Department of Natural Resources (DNR), 2023-current

DNR’s Forest Practice Applications for timber harvest are currently developed using handwritten applications and willable pdfs, wet signatures, and checks for payment. The new system, fpOnline, will modernize the application process through an online process that will include electronic signatures and payment. This initiatives a major change that will affect thousands of applicants, forestry consultants, DNR staff, and reviewers from state, local, and tribal agencies. Halcyon Northwest is responsible for the organizational change management effort, leading a communications campaign including a website, newsletter, quarterly surveys, interviews, and community Town Halls. The effort is also focused on readying stakeholder for change, through a Change Champion Forum, as well as ensuring successful testing, training, and launch efforts to reinforce and sustain the transition. he project is under OCIO oversight. FpOnline is planned to go live in early 2025.

Department of Natural Resources (DNR), 2022-current

DNR is shifting from a legacy, 18-year old SAP to a cloud-based, modified COTS (commercial off the shelf) system to handle $300 million annually in state contracts and leases for 5.6 million acres of state-managed land. Halcyon is leading an OCM effort focused on communication and readiness for change among DNR staff. Halcyon’s work includes a stakeholder outreach campaign, surveys, a change champion forum, and an evaluation of readiness for change and reinforcement. The project is under OCIO oversight. Anticipated launch in 2025.

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), 2018-2022

WSDOT replaced a 20-year-old legacy system with an in-house, custom-designed, cloud-based system to manage low-cost enhancements and other small highway projects, worth about $7 million annually. Halcyon created a change champion forum to help advise on application design and process redesign, and to serve as liaisons with regional staff, who are the core users. Halcyon also developed a training program and led all training sessions, supported users with one-on-one training as needed, and created a communication campaign to reinforce adoption. User feedback on a range of user-experience questions improved from an average of 3.0 (on a scale of 1 to 5) for the old application to 4.0 – 4.5 for the new application.

More about the TRACTS project

Washington Department of the Military (MIL), 2024-current

Halcyon Northwest, LLC is leading the strategic planning efforts for the Washington Army National Guard’s (WAARNG) 25-Year Real Property Development Plan (RPDP). This long-range, integrated planning document, spanning from Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2049, will implement The Adjutant General’s (TAG) goals and objectives for the development and operation of the State’s real property for WAARNG. The plan will be designed to showcase the high-priority projects, helping build support among decision-makers for their implementation.

Washington State Department of Health (DOH), 2023-current

Halcyon Northwest is leading the update of DOH’s 2016 Suicide Prevention Plan, and has contracted with Halcyon to lead the process. This multi-agency effort spans many stakeholders including practitioners, advocates, and survivors of suicide attempts and family members who have lost loved ones to suicide. The work also intersects with several ongoing behavioral health initiatives. Halcyon is leading the team to perform interviews and focus groups, summits, and secondary research. The goal is a forward-looking update to the existing plan that will direct prevention efforts for the state for several years to come, including implementation plan, evaluation plan, and metrics for tracking success.

Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), 2018-2019

The Halcyon Northwest team led the writing, editing, formatting, and design for Target Zero, Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. The planning effort involved 30+ partners directly, and over 100 partners all together. The focus was on evolving a 20-year planning effort to meet changing societal trends, policy paradigms, and technologies.

Halcyon conducted multiple research studies during the project and provided reports on research outcomes. Studies included a user survey, stakeholder interviews, a literature review of the other state plans, and a survey of local elected officials.

The plan is he five-year roadmap for traffic safety efforts for the state. Halcyon served as lead writer/editor for the plan, working with a dozen subject matter expert authors. The team focused on data presentation, easy navigation, and emphasis on key interventions for highest effectiveness. Halcyon also prepared the 2016 Target Zero plan.

More about the Target Zero project

Washington State Department of Health (DOH) 2018-2019

Halcyon facilitated a series of discussions on behalf of DOH’s Injury and Violence Prevention Program (IVPP) team in order to get consensus and direction on the development of a new, innovative strategic plan. Halcyon developed the participant feedback and subject matter expert input into the state’s Injury and Violence Prevention Plan, providing writing, editing, and graphic design services.

