Our Work: Support for Cannabis Tracking System
When Oregon voters passed the Control, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana and Industrial Hemp Act (Measure 91), legalizing recreational marijuana in Oregon, the state law authorized the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) to control, regulate, and tax marijuana.
Without existing regulatory framework concerning recreational marijuana there were no technological infrastructure or underlying business processes available to the OLCC to support an effective execution of Measure 91.
"Our experience working with Resource Data has been extraordinary. Resource Data was adept at working in a political policy environment. The team was flexible with the numerous changes to the project based on legislative changes, as well as input and policy guidance from our volunteer committee. I could not recommend Resource Data highly enough."
—Nathan Rix, Project Portfolio Director and Senior Policy Analyst
The Solution
The OLCC brought on Resource Data to provide Project Management, Business Analysis, and Quality Assurance services to support the implementation of the two major information technology components needed to successfully execute Measure 91: a licensing solution for marijuana industry businesses and an inventory tracking solution to ensure traceability of cannabis products. The OLCC selected the Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance (METRC) system, a customizable commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution developed by Franwell.
Our Approach
Our team created a framework for project deliverables; performed project management, including developing and implementing industry standard project plans and change and risk management plans; gathered requirements; documented business and system processes; planned and managed user acceptance testing; and represented the OLCC in reviewing vendor deliverables.
We successfully developed project documentation that guided the OLCC through all phases of the State of Oregon’s newly implemented Stage Gate Process. This was the first project to go through the entire Stage Gate Review Process, from initiation to closeout.
Of Interest
Changes to the newly drafted rules and law were made in response to public demands and political will. The system specification and implementation progressed even as rules and regulations were being finalized. These frequent changes required our team to be nimble while also maintaining the rigor needed to effectively manage such a visible, highly political project. To keep the project on time and on budget, while still providing meaningful and useful analysis services we
- Remained agile to respond to emerging regulations
- Maintained transparency through a single document repository
- Collaborated through regular team meetings
- Adhered to a robust communication plan
- Followed industry standard project management processes