Project Background

In 2019, Dallas Pets Alive's board of directors asked that all departments document and convert team protocols to a standard format by the end of 2020. As the Assistant Director of Training and Process Management for the Medical Team, I led the project and used my experience in training Medical Team members to inform decisions in the process. 

Analysis

​The users will all be members of the DPA Medical Team. These individuals will have a variety of backgrounds pertaining to veterinary medicine and foster based rescue, from several years experience with DPA and medical credentials to no experience with either topic. Individuals in this team work remotely across the globe, so materials need to be available at all times and clearly describe all current processes. Current documentation of procedures covers only 50% of routine actions and there is no standard format for documentation. This information was obtained by interviewing current team leadership, reviewing job requirements and training materials for each position.

Design

The DPA template included sections for a table of contents, team overview, key reference documents, and procedures. After reviewing this document, I decided to split the protocols into nine documents, one for each of the team's seven roles and two covering material used by multiple positions. This grouping allowed me to record each process a single time, which will help prevent conflicting instructions when the documents are updated in the future. Since the shared documents cover a wider range of information than any one reader will typically find necessary, I added a section detailing specific responsibilities to the role SOPs. To give the team a more professional appearance and to prevent documents from being accidentally changed, I linked all key documents as PDFs except for those which team members are expected to edit. ​

Development

Missing protocols were developed first by recording the processes as I simultaneously worked through them. For existing protocols, I explicitly followed the instructions and made corrections and clarifications as needed. After each process was recorded and updated, they were refined through an iterative review involving two to four people, including at least one person familiar with the processes and the supervising director. By involving reviewers who met those conditions I was able to quickly discover gaps in the protocols and add helpful role specific tips before release. ​

Implementation

The SOPs were released together and introduced at the 2020 4th Quarter Medical Team meeting. I facilitated a practice meeting to prepare for the quarter meeting and make sure all directors and team leaders were in agreement on all processes. At the quarter meeting I led the team through all the new processes that were developed while answering questions as they arose. Each team member was instructed to review the relevant SOPs over the next week and transition to the new processes afterward.

Evaluation

After the team reviewed the SOPs, I received feedback from one person that a single procedure needed additional clarification. This demonstrates that the iterative review process was effective at capturing greater than 99% of the team's protocols accurately. After the SOPs had been in effect for several months, team members reported a better understanding of their roles and how to perform them. New team members have reported that they understand how to complete tasks and have a higher confidence that they will complete the tasks correctly at their training. Previously, new team members would take two to six months after training to reach the same confidence and understanding.  ​