NCJ Number
220929
Journal
THE POLICE CHIEF Volume: 74 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2007 Pages: 96,98,100,102,105
Date Published
October 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes how the York Regional Police (YRP) of New Market, Ontario (Canada) managed the significant organizational change that was involved in an upgrade of the technology for the police records management system (RMS) and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, an effort that was called IMPACT.
Abstract
The YRP recognized early in the planning for IMPACT that it would involve not only a large-scale technological change, but also an organizational cultural change on a scale the agency had never experienced. The senior managers set the tone for this change by creating an atmosphere that embraced the change as ultimately beneficial for the organization and its mission, as well as its individual employees. The senior managers opened many channels of communication with personnel in order to ensure that they understood the benefits of the new technology and the organization's commitment to helping every member of the organization use the technology successfully. The YRP hired a project manager whose sole responsibility was to facilitate the implementation of IMPACT without interfering with the daily operations of the agency's information technology (IT) department. A steering committee was formed, consisting of the deputy chief of administration, the superintendent of information services, the manager of information technology, and the project manager. It met almost daily in order to make decisions regarding the project's implementation. In the project's initial phase, the team conducted research needed to acquire a thorough knowledge of all the current practices that the new products were designed to replace or streamline. The team made sure it understood the new products and tested them in the organization's distinctive environment. A significant amount of the team's time and resources were spent in producing training packages tailored for acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for using the new systems.