The Challenge
An inspection company working with a major upstream oil and gas client faced a significant challenge. The goal was to digitize the manual report process, transitioning from Word documents to PDF forms for standardized data collection. Despite the project managers’ experience and longstanding relationship with the client, the project stalled after 18 months. The client, not covering any costs, left the service company bearing the brunt of the expenses, having already invested hundreds of hours and resources.
The Approach
I conducted an initial assessment to address the stalled project and made key recommendations before delivering the final product. During the discovery phase, we held separate meetings with each team involved: Operations, application developers, the COO, and sales. This comprehensive understanding helped us prepare for our first client meeting, where we uncovered critical insights.
The client’s needs and wants were misaligned, which was the primary reason for the project’s stagnation. Despite their efforts, the project managers were unable to meet client expectations due to changing scopes and misunderstood requirements. The pivotal second meeting involved a bold approach where I confidently told the client “no” to their current direction and asked them to trust me with a new solution.
The Solution
Recognizing that true simplicity in data-driven projects requires understanding and managing complexity, we scrapped the original design and started anew. Within a 60-day turnaround, I delivered three key solutions:
- Digitized Report Form: Created a digitized report form linked to a relational database, utilizing existing service company resources and incurring no additional application or licensing costs.
- Data Management and Governance System: Developed a scalable data management system with industry-specific categories and a complex backend to support a simple front-end user interface.
- Value Tracking Mechanism: Implemented a system to track additional value, enabling the service company to validate their worth and justify the client’s choice for third-party services. This also allowed the client to track vendor data alongside their own audits better.
The Outcome
The project outcomes were transformative:
- Standardized Process: Successfully digitized and standardized the reporting process.
- Increased Scalability: The new system provided scalability and flexibility, reducing the risk of scope creep and additional costs.
- Enhanced Client Relationship: The client appreciated the clear and simple front-end system, supported by a robust backend, which met their needs effectively.
- Value Demonstration: The ability to track and demonstrate value strengthened the service company’s position and justified the client’s continued partnership.
Conclusion
The Client Reporting Application project illustrates our ability to take stalled projects, reassess client needs, and deliver effective, scalable solutions. By leveraging existing resources and focusing on both backend complexity and frontend simplicity, we provided a solution that not only met but exceeded the client’s expectations.
If you’re facing similar challenges and need a partner to help transform your reporting processes, contact us here. Let’s work together to achieve outstanding results.
