IHE Pipeline Impedance Matching

It is important for the Planning Committee to evaluate the flow of profiles through the IHE pipeline in their Domain from relevant idea through to deployed systems having a positive impact on healthcare.

At each stage, a key resource needs to be sufficient to properly accomplish the activity at that stage.

If there is a mismatch in the capacity of adjacent stages in the pipeline, the Planning Committee is responsible for taking action to smooth out the flow, either by "widening" the narrower pipe by increasing the resource, or by throttling back at the prior stage. Otherwise the overloaded activity will be done poorly or work from the prior stage will be set aside/wasted.

Consider the following stages in your domain. In which stages is the activity lagging for lack of input, in which is the activity suffering from overload, in which is the flow well matched to the resources? What is your action plan to fix the balance?

Ideas important to Users	>	TC Bandwidth	>	Community Bandwidth	>	Test & Tools Bandwidth	>	Implementer Bandwidth	>	Marketer Bandwidth	>	Purchaser Bandwidth	>	User Bandwidth
to seed the process		to develop high quality specifications		to review PC drafts		to develop test cases and test tools		to prototype & test implementations		to promote products to users		to absorb the new products		to adapt to and make use of the new products

<Flipping vertical to add more details to each stage...>

Pipeline Stage	Key Capacity Limit	Flow Metric	Indicator of Overload
Seed the process	Ideas important to Users	# of proposals # of user endorsements of proposals
V
Develop high quality specifications	TC Bandwidth	# of supplements	Many subcommittees/working groups Many CPs Lengthening Development Year
V
Review Pub Cmt drafts	Community Bandwidth	# of PC Supplements	Few comments from outside Cmte Few comments on some/all supps
V
Develop test cases and test tools	Test & Tools Team Bandwidth	# test cases	Key details untested Integration problems in field
V
Prototype & test implementations	Implementer Bandwidth	# Implementations/actor/profile	Untested Profiles Lightly-tested Profiles
V
Promote products to users	Marketer Bandwidth
V
Grasp/Absorb the new products	Purchaser Bandwidth	# RFPs using IHE Profiles
V
Adapt to and make use of the new products	User Bandwidth
V
Positive Impact on Healthcare