HJF inspires culture of transformation, with visibility built on ServiceNow

Coordinating a complex and global healthcare response

The aim of HJF is to “advance military medicine.” This goes way beyond field dressings and prosthetics. HJF is a global organization coordinating efforts to research Ebola, cancer, HIV, and most recently, COVID-19. Coordinating this work requires an agile, connected IT platform. HJF must help ensure research teams have the capacity necessary for high-performance computing and the security protocols to meet the strictest data regulations. For this to happen it needs IT operations to be visible and accountable.

Better data and better workflows

“Digital transformation is not just about technology,” says Rizwan Jan, CIO at HJF. “It has to start with people and process.” What made this particularly tricky for HJF is the dispersed yet collaborative nature of the organization. HJF coordinates research on a range of healthcare challenges. This work often involves universities and research teams carefully guarding their work. Naturally, siloes develop. HJF is a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 to serve as a link between the military medical community and its federal and private partners. In a competitive market for research funding, the experience of working with HJF needs to be simpler, more efficient, and faster to produce real-world outcomes. A more effective HJF can lead to military medical research breakthroughs for troops and citizens alike. “We started this project two years ago,” says Rizwan. “Before technology comes into play, we want the business to examine its processes. We need better data and better workflows.”

Changing culture through accountability

“Change would not happen overnight,” says Rizwan. “Addressing a workplace culture requires a steady stream of buy-in from individuals, teams, and business units. At times progress might seem slow, but it is critical.” Rizwan continues, “The best way to make this change is through accountability and visibility. And if HJF wants to encourage accountability and visibility among others, IT can help by first demonstrating they are putting their own house in order.” ServiceNow is an important tool in driving this change. HJF first addressed IT service management, creating a dashboard built on the Now Platform® showing all performance metrics. The plan was to address back office IT before progressing to customer-facing processes.

Marc continues, “By being transparent in our change management and break-fix figures and working to improve them, we’re showing that visibility can lead to improved performance. Others can see that this train is running, and it isn’t going to stop.”

Visibility and accountability drive change

Rizwan and Marc agree that the ServiceNow engagement provides a clear presentation of metrics. The clarity of the dashboard makes performance easy to read and plays a big part in demonstrating IT’s progress. The team gains the visibility of performance and the admission of underperformance. The platform was able to show break-fix tickets going back five years. Today, through a relentless focus on improvements, 95% of tickets are closed within 60 days. According to Rizwan, “The result is that IT is seen as capable and trusted. There is a certainty of performance—that it can be trusted to get tasks done.” With high-performance computing and data warehousing projects in the pipeline, HJF is preparing to transform the scope and ambition of its work. Now more than ever, medical research advances cannot be achieved without IT. “We’ve earned a seat at the top table. The CEO sees us as an extension of the business development team. We have the analysis and metrics to stand up new projects,” says Rizwan. “It’s been a game-changer.”

Strengthening a sense of purpose

The engagement with ServiceNow has grown to include ServiceNow Customer Service Management, ServiceNow® IT Project Portfolio Management, and ServiceNow IT Operations Management. The collaboration has helped develop standardization, self-service, consensus, and an environment which is less complex for the IT team to manage. Efficiency across customer service management strengthens the impression that HJF is the partner of choice for military medical researchers. Having created an administration portal and knowledge bank, the next phase will be to expand the use of ServiceNow Customer Service Management. The aim is to give full visibility into better serving its customers by administering and managing HJF’s supported programs that benefit members of the military and civilian population. Operationalizing administration will consolidate several processes, simplifying the experience for research teams and funders. Again, this will directly impact medical research success in real-world settings. “ServiceNow has brought transparency at all levels,” says Rizwan. “Business stakeholders can see what we’re doing, and it has raised the outlook and ambition of the IT team. We work with greater purpose. And that purpose is real. We’re working for our men and women in uniform, wherever they are in the world.”

Download PDF