USCID regional meetings -- 1989

Presented at Planning for water shortages: water reallocations and transfers drought management: proceedings from the 1989 regional meetings held on August 24-25, 1989 in Boise, Idaho and on October 19-21, 1989 in St. Louis, Missouri.Includes bibliograpA management improvement program to improve the performance of irrigated agriculture is described. The improvement process entails three general phases. Diagnostic analysis is an interdisciplinary field study to thoroughly understand the actual performance of an irrigation system. Areas of high and low performance are identified. Management planning is a process for organizational change. The process uses the information and understanding obtained from the diagnostic analysis to make important changes in physical structures and/or management procedures for improving irrigation system performance. Management performance is carrying out the management plan. Monitoring and evaluation is included to assist in management decision making and to measure the impact of the changes on system performance. The management planning is done by the key managers in an irrigated area, farmer representatives, and representatives from other involved organizations. Conscious, deliberate applications of the processes offer important advantages to the farming community and to water management professionals. The results are effective, appropriate solutions to many relevant problems in irrigation

Computer aided diagnosis of abdominal pain: implementation difficulties in the North Western Region.

During 1987 a system for the computer-aided diagnosis of abdominal pain was introduced on a trial basis in seven district health authorities in the North Western (NW) Region. Despite good reports of the system from other areas, by the end of a 12-month period only two of the seven districts continued to use it in the routine management of patients. A study was undertaken to determine the difficulties that had been encountered and the way in which these had hindered successful implementation of the system. Information was obtained by interview with key personnel involved in the trial, which included the chief executive in each district, a consultant designated as responsible for the system and clerical staff. The study identified three main factors undermining the implementation of the system: a lack of consultant support; the negative attitude of junior doctors; and inadequate clerical support

Teams for performance assessment

Presented at Irrigation and water resources in the 1990's: proceedings from the 1992 national conference held on October 5-7, 1992 in Phoenix, Arizona.Includes bibliographical references.The Management Improvement Program (MIP) provides a comprehensive methodology for supporting improvement in the profitability and sustainability of irrigated agriculture. Diagnostic Analysis (DA), the MIP's first phase, relies heavily on an interdisciplinary team to assess the performance of irrigated agriculture and provide the foundation for subsequent performance improvements. Small group processes are used to build an effective interdisciplinary team and to frame and concur on understandings that integrate the various disciplinary perspectives. This process compels individuals with diverse technical backgrounds to acquire a holistic understanding of an irrigated agriculture system: farm and district economics, on-farm cultural practices, and water management from source to farm gate to field. structured, periodic professional facilitation is necessary to build and maintain an effective DA Team. Facilitation also helps to assure that all team members actively engage in developing accurate, complete findings that represent the current performance of irrigated agriculture in the study area. Further, stakeholders must be able to understand the DA Team's description of current performance, so they can identify, plan, and carry out needed improvements. A case study is described in which the DA results were received positively and are being used successfully in the subsequent Management Planning Phase