The TMW Trucking Software Implementation Process
HISTORY OF SUCCESS
For more than 25 years, TMW has been helping transportation services companies of every size and type gain efficiencies and improve profitability through our enterprise management trucking software solutions, maintenance management software, optimization technology and business process consulting and support services.
We know that implementing a new software solution is a big decision and how important it is to your business- and your bottom line.
With TMW's experience implementing systems for more than 1600 customers, from very small businesses to extremely large ones, from single locations to multi-national, widely distributed offices and terminals, we can provide you with the assurance and confidence that comes with our qualified team, process methodology, thorough planning, comprehensive training and collaborative approach.
We make it our priority to insure a smooth transition during your trucking software implementation process. We follow it up with on-going customer support, optional business audit services and extensive educational opportunities -- to help you realize the maximum value and operating efficiencies from your TMW software.
THE APPROACH
TMW software is robust and offers thousands of options that a customer can choose to leverage, based on their individual business requirements and needs. Our job is to understand your business and current processes to help you configure the optimal solution that works best in your operation.
We employ a disciplined project management approach and will communicate with you and guide you through the necessary steps of action leading to a successful go-live. Our project manager will map out details, set timetables and define work assignments, collaborating with your staff to identify and take the steps necessary to achieve the desired go-live results. Standardized planning and reporting tools and an array of training options are all built into the plan to capture potential issues early on and insure readiness.
THE TMW TEAM
When you become a TMW customer, a dedicated team is assigned to provide hands-on, individualized support during the implementation process and beyond. With the wide array of experience and certifications these individuals bring to the table, you can be confident in the team's ability to support your needs. Each member will have a specific skill set in project management, implementation, development, training and/or support. Our years of experience in the transportation services industry ensure that our team brings best-practice knowledge and business insight to help you refine your processes for maximum benefits.
PROJECT MANAGER. The Project Manager's top priority is leading both the customer and TMW teams toward a successful implementation. In this role, they will provide leadership for and communication to all team members overseeing the day-to-day implementation progress. That includes ensuring the project deliverables, milestones and issues are all fully understood and delivered on time and within budget.
Project Managers are at the center of the process to develop, manage and track project plans and milestones. Depending on the scope of the implementation, the project managers could be involved in developing detailed and accurate estimates, scope documents, requirements, risk assessments, specifications, schedules and budgets. They are constantly reviewing customer training reports, work assignment lists, and visit surveys from implementation team members. These skilled individuals work with both the TMW and customer teams to ensure timely progress and identify and resolve issues in order to protect the go-live date.
IMPLEMENTATION CONSULTANT. These team members work hand-in-hand with you to gain a full understanding of all of your business requirements. Once these are determined, the specialist's primary responsibility is to configure the installed system and provide both on-site and remote training to your staff. The Implementation Specialists communicate with the TMW Project Managers regularly, reporting progress, next steps, gaps and potential challenges.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT TEAM. Located in each TMW office near core product development and documentation groups, our product technical support groups are organized into customer teams, responsible for a select group of named customers. When your TMW trucking software product implementation begins, a support team is assigned to your company and available to provide day-to-day assistance. Because this customer support team is part of your larger implementation project team, you get personalized and ongoing support from people that are familiar with your company and your specific software configuration and business operations. A Customer Support Team includes several individuals with specialized areas of expertise, such as operations, integrations, reporting and financials. When you call, you'll get a quick response from an expert who knows your product history as well as our products' capabilities.
SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT. We recognize that there are unique business needs and processes that may require extensions and added functionality to a core TMW software system to help a new customer operate effectively. In such an instance, a technical lead will be assigned to your implementation team to manage this effort. Managing your specific software development project, this team member will define the development requirements and our engineering solution, manage the developer efforts and insure successful integration of the new functionality or external services interface within the existing TMW product code base.
SUPPORT TOOLS
A complex implementation can be jeopardized if critical evaluation, planning and validation stages have not been completed effectively within the project timeline. To eliminate these pitfalls, gauge progress and maintain momentum toward a successful implementation, our teams use specialized tools that manage and monitor every phase of pre- and post-implementation project status.
PRE-IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST. This tool is used regularly throughout the process to measure key performance indicators regarding your go-live readiness. It identifies set-up problems and measures progress in your staff training levels on an ongoing basis.
POST-IMPLEMENTATION MONITOR. Immediately after your operations go-live on your TMW software, post-implementation monitoring begins. Your internal project lead will activate automated reports that proactively scan your software system and identify bottlenecks that could impact day-to-day operations. Although these tools were originally designed to monitor a new customer's go-live activities, many TMW customers have found these reports to be an invaluable tool. They function as on-going safety measures to insure the accurate and streamlined flow of transactions and information through your system to keep your operations humming.