Change Management: The Key to Achieving Breakthrough Results

Change management is the process of preparing, equipping, and supporting individuals to successfully adopt and adapt to new processes, technologies, and ways of working. It plays a critical role in achieving breakthrough results, as evidenced by the Statewide Fleet Project.

The Statewide Fleet Project faced significant challenges in program areas that were previously considered impossible to standardize. But through a strategic change management approach that focused on collaboration, communication, and accountability, the project was able to achieve significant improvements.

First, the project focused on increasing collaboration across departments to break down silos and encourage a culture of teamwork. This allowed the project team to develop a shared understanding of the challenges facing the project and work together to identify solutions.

Next, the project team developed a clear communication plan to ensure that everyone was on the same page. Regular check-ins and daily huddles were implemented to keep everyone informed and engaged. This helped to build momentum and keep the team focused on achieving their goals.

Finally, the project team held everyone accountable for meeting their goals. They developed a system of performance metrics and implemented regular performance reviews to ensure that everyone was focused on achieving the same outcomes.

These efforts resulted in significant improvements in the four key areas identified by the project team:

Enterprise Strategy

The lack of agency collaboration and enterprise planning led to inconsistent fleet management standards. A statewide fleet management policy was developed to address this issue, which created targeted underutilized vehicles, replacement standards, and fleet maintenance intervals. As a result, projected asset savings were over $28 million.

Digital Services

Fleet services were not customer experience-focused and required face-to-face transactions with paper-based processes that were inefficient and expensive. New policies were proposed to allow for the utilization of Uber, Lyft, and ridesharing technologies in lieu of fleet vehicles. An Enterprise CarShare pilot was adopted that allowed vehicles to be rented online, which replaced the state’s underutilized rental car fleet. As a result, projected asset savings were over $500,000.

Transformative Technologies

New technologies were piloted, including real-time monitoring through internet of things (IoT), cellular GPS with geofencing, and other transformative technologies. The pilot projects were introduced with vendors C3IoT and Zonar to improve driver safety and fuel efficiency. As a result, fleets with GPS and IoT systems after pilots saw a 90% reduction in report discrepancies.

Enterprise Technology

Disparate fleet management systems presented challenges to data-based decision making because data contained duplicates and was incomplete or inconsistent month-over-month. To address these problems, the team decided to consolidate fleet asset management software to better track fleet, fuel, and maintenance. The final software features included cellphone accessibility, dashboards, and no-code ad-hoc report capabilities. As a result, projected contract savings were $440,000.

In conclusion, the Statewide Fleet Project's success is a testament to the importance of change management in achieving breakthrough results. By focusing on collaboration, communication, and accountability, the project team was able to overcome significant challenges and achieve significant improvements. This story serves as a powerful reminder of the value of change management in any project or initiative.