Navigating large-scale technology implementations
Five best practices to prepare for and execute high-impact projects
Western Health is one of the largest and fastest-growing healthcare providers in Australia — serving almost one million people in Melbourne’s western suburbs. As the divisional director of digital services for the organization, one of my key responsibilities is leading high-impact technology projects. In the past few years, those projects have ranged from constructing a Zero Trust security architecture to amalgamating the IT services of other organizations to be part of Western Health.
These types of large-scale projects often include significant challenges. First and foremost, no matter what technology solution we are deploying, we always need to avoid disruptions to critical processes, which in our case includes clinical care. Western Health provides approximately 800,000 care encounters per year. We have to make sure that we can sustain outstanding quality of care regardless of our technology implementations.
At the same time, we need to maintain tight security and comply with data privacy regulations. And of course, we must rein in costs: Beyond finding cost-effective solutions, we are also constantly striving to implement technologies that will help the organization achieve new operational savings.
Just like in other fields, tech leaders in healthcare have the difficult task of navigating organizational change. Large-scale projects require more than buying and installing new technology solutions. At Western Health, I often need to reach agreement with fellow executives that change is necessary. My team then needs to understand user requirements, collaborate cross-functionally to modify policies and processes, and develop strategies to maximize user adoption.
"Without these steps, the result can be highly visible and very costly project failure."
A recent technology implementation at Western Health reaffirmed some best practices that we’ve developed over the years. After a global IT outage in 2024, we started to reevaluate how we deliver key applications to users. In particular, we didn’t want to rely so heavily on a single vendor for anything, because as we saw with the outage, a problem with that vendor’s software could cause a serious disruption to operations. Around the same time, prices were increasing for our existing digital workspace. So, we were ready for a change.
An enterprise browser offered the best solution. This new product category provides enterprise features on top of standard browser functionality. Though it has a familiar interface, enables access to all enterprise apps (including key legacy apps), and supports bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies. From the IT perspective, it provides full application visibility, fits well within our Zero Trust security model, and offers robust enterprise-level support — unlike free browsers.
Whether you are in healthcare or another industry, the five best practices we used through this implementation should be helpful for successfully managing your next large-scale technology initiative.
Five best practices for large-scale technology implementations
The process of adopting an enterprise browser at Western Health underscored the importance of following a few key practices. These practices helped us select the right technology, earn its approval from fellow executives, and accelerate its adoption across more than 14,000 users — all before any kind of crisis demanded a change.
Don’t wait for a crisis. An existing solution may no longer meet your business needs, prices could go up, or a new regulation might demand some kind of change within your organization. If you wait until that moment to start exploring alternatives, your decision will be limited by the urgency of the situation. When it’s time to make a change, you should already know your options.
I’ve found that it’s essential to stay informed about the latest innovations and shifts in the marketplace. Participating in customer advisory councils, attending conferences, staying connected with industry peers, and following technology trailblazers are important ways to keep up to date.
In the case of the enterprise browser, there were signs of change in the marketplace years before we needed to make the switch. For example, I saw that Microsoft was replacing its home-grown rendering engine with the engine that powers Google Chrome. With Microsoft’s shift to an industry standard, I knew that enterprise browsers built on that standard could render Microsoft applications without compatibility issues.
Then, a few years ago, I saw that a leader in the cybersecurity industry had invested in an enterprise browser company. That gave me the confidence to move forward with the enterprise browser at Western Health.Question assumptions. With all of the projects and decisions we have to manage as technology leaders, it can be easy to accept some common assumptions about technologies or simply carry on with the status quo. But taking the time to question basic beliefs enables us to solve some problems in innovative ways.
For example, some IT leaders assume that web browsers should be free. But just because a product has a free version or a service has a free tier does not mean that your enterprise should stick with the free solution. Instead of asking, “Why would I pay for a browser?” we should ask, “Why wouldn’t I?” Given that browsers are often the most frequently used enterprise application, it’s reasonable to want more from them, even if you have to pay for more capabilities.
It might also seem like continuing to use an existing solution for accessing enterprise apps is the easiest path. But even if something has worked well in the past, it does not mean it is the best solution for the future.Understand user requirements. Before implementing any large-scale technology change, you need to understand exactly who will be using the new technology and what their requirements are. In the case of the enterprise browser, we knew that clinicians need session portability: They might use one device when they’re in a patient’s room, then tap onto another device when they’re in the medication room. The transition from one device to another should be seamless.
Meanwhile, frontline staff members need simplicity. They should be able to use just a single browser and have a fast, user-friendly experience.
And everyone needs access to legacy applications. In healthcare, there are many organizations that still run Windows 32-bit software — including applications designed to be run on premises, like critical electronic medical record (EMR) systems. Some software vendors might be in the process of modernizing those apps, but for now, providers’ staff still need access to the existing software.
Understanding all those user requirements is essential for approaching the research and implementation of the right technology.Gain executive buy-in. Beyond project approval, large-scale technology projects require buy-in and often sponsorship from fellow executives. How do you get that buy-in? In addition to highlighting the technical advantages of implementing a particular solution, you need to make a business case for new investments and operational change.
For our enterprise browser project, it was important for us to show that moving to the new solution would help substantially drive down cost. We could reduce infrastructure costs while also avoiding the escalating costs of our existing solution.Plan ahead for user adoption. After you’ve selected the right solution and earned executive buy-in, you will still need to facilitate the transition for users — some of whom might be resistant to change. Planning ahead for that transition will be critical for avoiding sluggish adoption that can derail the entire project.
With the large projects at Western Health, we explain to users how they and the organization will benefit from the new solution. In the case of the enterprise browser, we also made instructions and information easily accessible within the browser’s interface. Going forward, we plan to continuously measure user experiences with the enterprise browser. We will collect — and act on — user feedback.
Opening the door to additional opportunities
Adopting a new technology can require extensive preparation, especially when that technology is used by numerous people for critical work. But implementing a few best practices can help make it easier to manage change and improve the likelihood of success for the project.
When technology implementations are successful, they often present opportunities for additional change. The move to an enterprise browser at Western Health will allow us to tap into a wider range of cloud-native services. For example, we’re planning to explore Cloudflare Workers to help our engineers accelerate development of new apps while maintaining tight security.
Successful projects can also enhance the impact of previous technology implementations. We’ve partnered with Cloudflare to capitalize on the company’s connectivity cloud and support our implementation of a Zero Trust architecture. By deploying this complementary enterprise browser, we now have an even more robust, secure model for providing access to enterprise apps and enhancing the quality of care we deliver to our consumers.
This article is part of a series on the latest trends and topics impacting today’s technology decision-makers.
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Discover how a secure access service edge (SASE) platform can enhance your organization’s resilience during large-scale projects in The CISO’s guide to SASE adoption ebook.
Author
Cameron McBride — @cammcbride
Divisional Director, Digital Technology Services, Western Health
Key takeaways
After reading this article you will be able to understand:
Unique challenges facing healthcare organizations as they implement new technology solutions
How a leading healthcare provider manages enterprise-wide change
5 best practices for successfully managing large-scale technology projects in any industry