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Phase 1: Define Program
- Introduction
- Roadmap
- ERP Resources and Contacts
Program definition is an opportunity for you to set the course of your ERP, and to clarify what benefits you hope the program will generate for the environment, your agency, and the regulated community. In this phase, you will make your first decisions about your program design, including the sector you will target.
Resources to consider
- The Three Basic Tools of ERP
[Cached version](PDF, links to page 5 of a 154 page document, 620 KB, About PDF)
(Excerpt from Massachusetts' Environmental Results Program: User's Guide for Government Agencies (March 2002)) - General ERP Materials
- ERP websites
Clarify ERP Opportunity
During this phase, think about the reasons that you want to start an ERP. Being clear about what is driving your ERP efforts will help you define program goals. It will also help guide your decisions, and help you make difficult choices at each stage in your ERP planning.
Questions to consider
- Why are you interested in ERP? For example, are you motivated to consider ERP because you:
- Want to foster a greater sense of responsibility for environmental compliance among small business owners and operators?
- Hope to encourage pollution prevention within the regulated community?
- Need to improve your measurement of environmental performance among the regulated community?
- Seek to target your limited resources more effectively?
Resources to consider
- Consider if an ERP Approach Could Be Useful in Your State [Cached version] (PDF, links to page 28 of a 154 page document, 620 KB, About PDF)
(Excerpt from Massachusetts' Environmental Results Program: User's Guide for Government Agencies (March 2002))
Select ERP Sector
This steps presents questions and resources to guide your thinking in selecting a target sector for ERP. It may work well to tentatively pick a few promising sectors and then gather additional information and feedback from selected stakeholders before making a final decision.
Questions to consider
- What sectors would best fit the opportunity for ERP that you have identified?
- What do you know about potential sectors, including qualitative and quantitative sources of information on sector characteristics (e.g., facility types, sizes, equipment, etc.) and environmental performance in the sector?
- How reliable is your information about these potential sectors? If you think your information may not be reliable, can you confirm the information you have or collect additional data before selecting a sector for ERP?
- What resources can you use to fill key information gaps about your top priority sector(s) before launching a full-scale ERP? For example, can you:
- Talk with inspectors or program staff to learn about the sector and begin to build internal support for ERP?
- Review results of prior initiatives with this sector?
- Learn from studies of the sector conducted by researchers outside your agency?
- Conduct a survey of facilities to better understand the sector and the problems facilities face in achieving compliance and improving performance?
- To what extent are facilities in this sector already the targets of other outreach initiatives (either compliance assistance or enforcement)?
- To what extent are facilities already familiar with compliance requirements, pollution prevention opportunities, and Best Management Practices (BMPs)?
- Do you have a rough idea of how many facilities are in this sector?
- Are there informal facilities (e.g., unlicensed or unregistered facilities) as well as formal ones?
- What are the specific characteristics of the sector you are targeting? For example, are there specific processes or equipment a facility would need to use in order to fit within your definition of the sector? Keep in mind that if you cannot identify whether a facility has the requisite characteristics to fit your definition of the sector without conducting an inspection, it will be difficult to develop an accurate list of facilities in the sector.
Resources to consider
- ERP sector selection document (PDF, 8 pages, 52 KB, About PDF)
- Take the First Steps Toward Implementation [Cached version] (PDF, links to page 30 of a 154 page document, 620 KB, About PDF)
(Excerpt from Massachusetts' Environmental Results Program: User's Guide for Government Agencies (March 2002))
Define Program Goals/Vision
In this step you will consider what you want ERP to accomplish, and what would make the program a success.
Questions to consider
- What problems will your ERP address?
- If this program is a success, what will be different about the sector, shops, or your agency a year (and five years) after you've implemented the program?
- What kind of story will you want to tell about the results, and who are your key audiences?
- What will be key indicators of success (i.e., how will you measure your program results)?
Phase 1: Stakeholder Involvement
It is very important to have support and feedback from your agency's senior management and program staff at the beginning of ERP development. ERP may represent a very different way of operating for your agency, and so securing internal commitment to ERP can help reduce later challenges by ensuring that your ERP is well planned and consistent with agency objectives. Consulting with EPA can also generate insights and support for your program. In general, an inclusive approach to program development increases the changes of your ERP's success.
Internal
- Obtain senior management commitment for ERP
External
- Discuss program ideas with regional EPA and/or EPA HQ
Internal and External
- Begin to explore potential funding sources for ERP
Resources to consider
- Consider the Feasibility of Implementing ERP in Your State [Cached version] (PDF, links to page 29 of a 154 page document, 620 KB, About PDF)
(Excerpt from Massachusetts' Environmental Results Program: User's Guide for Government Agencies (March 2002))