How Royal Far West Achieved a Successful Digital Transformation

Linsey Payne, Governance, Risk, and Improvements Manager at Royal Far West, offers valuable insights into implementing digital systems and driving organisational change. Drawing on her extensive experience, Linsey emphasises the importance of clear communication, executive support, and fostering a cultural shift to ensure successful technology integration. Her approach strikes a balance between systems and people, ensuring that technology enhances efficiency while empowering teams to embrace change.

Have you implemented other digital systems before LogiqcQMS?

The main project I worked on before implementing the Logiqc platform was the upgrade of our medical records system. We went through a major transformation, essentially overhauling eight years of accumulated requirements in just eight months. This was the first time we had upgraded our medical records system across the entire business, which naturally involved a lot of stakeholders; everything from operations to clinical teams and executive management.

For this project, we worked with an external team that was very tech-focused, and my IT team was invaluable in helping us navigate all the technical jargon. I’m not from an IT background, so I really relied on them to help translate and implement those technical aspects. It was a challenging but very rewarding project.

In addition to that, the organisation also uses platforms like Salesforce for customer relationship management, Elmo for HR purposes, which tracks everything related to staff, and EDA, a financial system.

Can you think of any lessons you learned during those implementations, and did any of those lessons help you when onboarding Logiqc?

Absolutely. One of the key takeaways was the importance of communication, especially when onboarding Logiqc. A formal stakeholder management plan is essential, and I found that keeping everyone involved in the loop with regular, consistent and timely communications was extremely valuable. Added features to ensure success included running training sessions, hosting forums, and more informal "lunch and learns", where staff could grab their lunch, sit down, and ask me questions about what we were trying to achieve with the new system. It is also about making sure people are familiar and comfortable with change.

Communication is critical, but you also need transparency. We wanted to make sure people didn’t feel like it was just another "scary" change coming their way. By keeping things open and accessible, people felt more comfortable.

We ran numerous sessions focused on things like incident categorisation, ensuring the system made sense for everyone. For example, what works for operations may not work for clinical teams, and vice versa. We couldn’t assume we knew what worked best for each team. So, engaging stakeholders across all areas, operations, marketing, clinical, was critical to make sure the system was intuitive and useful for everyone involved.

We also learned that the stronger the executive backing, the more accepted the system would be. It wasn’t just another system being introduced; it was something that had executive-level support and was part of a larger organisational improvement. Having that endorsement and mandate made a big difference.

What were some of the challenges you faced, and what worked well during the implementation?

There are always challenges in an organisation-wide system implementation. The changes we were making meant different things to different people, depending on their perspective and role and responsibility within the business. You are also dealing with staff that have varied skills and experience with systems and change management. It was important to find common ground and bring everyone together. One of the biggest things we learned was the importance of involving people early on. When staff could see how the system applied to their work, they were much more likely to support it. This buy-in was crucial.

What we realised was that we weren't just implementing a new system; we were introducing a new way of working. Risk and governance management, for example, was a completely new concept for many people. We had to shift their mindset around risk, from viewing it as something scary to understanding that the more we knew about risks, the better visibility we had, and the more control we could exert over them.

To address this, we focused a lot on training, helping people build their knowledge around risk management. The training was really well received, which was encouraging.

Another key lesson was understanding that risk management isn’t just the responsibility of one person, like me as the risk manager, or even the CEO. Risk is everyone’s responsibility. By empowering staff with the knowledge to identify and raise risks, they became more engaged and proactive in the process. When people understood the "why" behind entering specific information into the system, it helped them adopt it more effectively. When it finally clicks that risk management is not a “hand break” that holds us back or just tells us what we can’t do but can be used in a positive way to help achieve better outcomes, you’re on a winner.

Ultimately, the system drove a cultural shift and improved the capacity of our staff. It pushed us to embrace a new way of thinking and working, which, in the end, was one of the best outcomes of the implementation.

Did you encounter any resistance from the team? Were they reluctant to change?

There was some initial resistance, but it was more about a lack of understanding than outright refusal. The key was helping them understand the "why" behind the change, explaining how the system would ultimately improve their day-to-day work. With better data, tracking, and accountability, we could make processes more efficient across the board.

The resistance was largely due to their knowledge gaps, and of course, there are always people who struggle with new systems. For those who needed extra support, we made sure to provide more hands-on help, additional training sessions, and access to resources like the Logiqc Academy for anyone who had more specific questions.

When we first implemented Logiqc, we focused on risk, incidents and feedback, and we’re just starting to roll out the documentation piece. For many, this was a big change. Previously, risk was managed at the executive level, often in an Excel sheet. With the new system, risk management became part of everyone’s role, right down to the team leader level.

I think the volume of new information coming all at once was a bit overwhelming for some, but they gradually warmed to it. We didn’t push people into it; instead, we took a slow and steady approach. We communicated clearly from the outset, and the change was framed as something positive.

You mentioned that the Logiqc Academy was a good support. Were there any other specific parts of the onboarding process that you found particularly useful?

Yes, definitely. One of the most valuable parts of the onboarding process was our Client Success Manager, Elizabeth. She was absolutely fantastic. I never once felt like I was asking a "dumb" question. She was incredibly responsive and thorough. She provided us with a clear road map and implementation program plan that gave us the structure and direction we needed. At every stage, she made sure we were clear on what needed to be done and always checked in with us to ensure we were meeting deadlines. Any questions I had were answered the same day, which was really reassuring.

Having that level of support and accountability was so helpful. Elizabeth provided not only guidance but also a sense of discipline in terms of staying on track. It made the whole process feel more manageable and structured, which I really appreciated.

How do you engage the team to keep using the platform? Was it something they continued to use from the start, or has there been ongoing work to ensure its continued use?

At the beginning, as I mentioned earlier, a big part of the engagement was communication. I was very hands-on with training and made sure everyone knew I was the go-to person for questions.

Even now, when there are updates or if I notice that people aren’t using the system properly, I stay proactive. I send out emails, offer additional training sessions, and even request to join team meetings. That way, if there are specific issues in a team, I can address them right then and there.

We’ve always framed the system not as just another piece of admin, but as something that would genuinely improve their workday and add more structure to it. Overtime, the system has become so integrated into everyone’s day-to-day tasks that it’s now just part of business as usual (BAU). People log in to their dashboards, they have it bookmarked, and it’s the first thing they open when they start their day. It’s really encouraging to see how comfortable everyone is with it now. It’s just a natural part of their routine, much like opening an email or Teams in the morning.

Can you think of any specific insights you'd like to share with potential clients or those starting the rollout or implementation?

One key insight is to start with a clear set of requirements. When implementing a system, it’s easy to want to do everything at once and create the perfect product right from the start. We took a different approach, acknowledging it was our first time and aiming for a functional system that we could refine over time. We focused on getting people engaged and using their feedback to improve.

Another crucial element is having strong executive buy-in. Their support and clear direction made a huge difference, as it gave the project legitimacy and showed everyone that it was a project of great importance.

Finally, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Focus on delivering a minimum viable product (MVP) and then iterate. Also, we made the change about more than just the system; we saw it as an opportunity for cultural change. We didn’t just force the system on people; we adapted the system to fit our needs, while also adjusting how we worked.