Category Archives for "Project Management"

January 29, 2021

Choosing the Right Control System for Your Facility

Is your control system approaching its end-of-life product lifecycle?

Does your system rely on replacement parts that are increasingly harder to find?

Is it more difficult to find or hire personnel who have experience with your control system?

It may be time to upgrade.
But – How to choose the right system?

When you have identified that it’s time to upgrade your control system, you want to explore all the options that are available to you. It is especially important to find a control system that best fits your application. For example: if you need to upgrade a controller, you would avoid upgrading the entire control system.

Some manufacturers’ control system platforms offer a variety of upgrade and migration solutions and strategies. For some end users, there are migration strategies that may be a better solution than a complete upgrade.  In other cases, a complete system upgrade may be the answer.  Most of the time the best solution is somewhere in between.

How would you go about choosing which solution or strategy is right for your application? Maybe your company is standardizing on a single platform, which simplifies your options. But sometimes the field of options is wide open.

Understanding your unique needs and expectations is vital to choosing the proper system. This can be a challenging task if you don’t have the required information.

When choosing your control system, you should think about:

  • Lifecycle of Existing Assets
  • Pros/Cons of Technology Solution Options
    • Evaluated by an unbiased party with hands on experience
    • How will the technology solution better enable you to meet industry requirements and best practices such as safety and cybersecurity (ISA, NFPA, CISA)?
  • Feasibility and Impact of the Solution
    • Technology solution and strategy
    • Potential downtime and risk mitigation
  • Maintenance and Support
    • Effort required to maintain the system
    • Training of staff to maintain the system
    • Identify established partners in order to provide timely support
  • Total Cost of Ownership
    • Evaluated by an unbiased party with hands on experience

Champion understands the challenge of a new system meets your requirements, and how it will function or grow for your future needs. Our team specializes in leading clients through the process of choosing a control system that is right for their specific needs – and their budgets. As part of our process, we will work with your team to define your goals and expectations, conduct an assessment, and recommend the best, unbiased solution that aligns with your goals. Bring your control system from the past into the present, while you plan for the future. Contact us today for an assessment to plan your systems roadmap.

Want to learn more about Champion? Contact us!

Champion Technology Services, Inc. is an industrial control systems integrator that provides OT services across the United States and abroad. Our team includes ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Experts and GICSP (Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional)-certified professionals in the latest NIST standards. We help small, medium, and large companies assess their existing control systems and implement protocols that meet their facility’s requirements while maintaining our status as an unbiased third-party solution provider.

January 6, 2021

Champion Celebrates 20 Years

Celebrating 20 Years

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Champion Technology Services, Inc. is celebrating an incredible milestone:  20 years in business.

What started out as a two-person endeavor in late 2000, steadily matured into a team of 125 people across the country in 2020. Champion has achieved amazing milestones – growing one office into nine, being part of the LSU Top 100, being named Control Engineering’s Systems Integrator Giant, and achieving steady growth year-over-year.

None of this would have been possible without our dedicated team, continual process improvement, and of course – our clients.  We are thankful and humbled by our clients’ unwavering dedication!

Through the years, Champion has made strategic adjustments to generate a culture that inspires and empowers talented individuals to make the world a better place through technology.  By always staying at the forefront of technology and investing in our team’s professional growth, our clients realize the benefits in their day to day operations.

Whether implementing a control system upgrade, designing a new installation, assessing cybersecurity gaps, improving a facility’s safety systems, or enabling secure remote access for a full suite of OT Managed Services – our commitment to excellence remains steadfast.

At Champion, we believe the success of our clients is a direct reflection of our own efforts and successes.  That’s why we will continue to provide the best solutions available at any given time.  Independent of any equipment manufacturer or technology platform, our experts partner with you to evaluate needs, make recommendations, and execute the rollout that brings the most value to your facility.

From all of us at Champion, we thank you for trusting in our team to provide the solutions and systems that best achieve your goals.  We look forward to the next 20 years, as we continue to grow together.

Want to learn more about Champion? Contact us!

Champion Technology Services, Inc. is an industrial control systems integrator that provides OT services across the United States and abroad. Our team includes ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Experts and GICSP (Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional)-certified professionals in the latest NIST standards. We help small, medium, and large companies assess their existing control systems and implement protocols that meet their facility’s requirements while maintaining our status as an unbiased third-party solution provider.

September 6, 2018

The Top 5 Things You Can Do To Ensure A Successful Project

Champion Technology Services, Inc. understands that projects often come with headaches and unplanned surprises.  That’s why our Project Management team is dedicated to delivering solutions on schedule, on budget, and without surprises. We’ll identify risks, determine how best to mitigate those risks, and keep an open dialogue with you through the process.


For a project to be “successful,” it must:

  • Deliver the solution you need

  • Stay on schedule

  • Be done right

  • Stay on budget

  • …and be cognizant of any risks along the way — to deliver a robust solution as seamlessly as possible.

So, what can you do to help ensure a successful project?

1. Clearly define project expectations.

  • Poorly defined projects almost always result in less than “ideal” execution. Be sure to specify exactly what is needed and set realistic expectations on delivery milestones.
  • Vague project expectations translate to delayed delivery of equipment, imprecise scheduling, and the need for change-orders: all of which affect your project’s bottom line.
  • Sometimes you may not know what you need, but you have a big-picture goal to achieve. That’s okay, too!  Champion can offer more agile solutions you may want to consider.  We can also help to narrow down your goals into smaller, manageable pieces with clear, actionable steps.

2. Review in detail any project proposals.

  • The proposal is the first step in achieving alignment between client and integrator. Here, a clear listing of requested (or recommended) deliverables to achieve a successful project is outlined.  Review the full listing, ask questions if you need clarification, and ensure the deliverables match your expectations.  If any items don’t align as expected, now is the time to discuss and have any modifications made to the proposal.

3. Review in detail the Functional Specifications.

  • The Functional Specification is the set of documents that outline your system’s design details. It explains how the system will work, what the graphics will be like, what the network will connect to, and more.  This is where it is critical that you play an active role with your Project Manager.
  • Review all functional details to make sure they align with your needs and expectations. Once these documents are signed-off on, the system will be designed as outlined.  That’s why its imperative that all stakeholders be in alignment to achieve successful delivery.

4. Keep an open dialogue with your Project Manager.

  • Transparency and regular communication is vital in the success of any project – not only for Project Managers, but also for you as a client. Communicate any alterations to the original project scope, timeline, or other factors which may affect the project execution.

5. Ask questions!

  • If you’ve ever had a FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) not go as expected, chances are it wasn’t a positive experience. One of the primary gaps that prevents successful project execution is a lack of common understanding between Project Manager and client. Ask questions when you’re unclear on next steps or if you sense that something is going awry. The issue can be resolved before it’s too late.
  • Technology is always evolving, and the acronyms abound. While Champion’s professionals are experienced in a diverse set of industries, we know that you are the expert of your specific industry.  Conversely, as industrial automation experts, we don’t expect our clients to know everything about the technology solution.  Asking questions is the best way to ensure the alignment of your expectations with the delivery of your project!

Want to learn more about Champion's Project Execution Methodology?

Click to view our Project Management Brochure

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