The problem

Core challenges 

INL's contractor assurance system (CAS) had not kept pace with the demands of a large, complex research facility. Hundreds of stand-alone applications, databases and spreadsheets were spread across the lab's many Mission Centers, with no central point of control. Critical data sat in disconnected silos, redundant, out of date and out of sync. 

The system was not intuitive. Staff found it hard to pull and share information, and keeping it aligned with the lab's constantly shifting needs required significant effort. 

Business impact 

Monthly performance monitoring against internal and external regulatory requirements kept surfacing the same problems. Leadership recognized the issues but, as a dedicated research institution, INL was not in the business of software development and had neither the capability nor the resources to fix them in-house. 

The practical consequences included backlogs of overdue corrective actions, poor visibility into open tasks, duplicated effort and a growing risk of falling short of Department of Energy (DOE)-mandated CAS requirements. 

Previous attempts 

INL continued to manage operations through its existing collection of stand-alone tools, absorbing the inefficiencies over time. There was no single enterprise-wide solution in place and no internal path to building one. 

The catalyst 

An internal colleague had worked with Ideagen's quality, safety and compliance software at another facility and recommended it to INL leadership. That direct endorsement gave lab leaders confidence to move forward. 

Stakeholder concerns 

INL needed a solution that could be configured to the specific requirements of individual business units across a large, multi-site facility, without requiring IT to get involved every time a manager needed to adjust a report or workflow. 

Additional context 

Going into the project, INL's objectives were to improve communications, gain visibility of all open actions, eliminate backlogs, use resources more effectively, cut costs, improve data accuracy and maintain compliance with DOE-mandated CAS requirements. 

The solution

Ideagen solution implemented 

Ideagen Quality Management Enterprise (formerly DevonWay), deployed as an integrated enterprise-wide suite of quality, safety and compliance capabilities. 

How they use it 

INL deployed the solution across its entire facility, replacing stand-alone applications with a single point of entry for all quality and compliance processes. Internally, the lab refers to the complete suite as 'LabWay.' Modules in active use include: 

• Issues management 
• Non-conformance reporting 
• Request for services 
• Regulatory screening 
• Management observations 
• General actions 
• Maintenance work requests 
• Lessons learned 
• Suggestions 
• Audits and assessments 
• Inspections 
• Action and commitment tracking 
• Initial notification reports 
• Safety flashes 
• Spill notifications 

All applications within LabWay integrate natively with each other and were configured to the specific needs of individual business units across the lab. 

Why Ideagen 

INL selected Ideagen on the recommendation of a colleague who had seen the solution work at another facility. Ideagen's ability to model complex workflows, adapt to diverse business unit requirements and offer a cleaner, more intuitive interface than alternatives made it a strong fit for INL's scale and structure. 

Implementation journey 

Ideagen worked with INL to bring a significant portion of its existing processes into a single enterprise-wide solution. Clear assignments and due dates gave management the tools to communicate expectations accurately. Ad hoc reports and trigger-based notifications, built on an in-memory search engine, give process owners real-time access to the data they need. Managers can modify their own reports without involving IT. 

The results

Measurable outcomes 

INL saw benefits from the point of go-live, with improvements that have continued to grow as adoption has deepened across the facility. 

1. A higher percentage of employees use the CAS system. Web-based access and shortcuts on the lab's intranet make entry into the system fast for all users. 
2. Line workers report significant time savings when reporting issues compared to the legacy system. 
3. CAS administrators spend less time on repeated tasks and more time analyzing the data LabWay gives them. 
4. Administrators generate fewer manual reports, relying instead on automated notifications sent on defined schedules. 
5. Management engagement in workplace observations has increased. 
6. A single point of entry for all issues has increased user engagement and cut duplication. 
7. All users can track assigned tasks and deadlines more effectively. 
8. The number of overdue corrective actions and the average age of conditions has fallen. 
9. Managers identify negative trends earlier because they have better visibility into emerging issues. 
10. The audits and assessments capability has enabled INL to meet its DOE-mandated CAS requirements. 
11. Simplified work processes now mirror application workflows, reducing confusion and improving completion tracking. 
12. Managers have greater visibility into work and resource utilization across the lab. 

Qualitative benefits 

INL now has a level of operational transparency that the legacy system could not deliver. Teams across the lab work from shared data, leadership spots emerging risks sooner and the organization responds faster when issues arise. 

Speed to value 

Benefits were immediate. INL officials saw improvements from go-live and the value of the solution has grown steadily as adoption has spread across the facility. 

Additional context 

The project was awarded Project of the Year at the 2014 National Laboratories Information Technology (NLIT) Summit. INL plans to build on the implementation by enabling mobile-based observations and issue reporting, giving staff the flexibility to record information away from their desks.