A new year often prompts organizations to talk about goals, and for good reason–there is a ton of literature out there on the benefits of goal-setting and why goal-setting is critical to success.
You may read “goals” and think: product launches, ROI, faster sales cycles. While these macro goals are certainly important, there is also benefit in setting micro goals related to a key component of your life science organization: your medical, legal, regulatory review (MLR review) process. If you’re not goal-setting within your MLR and medsci team, you’re missing out on two key benefits:
Goals create cohesion within your MLR and MRC teams
Shared goals create shared understanding, a critical component to establishing cohesion within your MLR team. Even if your marketing, medical, legal, and regulatory departments have differing opinions when it comes to the MLR or medical information review process, establishing shared goals will create alignment, clarity, and accountability–key aspects of an efficient and effective MLR and MRC teams.
For example, let’s say your MLR goal is to focus on developing and publishing quality pieces. In that case, your MLR team would know where to focus their efforts–on creativity, accuracy and attention to detail. Alternatively, if your shared goal is around improving compliance, everyone can expect a certain rigor when it comes to regulatory reviews. No matter your goals, ensure everyone is on the same page. Identify an individual within your team, such as your process owner, to hold the team accountable and share progress.
Goals help you improve your MLR or medsci review process
Improving and optimizing your MLR process over time requires a deep understanding of your current process and primary barriers to success. If you’re just starting out with MLR goal-setting, take a look at current process data to glean insights around where to focus improvement efforts and what goals need to be set. Certain MLR software, like Pepper Flow®, automatically pulls this data for you.
When crafting your MLR goals, be realistic around feasibility. Instead of focusing on how to achieve lofty, dramatic numbers, focus your goals on incremental, measurable progress your team can actually achieve to improve your process over time. Consider goals tied to metrics such as:
- Time to review a piece of content
- Number of revisions or circulations
- First pass acceptance rate or percentage
On a quarterly basis, sit down as a team and look at how you are performing against your goals. Use this time to have an honest conversation around what is working and what needs further improvement. The more open and transparent your team can be with one another, the better your team and process will be moving forward.
Remember: goal-setting is not a perfect science. It’s okay to fumble. Be patient and problem-solve as you go. You’ll be amazed at how this shared exercise, and shared goals, will benefit your MLR or MRC teams in both the short- and long-term.