Focus On These 4 Things to Accelerate Clin Ops Productivity

Whether your clinical operations team sits in a large sponsor company, or in one that’s still growing, it must be supported by efficient systems to maintain high productivity.   

Clinical trial protocols must be conducted with quality, within budget, and within timelines.  To achieve this, Clinical Program Managers and their teams must be able to rely on 4 things:

1. A strong organization (i.e. people and teams)
2. Access to accurate data/insights for clinical trial oversight
3. Innovative support tools specifically designed for clinical operations teams
4. Efficient processes

Ignoring any of these elements can significantly reduce productivity and potentially increase costs. When productivity falls and trial timelines start slipping, Team Leads are encouraged to analyze these elements and urgently apply corrective steps where needed.  But too often, traditionally minded managers have a preconceived notion that the problem lies with their people (i.e. the “organization” component) and that restructuring or “throwing more bodies at the problem” is the solution.  This approach isn’t just misguided, it can be inefficient and costly. Per this HBR article, expert management consultants report that 94% of most problems and possibilities for improvement belong to the system, not the individual.  The remaining 3 elements, therefore, are equally critical for ensuring high productivity.  However, they are frequently neglected.