Let’s start at the beginning – and that’s with research – also known as putting in the legwork.

Research is essential when developing a new idea. There are a number of areas to consider, including stakeholders, the involvement or impact on local community health needs and commissioners, customers, support, funding, how you will measure success and barriers, and we will discuss each of these areas in turn. You or your team may have additional ideas of what research can be done as well, depending on what the initiative is.

Stakeholders

First, identify the stakeholders relevant to this project. Who has an interest in this idea?
This list could include customers, managers, team members, local GPs, other local healthcare workers, carers, the commissioning group, company head office, for example. There is usually a wide range of stakeholders, so considering the idea from their perspective can really help to shape the idea and to ensure that it will succeed.

For example, say that you are considering stocking a new range of diabetes monitor, to try to improve retail sales. As part of your research, you’ll need to consider whether local customers are likely to purchase these, if the monitors are a type that the local nurse who runs the diabetes clinic recommends for home use and what support the team will need to sell them confidently.

Who do you need to involve within the company itself?
If the idea is in line with overall business priorities, management support (if applicable) will be more likely, so as part of your research, identify what those key priorities are.

When considering other stakeholders and the idea, think about what potential impact the implementation of this idea might have on them, and what questions they might have about it.

For example, you might want to introduce a new till that also has ordering functionality. The current till is used every day by the team and has been for years. They will want to make sure that they can still serve customers efficiently and understand how to order replacement stock. Remember that change, however large or small, can cause concern for some people. You will need to allow time for training and support in the early weeks until everyone is used to the new way of working.