Organizations that fail to create structured or consistent systems often experience issues with process consistency, missed information handoffs, and low auditability during projects. One way to solve this issue is to create a carefully and intentionally designed software tool to support their work.
We sat down with Andy Terbovich, PE, Senior Technical Manager Application Development, to learn more about environmental management systems and workflows.
What are some challenges or demands that affect environmental management programs?
Environmental permitting plays a significant yet often undervalued role in business performance. Permitting is complex and takes time, and an effective environmental management program can provide realistic and accurate line-of-site of ongoing permitting schedules. This information informs construction or operations groups and keeps project and power delivery schedules realistic, so that insufficient or infeasible permitting schedules are caught and communicated early.
The constantly changing regulatory environment also presents significant challenges for utilities to efficiently and effectively deliver projects and operational compliance on time and on budget while also maintaining compliance with all applicable environmental rules and regulations.
What type of clients do you support?
We generally work with the environmental compliance groups of large utility companies or their regional subsidiaries. It could be an electrical grid operator, a natural gas distributor, or a renewable energy generator. Most of these companies have complicated compliance requirements and a lot of work to maintain them. They may have hundreds or thousands of projects to screen and/or permit, with some permitting efforts that can take years. Or, they may have a smaller number of projects but need to track lots of environmental compliance inspections done by various consultants.
In our work, we have supported clients who are struggling with an environmental management program that is unstructured or uncontrolled. These often rely on using standard office communication software to directly pass various files and communications back and forth, likely via some combination of email, direct messages, shared project folders or similar.
When the challenges of managing unstructured processes become too great, we are often brought in to help clients effectively and efficiently manage their growing project portfolios.
What’s the issue with unstructured or uncontrolled environmental management programs?
An unstructured approach may work for smaller organizations, but it does not scale effectively as your project count grows and the number of designers, inspectors, and consultants grow with it. There is no ability to consistently enforce a particular workflow. Unstructured or uncontrolled programs often start with template files or forms that are distributed to project designers or consultants, such as a project screening checklist or an inspection form. Various small process changes may be made over time by updating the templates.
Over time, we see things like outdated file versions being submitted or end users modifying the templates, files being submitted in inconsistent ways, and stakeholders not always following updated process documents.
It is important to note that the environmental compliance contents of these programs may be well thought out and robust. What is unstructured is the system managing that information and communication, and what is uncontrolled is the multiple ways in which involved personnel can, inadvertently and unintentionally, step outside of the goals that system.
These systems have difficulties scaling efficiently as projects grow, have a higher risk of program failure, and are harder to mine for historical data or prove compliance during an audit or review.
What are the benefits of a more complex program?
Because you are intentionally designing a program to manage your compliance program, you can enforce a consistent workflow for your project screening, permitting, and compliance inspections. These workflows must then be followed by all users, so you can ensure all consultants are following the appropriate process.
You can standardize the data going in, which allows you to create forecasts and reports across a larger number of projects. Just as important, you can look backwards at previous projects to gather lessons learned or answer any compliance questions that arise down the road.
Since you aren’t reliant on individual files or communications being sent and relayed, management can see what is going on in real time without having to ask a specific person to dig through their email for the latest updates.
What activities within environmental management programs can be supported by a well designed application?
Modern environmental management programs need to cover the entire project lifecycle, which includes environmental impact and permit screening, environmental permit application tracking, various compliance inspections, addressing corrective actions, creating regulatory and/or internal reports, permit reviews/renewals, and final project and permit closeout.
Over the past 20 years of app development, we have implemented various tools to support all of these activities, all of which have their individual quirks. We cover more details in our white paper, but if you take all of these activities together, then it ultimately becomes a full environmental asset management system.
If you want to learn more about McCormick Taylor’s Application Development services, contact Andrew Terbovich directly at AGTerbovich@mccormicktaylor.com or visit our GIS & Technology Services page here.
