Software Implementation series part 4:- Building your Team

Software Implementation Ask Ehs

Welcome to the fourth part of the software implementation series blog.

A Brief About the Blog Chain

The first part contains detailed information about why organizations must incorporate safety software. We have elaborated on the bottlenecks, functional and non-functional requirements, and the problems concerning the employees, organization, and departments.

Likewise, in the second part, we focus on the respective teams’ work while implementing safety software. The team adapting the software and designing it plays a crucial role in successfully implementing the software.

In the previous part, we provide an in-depth analysis of how incorporating the EHS software improves your ROI.

In this fourth part of the blog series, we try to make you understand how a team can adapt successfully to the implemented software. We will discuss the team’s challenges and benefits while incorporating EHS software.

Teamwork and Software Implementation

The transition from excel/manual-based system to a digitalized environment sounds exhausting, but it is not. Your safety team is used to maintaining paper-based forms and excel sheets to update the system, and the transition to EHS software may sound overwhelming. But the IT and support staff (of the EHS developing team) can make things easy for them. 

When you develop EHS software from experts, they ensure to give you ample training after installing it. The UI is designed for the safety teams to complete their tasks seamlessly. Additionally, the software implies shunning exhaustive work and transiting to easy and error-free processes. 

For example, consider a CAPA module. There is a hierarchy of people that deals with CAPA actions. You cannot go to every individual and explain their role in the software or how the clicks happen. Therefore you need to arrange a training schedule for everyone in the hierarchy and explain how the software works. If you have developed the EHS software from experienced experts, they know how to explain the non-technical stuff. This leaves your responsibility only to ensure that everyone related attends the training.

A resilient and highly enthusiastic team is required to learn the software. If questions, struggles, or concepts need clarity, the team must not glitch before asking. 

Therefore to help you with successful software implementation, here are seven steps to pay attention to.

7 Steps Towards a Successful Software Implementation

1. Structure the Training

The safety manager should segregate the fast IT-adaptive crowd from the non-IT adaptive. Thus, the former can help the latter at every stage of software adaptation. Generally, the safety team has experienced people who know the required work structure, and the newbies know how to operate the digital device efficiently. Therefore, one can help the other and build a powerful team to balance the trade-offs and maximize effectiveness.

2. Define Each Role Exclusively

When a safety employee has a notification on their device, they will click it. Now, if the action requires a particular person to act on it, the message can only be an alert for the other person, not a call to action. But they still try to click it and get petrified when the alert does nothing. 

To avoid such situations, every team member’s role must be described in  the system. The alerts may be for everyone, but only the concerned people can act on them or dismiss it. Thus, every function in EHS software must be stated clearly to the employees.

3. Ensure a Team of “Team Players”

The quality of each team member can make or break the team’s ability to adapt to the new system. Therefore ensure that everyone on the team is on board when you implement the software. Remove all doubts, hurdles, fears, and myths about software adaptations. The safety team must;

  • Communicate seamlessly
  • Work collaboratively
  • Be proactive and responsible
  • Be ready to work outside of their comfort zones.

The team must embrace the new technology willingly, and the organization should provide all the support at all the required times.

4. Provide Effective Tools

If you want your safety team and software to work seamlessly, you must provide tools and a suitable environment. Everything required to do the job well must be provided. This makes sure that they are organized and productive. 

The employees must be given compatible devices with proper working cameras (in case they are required to click photos and upload them), better connectivity, and appropriate applications. The centralized platform should have excellent connectivity for collaboration and communication. The safety team should regularly update the tools and immediately ask for assistance, even in the case of minor hurdles.

5. Effective Team Communication

You have installed the software for your organization and provided the best training; now what? When the work begins and the software is used, the team must immediately communicate its benefits and flaws. Anything that is not working as desired or working to its best abilities should be reported. This communication helps the management stay in the loop of what is working and what is not for the required safety processes. This accelerates the improvisation process at an early stage, and changes, if any, can be incorporated. 

Also, there must be a clear channel to resolve and identify problems. A two-way communication channel is critical to get along and trust each other to see the software’s long-term success.

6. Instill Team Ownership

Empower your safety team to take ownership of their work. It is common in the safety department to play the blame game, and it is one of the reasons organizations shift to a digital system. An effective team is comfortable making decisions without management intervention. Of course, your support is critical to your team’s success. It would help if you made it a habit to let your team make crucial decisions internally to help foster a sense of ownership. It will instill trust and amplify the workplace’s safety.

7. Switch to the “Best Teams” Award System

It is seen that when there are shared success stories, the team’s performance exceeds expectations. Therefore encourage the best team awards rather than top performer awards. And this should be practiced not only in the safety department but in all the departments. 

The management can reinforce purposeful collaboration and harmony by rewarding team-focused goals and not individual wins.

That’s All, Folks.

There are many safety project team members, roles, and responsibilities. As long as the safety team commits to these roles and responsibilities, an organization stands a greater chance at success. 

Concentrate on implementing the seven essential tips and then lean on the experience of the safety implementation partner to help determine the balance of the in-house safety team. 

 

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