Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.
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How to Ensure Your Safety Software Deployment Fails Miserably… In Three Easy Steps Brought to you By By griffin Schultz I n the last 15 years, I have been involved in the sale, deployment, and support of enterprise software programs to at least 500 companies across thousands of locations and tens of thousands of users. the vast majority of these companies have been able to drive tremendous value from these programs. however, a few have failed miserably at some point during the deployment, and usually, it has nothing to do with the software. In almost every instance of failure I have witnessed, it has boiled down to just three root causes. First, the company does not link their software plan to their broader business strategy and vision. this disconnect can be fatal. Second, the company deploys a software tool, in an environment where the company's people and processes in which the tool will be used are not yet mature. Either of these two failures usually results in the program becoming a "flavor-of-the-month" that goes out of style quickly, or even worse, is "dead on arrival." third, the company tries to deploy the software program on the cheap and doesn't invest enough in the implementation, training, and ongoing support services required to sustain the program over the long-term. the good news is that most of these mistakes, once identified, can be addressed and victory can be snatched from the jaws of defeat. however, this is often a costly endeavor. the even better news is that through thoughtful planning, these mistakes, and the costs incurred to fix them, can be avoided entirely. MISTakES #1 anD #2: Flavor of the Month In most instances, a software system is part of the plan stage of the "vision/ strategy/plan" paradigm. If a company doesn't know how its safety software system is going to support its business strategy and ultimately its vision, then they shouldn't have bought the system in the first place. Further, in most instances, software systems are a tool – even though many of us in the software industry don't like to admit this. Instead, we like to call our software "solutions". In any case, tools are only effective if you have the right people and processes to effectively use and support those tools. For instance, a hazard tracking software system is a great tool, especially if your vision is to achieve "zero safety incidents" and one of your strategies is to identify and track all hazards. But this tool will be useless if your people aren't first trained on how to identify hazards on the job. Further, if your people are trained, but you don't have a process to collect the hazards (like an observation/inspection process), again, the tool is useless and your software program deployment will fail as your employees get frustrated with it and adoption grinds to a halt. When a software system has no link to a corporate strategy and vision, and it is not supported by strong processes and knowledgeable people, engagement with the system will almost always be low. People within the company expected to adopt the software simply will not see the value in it. Success usually requires a key executive within the company leading the charge to drive adoption of the software because he or she can paint the picture of how it will help the company achieve its vision. At the same time, frontline employees will adopt the software when it is proven that it fits with their skills and processes and makes them more efficient or drives better results. Without this buy-in from these key stakeholders, the software program stands little chance of survival. MISTakE #3: Pay Some now, or Pay More Later Even when companies avoid the first two software deployment pitfalls, they still must be wary to avoid the third. Most companies loathe spending additional dollars on professional service support of a software program deployment. however, this outside service support can be critical to long-term success. these professional services usually come in two flavors; one is directly tied to the software in the form of implementation services, user training, and technical support. however, just as critical to deployment success are change management professional services which are a bit more nuanced in their connection to the software. often the latter service helps companies ensure they are avoiding the first two deployment failures – aligning their software with their business strategy and ensuring it supports current skills and processes. Some companies are world class at rolling out new programs – whether they are software related or not. But for those who aren't, some outside professional service support can be invaluable and well worth the additional fees. In my experience, companies spend a WhoLE Lot LESS on these services if they plan for and buy them upfront, versus later, after their software program deployment is faltering and on the brink of disaster. The Software Company's Responsibility Investing in safety software systems that can yield high return on investments is one of the smartest moves companies can make in the 21st Century. But buying software systems is often the easy part. Successfully deploying software systems, and achieving game-changing return on investment from them, is often the hard part. It is our job as leaders in the software industry to make this process easier. In the meantime, make sure you set your organization up for success by partnering with your software provider at the onset of the deployment to link your system to your strategy and vision, and align it with your people's skills and processes. If you can't accomplish this yourself, get some outside help. the payoff will be worth it. Griffin Schultz is the General Manager at Predictive Solutions Corporation (www.predictivesolutions.com). He can be reached at gschultz@predictivesolutions.com.