The clinic and the booking system
A small clinic uses a paper book to write down visits. Patients phone, and the phone is always busy.
The manager wants an online booking system. It costs £12,000. It will save about £4,000 a year in staff time. But the clinic has only £10,000. Three staff would need to learn it, and only two are free.
Is it a good idea? Is it possible? That is the question of feasibility.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Feasible | Able to be done, with the money, time and people you have. | A project that fits the budget |
| Benefit | A good result of a change. | Fewer missed calls |
| Drawback | A bad result of a change. | A high cost |
| Constraint | A limit you must work within. | A budget of £10,000 |
| Budget | The money kept for a job. | £10,000 |
| Payback | The time it takes for savings to repay the cost. | 3 years |
| Resistance | When people do not want a change and push against it. | Staff who like the old paper book |
| Misuse | Using a system in a wrong or harmful way. | Sharing a login |
| Reputation | What people think about an organisation. | A clinic known as good |
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Quick check: the clinic
Have a go
Quick check: the clinic
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Benefits and drawbacks
Every change has good and bad sides. Compare them.
Good: money saved, better ways of working (more work done, better communication, stronger security), new products, and a better reputation.
Bad: the cost of making the change, and the harm if it goes wrong.
Benefits and drawbacks: examples
| Factor | Kind | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Money saved | Benefit | Less staff time on phone bookings |
| Cost of making the change | Drawback | Buying and setting up the system |
| More work done | Benefit | Staff book 20 visits an hour instead of 10 |
| Improved communication | Benefit | Patients get text reminders |
| Better security | Benefit | Records in a safe system, not in an open paper book |
| New products or services | Benefit | Patients can book at night |
| The organisation's reputation | Benefit or drawback | Good if it works well. Bad if it fails |
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Worked example: do the savings beat the cost?
| Step | Sum | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| The system costs | £12,000 | |
| It saves each year | £4,000 | |
| Saved in 3 years | 4,000 times 3 | £12,000, the same as the cost |
| Saved in 5 years | 4,000 times 5 | £20,000, which is £8,000 more than the cost |
| Is this good? | It depends on how long the system will last | A system that lasts five years more than pays for itself |
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Extra: Going further: the payback time
Businesses often ask one short question: how long until the savings pay back the cost? This is the payback time.
Divide the cost by the saving each year. The clinic system costs £12,000 and saves £4,000 a year. 12,000 divided by 4,000 is 3, so the payback time is 3 years.
A short payback time is less risky. A system that stops working before its payback time loses money.
Risks to the project
Plan for five risks.
Resistance: staff who do not want the change. Misuse: people use the system in a wrong way. Weak support: nobody to help when it breaks. Weak knowledge: staff do not know how to use it. Disruption: the change stops normal work for a while.