Client Question:
What steps should we follow to integrate a new software product into our operations?
Civic Sphere worked with the National Center for Applied Transit Technology’s office in Washington D.C. in 2020-21 in partnership with DemandTrans’s office in Chicago, Illinois, USA, creating the “New Software Adoption for Small Transit Agencies” guidebook which is currently available in its Tech University platform.
The answer? The Guidebook breaks down the adoption process into the following steps: 1) set the software scope, 2) collaborate with the software stakeholders, 3) move forward with a software product, and 4) support the software. It closes with worksheets so the user can apply the information to their own situation.
From the Guidebook:
"With opportunities also come significant challenges to small transit agencies that wish to take advantage of new software. Whether the software application is focused on internal operations or direct customer interaction, it may lead to—and/or require—significant adjustment in agency processes. Not only will staff need to be educated on how to use the software, but the agency may also need to make important internal changes to accommodate entirely new day-to-day work tasks—even as other tasks are largely automated by the software. Moreover, as the capabilities of available software expand the possibilities of the agency, it may need to create new types of customer or organizational relationships to actualize these possibilities. The purpose of this Guidebook is to enable you and your agency to navigate the way forward in an informed fashion vis-à-vis the enhanced use of software for your services and by your customers."
What steps should we follow to integrate a new software product into our operations?
Civic Sphere worked with the National Center for Applied Transit Technology’s office in Washington D.C. in 2020-21 in partnership with DemandTrans’s office in Chicago, Illinois, USA, creating the “New Software Adoption for Small Transit Agencies” guidebook which is currently available in its Tech University platform.
The answer? The Guidebook breaks down the adoption process into the following steps: 1) set the software scope, 2) collaborate with the software stakeholders, 3) move forward with a software product, and 4) support the software. It closes with worksheets so the user can apply the information to their own situation.
From the Guidebook:
"With opportunities also come significant challenges to small transit agencies that wish to take advantage of new software. Whether the software application is focused on internal operations or direct customer interaction, it may lead to—and/or require—significant adjustment in agency processes. Not only will staff need to be educated on how to use the software, but the agency may also need to make important internal changes to accommodate entirely new day-to-day work tasks—even as other tasks are largely automated by the software. Moreover, as the capabilities of available software expand the possibilities of the agency, it may need to create new types of customer or organizational relationships to actualize these possibilities. The purpose of this Guidebook is to enable you and your agency to navigate the way forward in an informed fashion vis-à-vis the enhanced use of software for your services and by your customers."
