Implementation Guide

Most organizations are fully onboarded in 2–4 weeks. Here is what to expect.

Phase 1: Discovery (Week 1)

Your dedicated implementation lead will schedule a kickoff call to understand your organization’s specific needs:

• Which service lines are ranked or seeking ranking
• Your current survey management process and pain points
• Key stakeholders and their roles
• Historical data availability for import
• Timeline alignment with the upcoming USNWR survey cycle

Phase 2: Configuration (Week 2)

We configure your Shield Tracker instance based on discovery findings:

• Service lines — Each ranked specialty is set up with its USNWR section letter, identifier, and display configuration
• User accounts — All team members are provisioned with appropriate role-based access
• Historical data — Prior-year survey responses are imported to enable year-over-year comparison from day one
• Survey year — The current survey year is created with deadlines, phases, and enrolled service lines

Phase 3: Training (Week 3)

Hands-on training sessions are conducted for each user group:

• Data contributors (60 min) — Navigating survey sections, entering data, using YoY cards, uploading documents
• Service line leads (45 min) — Reviewing submissions, adding comments, approving, understanding workflow phases
• Admins & executives (45 min) — Managing users, reading dashboards, generating reports, using improvement plans

Phase 4: Go-Live (Week 3–4)

Your team begins using Shield Tracker for active data collection with dedicated support during the transition.