When, why and how!

IIBA Presentation – Jan 18, 2011

Whitepapers …

Overview• What a whitepaper is not• When a whitepaper is appropriate• Key elements of a good white paper• White paper wizard …

Presenter Background• 20+ years in the Health IT Industry• MBA in Digital Technologies • PhD (ABD) in Medical Technologies and Expert Systems• Technology Program Manager for SAIC Canada• Currently Technical Lead for Saskatchewan EHR project• Subject Matter Expert for Clinical Expert Systems and System Integration• Research Focuses:

– Medical Technology Adoption and Acceptance– Decision Making Technologies– Business Technology Ethics

Sooo .. what is a whitepaper??

• Term is taken from the US government term “Whitebook”

• Famous first whitepaper ( Churchill, 1922) - addressed conflict in Palestine.

• A "whitepaper" is an ‘authoritative report’ directed at a particular problem.

• There are four main types of commercial white papers:1. Business benefits: A business case for a certain technology/

methodology. 2. Technical: Describes how a certain technology works. 3. Hybrid: Combines business benefits & technical details in a single

document. 4. Policy: Makes a case for a certain political solution to a societal/economic

challenge.

From Wikipedia

But what does that mean? How do I write one!? …

What a Whitepaper is not• Decision Request … but may support a DR option

• Research paper … but may provide background to research

• Status Report … but may be an outcome of a status item

• Functional Requirement … but may support a requirement

• Technical Design … but may support a design direction

More what it is NOTs that clear what it ISes …

White Paper vs DRDecision Request• Presents multiple options in response

to a single problem

• Provides a recommendation

• Provides approaches and estimates associated with the options

• Fits recommendation into a larger context

White Paper• Presents the problem with

background – no options

• No recommendation or opinions

• May provide approach/ approaches used in the past – no estimates

• Context of Whitepaper limited to the current topic

A White Paper may be provided for each DR option …

White Paper vs OthersA research paper conducts unique new

analysis on a topic

Requirements documentation provides information on what is needed

Technical Design provides a specific approach to resolving a functional or technical problem

A white paper conducts research on existing knowledge about a topic

A white paper provides information about what is known .. not needed

A white paper introduces past approaches to a specific problem that may get used in the design.

A White Paper may be provide background to any of these …

Simple Description …A whitepaper is …

• A factual discussion which provides knowledge on a topic or problem.

• Background information for a discussion or problem being investigated.

• A presentation on a specific topic of interest.

• A presentation of a technology approach or policy … that does not require a decision.

A White Paper is adapted for the audience you are trying to reach …

Key Elements of a Good Whitepaper

Some key steps to creating a good whitepaper:

1. Understand your audience2. Pick a single topic or solution that you wish to argue/support3. Decide on an approach:

1. Your point of view (do not confuse with a product brief tho!)2. The point of view of your audience (recommended)

– Recommended for a whitepaper– Focus on the pain points/problem– Credibility is key .. Back up your points with facts– Be sure to include a solution!

Some challenges:- There is no clear single template for a whitepaper- The content of the whitepaper depends on the audience

Examples …Example 1:

Groundbreaking analysis UMLWidget by MMM Inc. provides foolproof approach to communicating requirements to customers.

MMM Inc. has done it again and developed UMLWidget to overcome the complexity of using UML to develop Use Cases.

Example 2:

Solving the Complexities of UML!

If you have found difficulties in using UML to communicate technology requirements effectively, a new class of UML products may help overcome these challenges.

Credibility is a key to a good white paper …

Betterreceived

Know your audience!Example Topic …

Kaplan’s (2001) dilemma for medical expert systems ….

• Kaplan identifies that while physicians agree with 96% of MES decisions, the same physicians follow less than 67% of the advice (p.22).

• Dissertation topic needed to be supported by 3 preceding whitepapers:1. Business focus .. sell the topic to the business/pilot sites for the study2. Academic focus … sell the topic to the University to agree to the

study3. Technology focus … sell the topic to the technical academic advisors

Business Approach• Textual and descriptive of the problem …

• Backed by statistics …

The slow adoption of MES technologies has been a concern to both researchers and medical administrators; the ethical concerns, of replacing human exerts with technology, voiced in theoretical analyses over the past 50 years have not changed despite the increased testing and proven accuracy of the technologies. (Kaplan, 2001, p.22). Kaplan argues the major barriers to adopting MES revolve around …..

Study Technology Use Clinician Accuracy % MES Accuracy

XYG (2010) ICU 80% 99%

ABC & DEF (2009) CCU 83% 97%

MMM et al. (2009) Pharmacy 79% 95%

XYZ et al. (2007) Chemotherapy 89% 99%

Academic ApproachTheoretical models to reference …

Technical Approach• Issues specifically to the technology design …

The study notes that while the XYZ technology was appropriate for triage, there were eight key gaps between the EMS needs and the MES technology. These gaps include:

• Inability to identify duplicate calls or reports;• Limited in its ability to support workload leveling and management;• Poor tracking of vehicle location and availability;• Poor matching of data or subsequent information to a single incident;• Failure of dispatchers to fully use the prioritization of urgent calls with the MES

based on perceived complexities and limitations;• Requirement that incident ‘tickets’ be printed as integration incomplete;• Inability to predict traffic patterns and suggest optimal routing;• Lack of support for crew ‘downtime’ between difficult calls.

Finally … use facts and references!

There are three schools of thought on the determinants affecting positive technology acceptance in medical practice. One group suggests that a greater involvement of the clinicians using the technology will result in more successful implementations:

(Heathfield, Pitty & Hanka, 1998; Ammenwerth et al., 2004; Kaplan, 2001; Halpern & Pastores, 1999).

A second school of thought suggests compatibility and training are the keys to technology adoption in the EMS industry:

(Wu, Wang & Lin, 2005; Carver & Turoff, 2007),

Where the third theory suggests political and organizational management also pay a significant role in driving health technology adoption:

(Athey & Stern,1998, 2002; Wainwright & Waring, 2007; Roback, 2006; Roback et al., 2007).

Support your case with facts … be careful to use ‘scholarly’ papers …

Easy source of references …

Google books also provide previews …

Background material …

Refine your search to help support your case …

Whitepaper wizard … … ok template … but wizard sounds cooler

Step One … What is your problem?

Step Two .. Who is your audience?

Step Three … What do you want to tell them?

Step Four … What do you want the outcome to be?

Once you answer these questions you are well on your way! …

Lets try this together …

Microsoft Word Document