There is more than one definition for operational readiness, but, here at Vector, we define the state of operational readiness as having the systems and solutions in place so that your organization can make safer, smarter, better decisions. Try as you might to be proactive, if this past year has taught us anything, it’s that you can’t plan for every eventuality.
The good news is: you don’t have to! The goal isn’t to be prepared for every specific possibility. The goal is to optimize your infrastructure so that you are agile enough to respond effectively in the face of whatever comes next.
Is your organization ready for the challenges of tomorrow? Here’s how to find out.
At Vector, we focus on operational readiness by examining four critical areas of our operations: learning and training, operational management, workforce management, and risk management. Below, you’ll find three key questions to ask yourself in each of these areas to determine where your organization is knocking it out of the park, and where you might want to apply some strategic attention.
For each question, rank your organization from 1-5, with 1 being “ got this covered,” and 5 being “we need to get on this ASAP.”
Is your learning and training platform:
Training is more than professional development and opportunities to advance our skills; it’s a crucial component of operational readiness. In critical industries, training gives your team members the tools and knowledge they need to make safer, smarter, better decisions - reducing injuries and keeping people safe, increasing compliance, and reducing claims. With the right learning management system (LMS), you can automate staff training, provide high-quality courses led by experts, customize your courses to ensure relevancy to your employees, and much more.
Do you have tools and systems in place that:
In critical industries like firefighting, EMS, and for professionals working with hazardous materials, communication, accuracy of supplies, and up-to-date information are a matter of life and death. A mobile application like Vector Check It is an example of how organizations can use tools and apps to automate and streamline daily apparatus inspections as well as track inventory levels and controlled substances. For controlled substances and chemical management, Vector SDS & Chemical Management gives you seamless mobile and web-based access to safety data sheet collections and electronic chemical inventory, as well as a library of common safety data sheets.
Do your workforce management solutions:
When it comes to managing your people, it helps to remember: you’re managing people! Everyone has different expectations and preferences for their professional interactions and that can get sticky when it comes to swapping shifts, overtime hours, and rehires. Vector Scheduling simplifies the complications of daily scheduling with flexible and customizable features that streamline even the most complicated employee management tasks. The same care and attention have to be applied to performance review and evaluation, so you can continue to nurture the talent in your organization. Automated performance management solutions, like Vector Evaluations+, automates every aspect of the evaluation process so you can do what you do best: focus on your people!
Does your risk management solution:
Safety is critical in every industry, not just critical industries. An effective safety management system will help your organization keep up with the highly competitive business landscape of today. Vector EHS Management connects all areas of safety into one easy-to-use platform, allowing you to manage your entire EHS program in our configurable system to save time and improve efficiency in your safety department. Risk can come in many shapes and forms, from equipment safety to sexual harassment and assault incidents, to health risks, like COVID-19. Vector LiveSafe provides organizations with an optimized mobile platform to ensure two-way safety and security risk communications, emergency notifications, and COVID-19 health assessments and mitigation.
Whether you’ve got mostly 1s (great job!) or mostly 5’s (you’re not alone), or a healthy mix of both, the good news is, knowing where you need to focus your attention is the first step towards ensuring the health and wellbeing of your employees and your organization. Wherever you ranked, we can help you optimize your solutions to ensure operational readiness in these uncertain times, strengthening your weak spots. When all are working together as a complete tech stack, your org will be humming.
