Field Resource Management System Deployment Guide

It is best to start by putting yourself in your user’s shoes. Sit down with your end users and observe their current processes and workflows. Identify the current pain points that the new technology would address. Determine which existing processes that the new technology would be replacing.

When evaluating the new technology, consider:

User friendliness
It should be intuitive and easy for your users to grasp.

Usefulness
It should help the end-users complete their jobs more efficiently and not create additional work.

Personal benefits
It should benefit the end users personally as much as it benefits the organization as a whole.

You should determine the organization’s motives for acquiring the new technology. This will ensure that the your objectives are met once it is deployed.

You should:

See which features within the old technology were primarily used.

Determine which new features will be improvements over the old

Identify the target organizational objectives for the new technology

Set 90 to 120 day milestones for measuring the benefits of the new technology

Executive endorsement

It is important to have all of your stakeholders on-board with the Field Resource Management system deployment plan. Any resistance by managers and users could potentially derail the project. Therefore, it is important to get visible support from high level executives. It will signal to the rest of the organization that the project is important to the company and any attempts to impede it would be frowned upon.

Have a high-level executive:

Send a company-wide email endorsing the new technology

Provide everyone with a list of the people in charge of the deployment

Describe the deployment timeline

Explain why the technology is critical to success of organization

Role assignments

Create roles for each person in the deployment process to ensure that each person is accountable for certain aspects of the project.

The key roles are:

Sponsor
An executive who endorses the new technology and provides adequate financial & manpower support. The sponsor can help “unstick” issues that block the progress of the deployment.

Champion
This is the biggest proponent of the new technology. They are the internal marketer and face of the project. They work with stakeholders and lead the deployment efforts.

Project manager
This person manages the day to day logistics of implementing the technology. They manage the project’s roadmap, user training, post-deployment support, etc.

Integrator
This is the hands-on implementer of the technology. They handle technical integrations, workflow modifications, and ensures that the project on the top of their priority list.

Subject matter experts
These are end users who are highly trained on the technology and they give the new technology credibility among the other users.

Management communication strategy

It is important to devise a communication strategy for middle level managers since the organization is dependent on them for deployment. Having their involvement will ensure that they promote user adoption. Also, note that the benefits may need to be more objective to them since they may not be day-to-day users of the technology. It is important to focus on the personal benefits that the managers will realize once the technology is deployed.

This includes ways in which it may help:

Reduce operating expenses

Achieve their department’s objectives

Free up capital for growth opportunities.

Increase their bonuses

End user communication strategy

It is important to keep end users involved throughout process to ensure that they are invested in the technology and they buy-in to the deployment plan.

The best way to approach end-users is to:

Interview them to learn about the frustrating aspects of their current processes

Ask how their current processes negatively impact others within the organization.

Help them identify how the current processes are inefficient, frustrating, or lead to upset customers.

Deployment schedule

It is important to have a well-defined deployment schedule in place. The schedule should define a specific timeline for each phase of the deployment and list the people responsible for each phase. The schedule should also include “buffer” time to account for any delays that may occur during deployment.

The ideal schedule should:

Include a roll-out calendar in the form of a Gantt chart

Be broken into phases with milestones

Include regular meetings for the first 90 days

Include a list of responsible parties for each phase of the deployment

Pre-deployment process

Administrators should set aside time for system configuration, adding new users, configuring integrations, and migrating data (if necessary).

This would include:

Adding users and granting permissions

Creating landmarks and notification profiles

Setting up Single Sign On

Setting up integrations

Device Installation

There are three potential approaches to the installation of telematics devices. In every case, it is very important to designate someone in the company as the coordinator to ensure that the installations are progressing according to plan.

Designated employee installation
This consists of an individual, or group of employees, within the organization who complete the installations of the devices. With most OBD-II type tracking devices, this can be done without the need for 3rd party professional installers. The employee(s) would travel to the various locations to complete the installations of the equipment on a defined schedule.

3rd party installation
This consists of a professional 3rd party installation company who would complete the installations. They typically work with the coordinator to schedule each of the installations. This is the best option if the installation is complex (ie. hard-wired tracking devices or dash cameras) or if the organization doesn’t have the manpower to complete the installations with an in-house team. It also typically comes at a cost of $100-$150 per vehicle.

User installation
Some organizations would ship the OBD-II type tracking devices to the drivers and instruct them to install the devices in their own vehicles. Logistically, this is the easiest option, however it requires a lot of oversight by the coordinator to ensure that the drivers are completing the installations in a timely manner. This is not generally the best option if the installation process is complex.

Training

It is important to thoroughly train the users to ensure that there is adoption and continued use of the technology.

The following should be in place during the training process:

Subject matter experts
These are users designated as experts in the technology. They will serve as a mentor and trainer to new users as well as a resource for users that need assistance after deployment.

Internal help desk
A help desk should be setup to ensure that user issues are addressed and resolved as soon as possible.

Ticketing system
Any issues should be logged and managed as tickets. This ensures that issues are properly managed and resolved.

New user on boarding
New employees should be trained on the new technology as part of their on boarding processes.

Post implementation review

After the technology is implemented, it is important to conduct a review to ensure that it is meeting the organization’s expectations.

This includes:

A review of unresolved issues and the creation of a plan to address them

An evaluation of user adoption by monitoring their activity within the system.

An evaluation of the organization’s results to ensure that they align with the anticipated benefits.

An evaluation of any unexpected benefits that were realized after using the technology.