Taking on a major capital project, such as a replacement hospital or a major tower addition, is an increasingly common occurrence in the career of a healthcare executive. The process is complex and one that cannot be left to chance. Prior to launching into a major facility project, the members of the C-suite must ask themselves, Are we ready? Poor alignment of expectations and goals at the outset can get the project off on the wrong foot and can cause delays, cost money, or even jeopardize the project. This session is geared towards ensuring that the capital / facility project gets started on the right foot and understating the importance of conducting a readiness assessment. Each organization should conduct a Strategic Project Launch Readiness Assessment (SPLRA) that is geared towards understanding gaps in expectations vs. realities, developing a roadmap to follow when heading into launch, ensuring a project meets the strategic, financial, and infrastructure priorities of the organization, and assessing a hospitals level of readiness to get a project going. Phoebe Putney Health System and Sumter Regional Hospital team together as Phoebe Sumter Hospital Authority (PSH) to launch an ambitious project to build a replacement hospital. Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus, GA was destroyed by a tornado on March 1, 2007. PSH and KLMK worked together to conduct a SPLRA to ensure that the organization was ready to launch prior to design and construction of the 75 bed replacement facility. Get ready to learn from these two well respected healthcare organizations who will share with you their experiences and formula for success. The target audience includes hospital executives, Board members, and members of medical staff leadership who are considering embarking on a major capital project. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of how, prior to launching and implementing a project, project parameters are set, project expectations are defined and communicated, gaps in perspectives are bridged, and constituent (hospital leaders, health system executives, Medical Staff, and Governing Boards) goals are aligned. Attendees will gain an understanding of what needs to be done to get a project moving in the right direction and learn typically what hospital executives know - what they think they know - and what they have not even considered in the process. During the session, executives will learn how to ensure project success and why it is essential for his / her leadership team to accurately determine their readiness to implement a major capital project, what the assessment process is, and how to utilize the readiness assessment tools. Issues that are typically discussed/defined during this assessment include expectation on overall goals of project, timeline / schedule, funds available, design, technology use, medical equipment, contracting approach, project delivery organization and regulatory constraints (zoning, CON).