Presentation: High-stakes project management tactical skills: How to launch a hospital in 21 days
Abstract: On March 30, 2020, the Governor made a decision. The epidemiologists’ models all agreed—a surge of COVID-19 cases would spread across Maryland and overwhelm the state’s hospitals. And Prince George’s County would be the epicenter.
My work came to an instant standstill. Leading the effort to open a brand-new hospital in Largo, Maryland, we were still 9 months away from completing construction. We’d be of no help in this initial surge.
But that very same day, I got a call from a leader of the hospital system I was working with. Largo was on indefinite hold. But another location had drawn a keen interest. A shuttered hospital in Laurel, Maryland, sat waiting. It still had beds. Electricity. Even functioning wifi.
The pandemic was here. I was asked if my team could open a COVID hospital. The clock was ticking. We set out to accomplish something that I’d never seen done. We had to open a hospital in 21 days.
PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills
Biography: Tim Morgan leads a large enterprise IT PMO at a major academic medical system and has deep hands-on experience implementing hospital information systems, PMO tooling, and project-based automation frameworks. He publishes practical guides and templates for PMs and runs a newsletter focused on making project delivery simpler and more reliable.
Tim is the Director for the IT Project Management Office for the University of Maryland Medical System, and leads the Charm City Division of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Baltimore Chapter.
