A Project Analyst may be assigned to one project, or to multiple projects at the same time. They can be hired for a specific role (for example, as a Clinical Analyst to specifically help improve clinical documentation in an electronic health record system, or as a Tester or Trainer). They can also be hired to take on a combination of roles. They may even take on Project Manager duties at times, if needed. In essence, a Project Analyst performs any task or role as agreed-upon during the hiring process, or as need arises.
If they happen to be a Consultant, the length of the contract is usually agreed on beforehand as well. Sometimes, this contract may be extended if found to be necessary, and if both parties consent.
Aside from being knowledgeable and skillful, Consultants are also expected to be able to work independently and be quite flexible in terms of assignments. They are also expected to be resourceful in exploring resolutions to issues, even for those that may not have been previously familiar with.
SAMPLE DAY FOR A PROJECT ANALYST/CONSULTANT WHO IS INVOLVED IN MULTIPLE PROJECTS
(In many instances, Consultants may need to travel to their client’s hospital/site on a weekly basis. This may be on a Monday to Thursday schedule, especially if they are coming from a different time zone. When this happens, the Consultant may work longer hours on Monday – Thursday (9 – 10 hours/day) and work fewer hours on Friday or have the whole Friday off.)
8:00 Confirms her/his schedule for the day by reviewing her/his Calendar. Checks and answers email.
8:30 Meets with a permanent staffmember who is newly-assigned as a Project Manager, to discuss the plan for a project that the staffmember is handling. Answers questions and provides insights into previous projects that she/he has been involved in that are similar to this one.
9:00 Meets with the Project Team for another ongoing project to discuss updates and issues.
10:00 – 12:30 Participates in a validation session that is attended by other project team members, as well as clinical managers and subject matter experts.
12:30 – 1:00 Takes lunch break.
1:00 – 3:00 Performs “build” tasks (software customization or tweaking) to address needs and issues for another project.
3:00 – 4:00 Writes documentation for the build that she/he just completed. Emails this document to the appropriate project team member(s), or uploads it to a shared directory/repository that can be easily accessed by other project team members.
4:00 – 5:00 Attends an update meeting for another project.
5:00 – 5:30 Checks and answers email towards day’s end.
5:30 – 6:00 Creates a step-by-step Communication document to help end-users understand some changes in documentation that will be coming live soon.
6:00 Heads home. (Consultants who travel to their client site weekly or on a routine schedule may head to a hotel or other accommodation that they have booked for their stay.)