System Implementation & Configuration
How do you implement a better system, with less headache, at a lower cost?
We believe EHS & Sustainability challenges are more common than unique and that software systems are best suited (more consistent and lower cost) for responding to those common challenges. We focus on using proven methodologies to implement a commercially available system that is tailored to your organization. We partner with a number of industry leading software companies, many of whom are listed under our partners page. By focusing exclusively on implementing and managing such systems, we can leverage similar experiences between similar clients, challenges, and software into a successful project. For you, this means a quicker implementation, lower cost and an overall better system.
Tailored Strategy & Strategic Planning
To ensure success, our process starts with planning 3 key areas:
• Objectives: What defines success?
• Timeline: We will help you set realistic goals and expectations.
• Budget: Realistic expectations including financial, time and resource commitments
Strategy
After determining your objectives, timelines and budget we will help you decide on the best approach to implement your chosen solution. There are a variety of methods for implementation, and no one right answer. However, based on the
needs of your organization, your chosen software and your project goals one approach might be better than another.
Consensus Building
Before you start your journey, management buy-in and involvement is critical. Our experience shows that in the vast majority of cases, the success or failure of an overall project can be traced to whether or not management buy-in and commitment existed. This is why ISO standards have been updated to include this as part of systems. We help you make the case by going beyond compliance and tapping into the cost benefit mindset.
Project Management
Who will manage your project? Who is empowered to make decisions? What is your process for change? Communication is key to a successful software implementation, and we help you plan to manage your project by empowering team members to make decisions based on a documented and defined process.
Contact us to learn how we can help you create the best project plan for your software implementation.
Effective Implementation
Charter Creation
Before starting the implementation, we will help you create a project charter with overall goals and aims for the future state of the system. This charter defines the goal line for successful completion. After that, we will help you assemble your implementation Dream-Team. This team usually includes: Decision makers from each business area/region, Subject Matter Experts, IT, and end users who will be early adopters.
Effective Design
During design, we will host workshops that are a manageable size with all key stakeholders. During these workshops, we record and create lots of documentation including a decision log of why decisions were made. Documentation of your workshops is key both for looking back, but also in case team members depart. In addition to having detailed technical specifications, we believe it is important to have easy to read design documents that your end users can understand and used to validate/test/use the system.
Build Transparency
Our general implementation process is to plan, design, build, test & deploy. Each step is critical. In regard to building, we follow both agile and waterfall methodologies based on objectives/situation. However, in general we are strong believers in ensuring key players understand what is being built and see what is happening to avoid surprises and achieve buy-in early. In practice, this includes easy to understand design documents, and periodic demonstrations during the build phase to avoid surprises/confusion during User Acceptance Testing.
System Content
EHS Systems alone do not drive compliance. Content such as your permits, emission factors, people and assets; technology tools; and the organizational processes around it drive compliance and manage risk. We help you remember to include all aspects of a system when implementing. Your tailored project plan and timeline will cover when content is created and loaded into the system. The creation process occurs behind the scenes in tandem with other portions of the implementation.
Piloting
Huco’s best practice for an implementation is to deploy your new software at a pilot facility before enterprise wide implementation. This allows the chosen pilot to serve as a test-case, and to iron out any unforeseen issues. In many cases, the pilot is also an opportunity to create task or facility templates that can be stored and used later on to avoid duplication of effort in setting up new facilities after successful completion of the pilot. You don’t know what you don’t know, and starting with a pilot is a sure fire way to minimize risks.
Rollout Planning
After the pilot facility is successfully completed, we will work with you to plan your system rollout across the organization. This process can happen in waves, or simultaneously dependent on your organization’s size and needs. Lessons learned during the pilot are invaluable to the efficiency of this process and serve as a way to avoid mistakes and complete this process smoothly and
Find out how Huco can help you effectively implement your new EHS&S management system.
Relevant Training
User adoption is key to the success of any software implementation. A comprehensive training plan is the predominant component to ensuring your users are successful using your new system. Your implementation plan should include a process for training users on the system. You should also have a system sustainment process in place that includes a plan for getting new employees up to speed on using your system. Huco can help empower your employees through a variety of training methods.
Training Videos
We create training videos specific to your system that will walk your users through a completing a function in your system step by step. These videos are particularly useful for tasks that are essential, but do not occur frequently.
System Manuals
Huco can help you by creating documentation tailored to your new system. In addition to system manuals, we create how-to documentation, “cheat sheets” or “one-pagers” to supplement overall training documents that are specific to your new system.
Admin Training
Train-the-trainer type training empowers your admins and power users. This poises you for ongoing training internally with their own staff and is helpful for long term sustainment of your system.
End User Training
During an implementation, it may be easiest to train all new end users at once. Huco can help with a variety of end user training sessions ranging from in person training sessions, webinars, or computer based training videos (CBTs).
Digital Strategy Services
Learn how Huco can help you create a digital strategy, select the right tools and sustain your system.
Assistance selecting the right software for your organizational needs.
