Becoming a chief information officer in the NHS is a big step. To recognise this, the Health CIO Network is putting together a handbook for health CIOs. If you would like to contribute to a chapter, or have a great idea for one, then contact Digital Health managing editor Lyn Whitfield.
After 15 years in the business of healthcare improvement through technology, I've lost count of the number of conversations I've had with chief information officers.
Some of those discussions have left me enthused; confident I can work with this person to unleash the potential of healthcare IT and that together we can transform care for patients.
If I'm honest, however, too often that is not the outcome. More common is for me to leave the conversation frustrated; unconvinced the person sees IT as a transformation project we need to work through together.
The value of suppliers and their customers forming a collaborative relationship is so frequently emphasised as to be in danger of becoming a cliche. But it's a cliche because it's true.
So many healthcare IT disappointments can be directly traced to misunderstandings and miscommunications between vendor and NHS organisation.
Here are my top tips for avoiding those pitfalls. If you are a CIO who wants to form a true partnership with your supplier, these are the things I think you should be doing.
Because healthcare IT is still very much a developing market, it is a precarious one for suppliers. Any sensible vendor therefore knows the importance of a good reputation, and will go to great pains to create and maintain one.
That means it won't take you long to find those organisations with less-than-stellar track records, no matter what kind of IT product you are looking to procure.
Do your due diligence when you are considering potential suppliers: look at solutions in practice. For clinical systems, be sure to speak to real frontline users about their experiences, good and bad; don't just rely on the corporate message.
Once you have drawn up a shortlist of possible suppliers, get ready to give them a proper grilling. I always delight in CIOs who ask me the hard questions.
It's an indication that theirs is an organisation that wants to understand what I offer, what I don't, and how we could best work together. That quickly gives me confidence we can forge a valuable partnership.
I am pleased when I am asked where I think my organisation's expertise lies, and where we are less experienced. No person or organisation is good at everything and it is important to know your supplier cares about the same things you care about.
You need to have the confidence a vendor can complement your organisation's own strengths and weaknesses.
It is likely the first person you see from a supplier will be pretty junior: a sales manager rather than a sales director. It's the nature of business. But what that means is that, sometimes, you may ask a question the individual in front of you cannot answer to your satisfaction.
If that does happen, I urge you not to dismiss that supplier out of hand. Instead, ask if you can speak to someone else within the organisation who might be better placed to answer. You might be told "no" - which might tell you more than you expected to learn about this potential partner.
But there's a good chance you will be told "yes" - and that someone more experienced will address your concerns to your satisfaction. Give us the chance to prove ourselves to you from the top down.
A big frustration in speaking to the CIO community is the frequency with which I am asked technical questions and only technical questions. I fear there is still a tendency to see healthcare IT as technology alone: a collection of boxes and wires providing functionality. It is more than that - it is a method to transform healthcare.
So you shouldn't just be looking for an IT supplier; you should be looking for a transformation partner. Good IT implementations will involve multiple alterations to the roles of multiple stakeholders.
That's change management, and change management is hard work. Make sure your supplier is ready, willing and well equipped to share the load.
Once you have found a vendor who you feel talks sense, don't forget to listen to them. Use their expertise. They will most likely have completed similar previous implementations, and should have lessons to share.
Speaking of sharing expertise: be wary of any supplier who does not appear to respect your own knowledge. I know more about my product, but you know more about your organisation and issues.
I think my biggest frustration in healthcare IT may be the tender process. Trust me: I am not alone in this. Suppliers everywhere are irritated by what we see as the NHS's tendency for bureaucratic, time consuming, expensive and unhelpful tender processes.
Please, before you put together a tender specification, ask yourself whether what you are asking for is what you really need. For instance, so many organisations demand device agnostic solutions.
But which is better: a system designed to run on a specific device and operating system, and which is perfectly suited to both; or a system that runs clumsily on every platform? Be wary of functionality for the sake of functionality - fitness for purpose is what counts.
And please think twice before you employ an external agency to judge tenders for you. You are likely to have far more knowledge about your local problems and requirements than they do, and will certainly know more about your organisation.
Trust your knowledge base, and exercise self-confidence. Don't distance yourself from these vital decisions. Suppliers like a direct relationship with their potential clients - it builds trust and supports good implementation.
Once you have in mind that an IT implementation is a transformation project, you quickly understand it is vital to have the board engaged. When a CIO tells me he or she has the backing and engaged involvement of the chief executive, medical director, nursing director and/or other executives, I become a lot more relaxed about making the project work.
I can be confident communication about the implementation will be based around improving care, and that each stakeholder is likely to have a more clearly defined role in driving that success - right from the very top of the organisation. When it becomes clear the project is being seen primarily as an IT initiative, my alarm bells ring.
I am pleased when I am asked where I think my organisation's expertise lies, and where we are less experienced. No person or organisation is good at everything and it is important to know your supplier cares about the same things you care about.
Part of the problem in forging these partnerships is simply that the healthcare IT market is immature. We're all finding our way. I want to help you on this journey, but to do so to the best of my ability I need you to help me.
I need you to be making good decisions, so the best companies prosper and the ones which do not deserve a place in this emerging market fall away. It's what all of us who care about healthcare delivery deserve.
Roger Killen is the founder of The Learning Clinic, a company which drives healthcare improvement through technology. Its VitalPAC software is used at over 50 hospitals in the UK.
Roger was previously co-founder and managing director at Dr Foster Limited, where he created the firm's clinical monitoring products. Roger can be reached at roger@killenconsulting.co.uk.
