The business case for investing in new technology is much more than simply looking for new capabilities on the promise of greater efficiency and lower costs. Lee Clarke of Dynama advocates considering the bigger picture and explains why it pays to implement automated strategic workforce planning solutions to increase safety, optimize assets and maximize competitiveness.
After years of oil price volatility, offshore organizations might be forgiven for using technology to drive efficiencies and achieve their cost-saving ambitions. When Ernst & Young surveyed 100 global oil and gas executives, they discovered that 89% expected to step up their investment in digital over the next two years with 42% citing efficiency as the main driver. The multinational professional services firm then urged executives to ‘think holistically about technology’ in a bid to ‘unlock ambitious growth opportunities and emerge as industry leaders.’
It’s an interesting thought that reflects Dynama’s own experience of serving customers in the offshore industry with solutions that underpin their complex strategic workforce planning challenges. What is more, increased safety regulation and recent trends such as widespread mergers and acquisitions activity, and the advent of autonomous or smart technologies are having a dramatic impact on how organizations, people and resources are managed, motivated and maximized.
The proven effectiveness of automated workforce management (WFM) as a highly efficient ‘right staff, right place, right time’ mechanism has encouraged offshore organizations to explore other ways that technology can be utilized to support the wider business. Creativity combined with constant innovation have transformed traditional WFM solutions into a valuable strategic planning tool that supports longer-term growth, change management and business continuity programs.
One constant solution in a sea of change As the offshore industry accelerates its investment in digital technologies, let’s take a closer look at why it pays to implement an automated WFM solution:
Competitiveness - starts with successful project bids and they depend on the organization’s ability to predict accurately the total costs of a project to customers while fully utilizing their own assets profitably. The latest strategic workforce planning solutions bring together all information in one place - staff and equipment assignment and deployment, staff qualifications and competencies, travel plans and documentation, regulatory compliance and timeline management – to provide real-time visibility of people and resources. What is more, they can also model for future requirements quickly and efficiently. This makes accurately predicting the specific costs associated with each new business tender far easier than ever before.
Protect your human capital – skills shortages are notorious across the industry. Once you have the best talent, nurture them and create enduring workforce relationships. Use scheduling software to build trust by creating flexible schedules that play to crew strengths, personal preferences and holidays. Through self-service, empower staff with easy access to up-to-date rotas and the option to request shift swaps or book time off. Finally, motivate them. Use WFM to build a living, virtual library of complete crew asset information and introduce meaningful training and personal development programs. Managers and clients get the skills they need while crew get the careers they want.
Mergers & acquisitions – combining two organizations is never easy. Gain back control using the unifying force of strategic workforce planning technology. Automation removes duplicated effort and reduces the administration burden of merging two disparate organizations. It streamlines processes to encourage consistent ways of working and promotes collaboration. What is more, a cloud-based infrastructure gives increased protection against data security threats as organizations move data and merge their respective IT infrastructures.
Compliance and risk management – alongside people, offshore organizations need to show that the vessels and equipment they are providing are safe to use and that their people are protected at all times to minimize the risk of industrial accidents, significant financial penalties and long-term damage to corporate reputations. The ability of an automated planning solution to provide a joined-up approach to availability, competency and compliance management gives offshore organizations a framework they can trust to protect their overall business.
It pays to implement automated WFM systems in more ways than one. Expand your horizons, look beyond cost and create positive change by making the most of strategic workforce planning technology for efficiency and maximum competitiveness. There are no limits.
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