexes, and C9 for Tb complexes, proving that can function as bioprobe. The recruiting of Cu by the complexes was confirmed by UV/Vis spectroscopy, which leaves open the possible function of recruiting Cu specifically in cancer cells. Proliferation and cytotoxic effects of the complexes were studied in HeLa and A549 cells, using a colorimetric method (MTT). Complexes without copper don’t interfere with the viability of the cells, contrary to the complexes with copper, which reduce the viability. Fluorescent studies were also done in cellular medium, confirming the results obtained in solution. Concluding, the complexes of Eu/Tb synthetize can function as bioprobes and as anticancer molecules