How to be a good consumer (both buyer and manager) of programming services.
This article provides a straightforward and clear introductory explanation of programming, the process of developing a formal statement of the requirements of a facility project. It offers recommendations on process management, includes examples of programming "products," and cautions about potential pitfalls. A health care executive is typically faced with one or more facilities projects (new construction and/or renovation) during his or her career. The development of facilities projects is cloaked in an aura of horror stories and old wives' tales, interspersed with caveats and jargon. One key step in a successful facilities project is the development of a "program"--planners' jargon for a formal description of project requirements. This article is intended to provide future health care executives with an understanding of, and an insight into, the development of a program. It is not intended to develop a rigorous programming methodology, but, rather, to define programming, describe its attributes and uses, provide an overview of how programming should be accomplished, and caution the new executive about some pitfalls.
D001108:Architecture; D004282:Documentation; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006752:Hospital Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007324:Institutional Management Teams; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010550:Personal Space; D014481:United States