Operations
Management System Implementation Process

Every organization has different goals that need to be clearly defined right from the beginning and built into every stage of the implementation process.

Without clearly defined goals and organizational needs, you run the risk of implementing a system that does not adequately address operational risks, support compliance or improve safety culture. You could put a lot of effort and resources into something that just doesn't work for you. 

Define your goals up front and provide the focus needed to implement an Operations Management System that works for you.

Leaders need confidence that the Operations Management System will achieve the desired results. With a robust plan, Leaders will allocate the required budget and commit to the long term from the beginning. 

Leaders get hesitant when they are unsure what is being proposed and whether the schedule and budget can be met, causing a lack of confidence in the project. 

Provide a structured implementation process from the beginning and secure strong Leadership commitment and budget early.

Every successful Management System requires full employee engagement and collaboration. This is the only way to embed a new way of working into your organization and achieve improvements in safety culture and performance. 

Without a structured implementation process you will not achieve the level of involvement needed to be successful, you will demotivate your employees and waste valuable effort that will have a negative impact on operations.

Design employee engagement and collaboration activities into the implementation process from the beginning and ensure they will be efficient and effective.  

You must identify the necessary activities and processes for implementing Plan-Do-Check-Act right from the beginning and build them into the implementation plan. 

Requirements like API RP 1173, CSA Z662 and CER OPR emphasize the importance of Plan-Do-Check-Act but don't tell you how to do it. Following our implementation process will ensure you build an effective management system which includes all aspects of PDCA. 

Know from the beginning that you will have a fully functioning Management System and Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle that will drive improvement and achieve your goals.

Using a proven implementation process allows you to accurately estimate the schedule and budget required to successfully implement your Operations Management System. 

Management Systems are complex to implement because they interact with many different people and processes across the company. Without a structured approach you risk duplicating effort and causing rework as you find out more and more about what's needed. 

Commit to our implementation process, enable accurate budgeting and scheduling, and give Leaders the confidence the OMS will be implemented on time and on budget!

Key Leaders agree on an initial actionable plan for OMS awareness, initial gap assessment, design, and implementation.

Leaders need to understand the project, ask questions, agree on the approach, and be able to communicate back to their teams.

Consistent messaging from leaders to employees is critical to building and sustaining momentum, as it will have a positive impact on employee engagement with Management System activities.

The design of the Operations Management System needs to consider your existing systems and programs to minimize change where possible.

This approach allows you to target necessary and high priority improvements to make sure your implementation resources are not wasted. Octane is used to ensure the assessment is conducted with maximum collaboration and to guarantee your data will be captured and managed securely.

The initial gap assessment will identify high priority improvements that need to be actioned immediately and can be worked on in parallel with the rest of the Management System implementation. It is important to enable improvements where operational risks exist so they can be addressed in a timely manner.

The rest of the gap assessment results will be used to update and prioritize the management system implementation plan.

Identifying external requirements that need to be met helps clarify scope and priorities that need to be covered in the Management System.

Once these requirements are mapped, you will be able to show PSMS Gap Assessment results against external requirements which shows the extra value of your OMS and significantly reduces audit effort.

Defining Management System responsibilities and accountabilities ensures people know their roles in implementation. Leaders and employees unclear on their roles may put the implementation at risk of failure.

This approach ensures roles are clearly defined, and changes required from leaders and employees are understood and agreed to for an effective implementation.

The many inputs being addressed by a Management System can lead to a complicated design that is difficult to implement. This approach ensures that complex inputs are aligned in a simple, easy to understand manual and processes that can be efficiently implemented.

Without leadership buy-in, the Management System will not get implemented. These design reviews are critical in building ownership and gaining leaders’ trust and involvement.

The Management System will now be implemented with participation from many employees through a series of activities. It is critical that they are properly planned, resourced and scheduled to gain the trust and confidence of leaders and the organization.

At this stage employees are still "waiting for it to go away." Up front and effective planning eliminates this problem and enables implementation to proceed.

Targeted communication for specific employees and groups ensures they know what to expect during implementation, and gain confidence they will be effectively supported for a successful Management System implementation.

The Management System drives improvement activities that require many small efforts from employees throughout your organization. Only with adequate knowledge can employees fulfill their roles and responsibilities and understand how their existing activities align with the Management System.

Operational Gap Assessments that are facilitated in a consistent, methodical manner ensure relevant and high priority information is captured so action plans and improvements can address the current state across the organization.

Through periodic Operational Gap Assessments, Leaders will receive objective information about their operations and up-to-date gaps, and clearly understand and measure performance improvement being made over time.

Following Operational Gap Assessments, a very common problem is to leave each gap to be addressed by the identifying group - this can cause significant amounts of duplication and effort.

In most cases, common gaps are identified across the organization, which need to be addressed as one action, by one group - which is significantly more efficient.

This Action Planning and Prioritization step fulfills this requirement by grouping gaps into actions that can be prioritized and managed by Leaders. This brings much needed visibility for setting project budgets, and understanding the organizational impacts and benefits of undertaking the actions.

Monitoring and reporting on implementation progress is the most important priority for new Management Systems, to confirm momentum and give Leaders confidence. Typically, numerous processes are being built or improved to cover high risk gaps. As part of those projects, KPIs and metrics can be developed to track business performance to ensure the desired results are being achieved.

At least annually, aligned with your business planning cycle, a Management Review allows you to take a step back and ask: "is our Management System doing what we need?". Year over year it can get stale or add unnecessary red tape if left unchecked, so this is leadership's opportunity to assess and adjust it to stay aligned with business priorities.

Annual Planning follows Management Review, embedding recommendations made into business plans and budgets as well as the formal budgeting of improvement actions identified during prioritization.

The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle is now fully implemented and operational!