Towards an Activation Process Model

Abstract

Activation is the process of preparing people and a new or renovated facility for move-in and operation. It is a complex and little-understood process, particularly for hospitals, where the health, safety, and care of patients is the highest priority and where systems must be operational and fault-free on move day to safeguard a cost-efficient and smooth transition (especially when multi-phased construction and moves are involved). Activation includes the selection and ordering of equipment and supplies, the hiring of new staff, staff training, move planning, facility readiness, culminating in the move itself and facility operation. The challenge of the project described here was to clarify the meaning of activation, to develop an incipient “activation process model” and to demonstrate that activation brings a new focus to and expands the scope of the Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) process. This model describes the significant phases, steps, decisions, interdependencies, resources, policy and procedural guidance and time expenditure that are involved in activation.

Research for this project focused on in-depth study of a large facility which had recently activated. After the data gathering and document analysis phase, workshops were conducted with project and move coordinators from four similar facilities throughout the United States, two of which had recently been activated and two of which will activate new facilities within the next two years. These workshops provided a unique opportunity for “knowledge transfer” and action research by applying the lessons learned in facility activations to those future facilities that will benefit most from them. More importantly, the newly developed process model was critiqued by those who had undergone activation. The process model will be tested in facilities of varying complexity and scale around the country. The innovative process model views activation from the management perspective. With further development, it will evolve into a more detailed model that can be adapted and applied to the activation of any large and complex facility.

The post occupancy study of a facility’s construction and operation should be expanded to include the activation process. A successful activation is a key determinant of long-term operational success. The value of transmitting activation knowledge for organizations will be in the activation of new facilities, with improved training of personnel, better and more timely facility readiness, improved morale, and last but not least, significant savings in personnel, time and overall cost.