Alignment factors between client needs and design solutions during the project definition: Case study of a Canadian mega-hospital using Lean-led Design

Abstract

Project definition refers to the first stages of a project life cycle (i.e., planning, programming, and preliminary design) in which client needs are identified and a conceptual design solution is developed. Defining and formalizing client needs are complex tasks especially in complex projects such as hospitals since naturally multiple clients such as managers, the government, users, clinicians, patients, and staff members among others, are involved. Each client has their own needs and interests that could sometimes be conflicting with those of the others. However, traditional methods of project definition management have been proved to be inadequate. In the traditional approach, users are rarely consulted, and the focus is more on technical issues and less on functional aspects, which impacts the future work environment and may consequently lead to increased hospital-acquired infections or patient mortality. Participative approaches such as Lean-led design, in which users including patients are involved in the process of project definition, are proposed to address this problem. However, little is discussed in the literature regarding the value of such approaches in terms of better alignment of projects with client needs. This research first identified the factors that can impact the alignment between needs and design solutions during the project definition via a systematic literature review. Based on these factors, a framework was provided to assess and improve the alignment. The validity of the framework was then empirically evaluated and revised based on a longitudinal mega-hospital case study that had implemented the Lean-led design approach the objective of which was to ensure a harmony between needs and requirements as a result of integrating two hospitals. The main assumption here is that better alignment provides more value to end users and the main contribution of this research is a framework that can help researchers and managers to assess and evaluate alignment during the project definition stage.

Date	27 Sept 2021
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	École de technologie supérieure
Supervisor	Daniel Forgues (Supervisor) & Samia Ben Rajeb (Co-supervisor)