Our resident data expert, Heidi, took time out of her hectic schedule to talk with us about her career and role at Prometheus Group. She is the Director of Master Data Services and leads a team of five consultants working with clients to optimize their data strategies and implement Prometheus Group’s MDS product suite. In a nutshell, if you have a data question or concern, Heidi and her team will help solve it.

1. Can you share some details on your career journey?

After college, I joined Valero Energy Corporation as a help desk agent. It was there that I discovered that data was where I wanted to focus my career. With guidance from my executive mentor, I quickly realized the importance of getting hands-on experience working at an oil refinery. I took on a series of roles working at refineries in New Orleans, Aruba, and Québec. With this practical experience, I built up a deep understanding of the challenges and the critical importance of data. This has helped me empathize with clients and provide practical guidance.

I then moved to Tesoro Energy Corporation as an SAP business analyst to enhance my portfolio of skills. After several years of building up my IT and business acumen in addition to gaining more insight into the energy sector, I moved to Prometheus Group. My first mentor recruited me to join the fast-growing organization. With a decade of hands-on industry experience under my belt, I felt that taking on a consultancy role was the perfect fit as I could empathize with the challenges customers face.

Throughout my career, I have been supported by several mentors who have acted as a sounding board and have made significant contributions to my professional development and helped extend my network. For anyone looking to turbocharge their careers, I would strongly recommend seeking out a mentor to help your professional life flourish. 

2. Tell us more about your role at Prometheus Group?

I'm responsible for our MDS product suite. I'm passionate about data because that's the foundation for everything we do at Prometheus Group. Data quality is the key to optimizing maintenance and procurement strategies, so getting it right is mission-critical for every client. My team and I work directly with oil and gas and manufacturing clients to help them improve the quality and structure of their equipment in the field and spare parts in their warehouses.

In my eight years at our Texas office, I’ve held various consultancy roles helping resolve customer data issues. My mission is to help customers tap into the power of data and leverage their information to optimize their business for the next wave of technology. Being able to help people in the field is my daily motivation.

With my background working at oil & gas and manufacturing organizations, I understand the real-world challenges that customers face. I’m able to empathize and provide practical solutions rather than theoretical advice. For example, it's tough to standardize parts or materials if you have never been into a warehouse or tried to find the right part to add to a work order. The example can be extended to when a person tries to create a notification and can’t find the piece of equipment in a structure.

3. What are your recommendations for improving user adoption?

User adoption is an industry-wide problem that many organizations struggle to solve. From the time I spent working in the oil & gas and manufacturing industries to my current role as a consultant, I have seen various tactics deployed to solve this perennial issue. In my view, there are three core components to ensuring widespread adoption of new technology and systems.

1. Leadership support: It’s critical that senior leadership proactively endorses the technology. One way to do this is to through a live or recorded message from leadership or via email communication. This small step breaks down many of the barriers and ensures buy-in throughout the organization.
2. Training: Another critical element in helping drive adoption up is training. With proper training and documentation during the rollout and regular refresher sessions, this ensures that the benefits are easily understood, and workers are clear on precisely how to use the technology to ensure sustainment of data long term.
3. Data: The most critical aspect is to make sure that you don't let data get in the rearview mirror; instead, keep it at the forefront. Data is the foundation for all critical decisions.  Who are our bad actors?  What kind of electrician do we need to send to work on that motor based on the voltage?  Where else do we have this critical part in the company so we can transfer it instead of paying hot shot fees?  Properly formatted and accurate data provides these answers and more.

4. What are the biggest challenges customers are facing as they digitally transform their maintenance efforts?

Many organizations are struggling with the sheer volume of data that they now have access to. Yet despite this, many are still thirsting for information. This is where Prometheus Group can help customers tap into the power of data to optimize their maintenance, operations, procurement, and safety efforts.

Customers understand why they need to accelerate the pace of digital transformation, but antiquated systems and failed implementations often constrain their progress. There is also a widespread belief that unless consultants spend extensive periods physically onsite, then new technology can't be successfully implemented. The current shift to remote working helps showcase that providing software and services without being physically present is transformative in terms of speed of deployment and the investment required.

At Prometheus Group, we can help address all of these issues and deliver a proven practical solution that helps accelerate their digital transformation efforts and continues once the initial implementation is completed. 

5. What is unique about Prometheus Group?

We are committed to helping our customers be successful. While many organizations claim this, we truly live, sleep, and breathe this mantra. Our customer retention rates validate this claim and reflect the power of our software and services. Many of our team members worked in the field or industry before joining Prometheus Group, giving us in-depth industry knowledge. We believe that the rigors of heavy asset industries, including oil and gas and manufacturing, demand a specialist approach from experts with real-world experience. This contrasts with the global consultancies that have a deep bench of generalists. This approach truly sets us apart and delivers many benefits, such as our eLearning platform, which provides practical guidance acquired from industry experience rather than textbook theories.

6. What does Prometheus Group's customer-centric mantra mean to you?

We are committed to helping our customers be successful, and their success is our success. Every client engagement is treated as a partnership, resulting in our customers championing our solutions to others. 

We have extensive industry experience, so our guidance comes from facing the challenges that our customers are dealing with. Our transparent approach at Prometheus Group, coupled with offering practical solutions, builds trust and ensures long and mutually successful relationships. 

Meet more members of team Prometheus Group here.