Washington State Department of Health, DOH 2018-2019

Halcyon facilitated several cross-agency meetings to set policy for the Sexual Violence Prevention program for the coming years, which became the basis of a formal action plan, also prepared by Halcyon. The content of the plan and related discussions was designed in collaboration with the client to meet CDC requirements.

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), 2018-2022

Developed feasibility study and business case to support the re-write of a 20-year-old data system that tracks statewide small-scale highway projects. Created advisory groups intended to support change management success. The MVP launched successfully in October 2020, one month after the initial plan, delayed due to COVID-19 furloughs. The new system has greatly improved user satisfaction, data-sharing abilities, and records management. Project transitioned into operational status in 2022.

Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), 2018-2019

Using PMP best practices, Halcyon managed an 18-month waterfall project to develop the state’s strategic highway safety plan, involving 30+ partners directly and over 100 partners all together. HNW helped build strong, enduring partnerships and guide participants towards concrete, implementable policy commitments.

More about the Target Zero project

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), 2022-2024

WSDOT developed a 20-year-old legacy system holding over 60 years of speed limit records for the state. Halcyon provided agile project management for the new in-house, custom-designed, cloud-based system. A major challenge of this project was managing data quality issues in order to develop a successful new system. The system launched in 2023.

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), 2016-2019

Halcyon provided agile project management for data systems upgrade. The system tracks permits for roadside signs. Under Halcyon’s management, WSDOT successfully launched the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), then worked through the project backlog to add features like mapping and reporting. The new system has addressed billing, accuracy, and reporting issues for the program.

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), 2016-2018

WSDOT updated a legacy system that manages the blue highway signs for gas, food, lodging, and other amenities for highway travelers. Halcyon provided agile project management for data systems upgrade that has now moved to operational status. The new system has greatly improved the efficiency, transparency, and reporting abilities of the program.

Commission on African American Affairs (CAAA), 2022-2024

CAAA updated its 2015 report on the health and wellness of Black Washingtonians, framed around the social determinants of health. Halcyon’s team developed a survey and led multiple focus groups to evaluate how Black Washingtonians are faring, and to gather the voice of Black Washingtonians. The team also reviewed secondary data to support the report findings and recommendations. Halcyon provided writing, editing, copyediting, and graphic design services for the final report, which was published in early 2024.

Washington State Department of Health (DOH), 2023

Halcyon led this project to explore community needs for Washington State’s agricultural community. There was a special emphasis on the question of why community members did not take advantage of a free mental health voucher program provided by the Washington State University (WSU) Extension. This project was part of an ongoing statewide initiative to address the disproportionately high suicide rate among agricultural workers in the state.

Halcyon Northwest conducted a thorough needs assessment, engaging with farm advicates, mental health service providers, and key stakeholders to identify barriers and opportunities. The research culminated in a community survey, which was supported by a marketing initiative to raise awareness of the survey and a raffle incentive. The final report highlighted the need for a robust outreach strategy and support infrastructure to improve the knowledge of – and stigma around – mental health services among agricultural workers.

This evaluation was part of the Washington State Department of Health Injury and Violence Prevention Program (DOH IVPP), funded by the 2021 National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant for the Farm Stress and Suicide Prevention (FSSP) Project.

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), 2021-current

Halcyon is part of a large team working on a cutting-edge waste prevention initiative on behalf of the City of Seattle. Waste prevention is the process of minimizing or eliminating the production of waste materials before they become waste.

Halcyon is a member of the Customer Research, Evaluation, and Measurement Team to design and implement culturally appropriate and in-language research with SPU residential and commercial customers; identify and convey common themes and insights; guide the development of equitable and measurable waste prevention goals and metrics; and design user-friendly evaluation and measurement methodologies and tools to measure the environmental, social, and economic impact of waste prevention efforts. The initial report is due in 2024, and final work to implement the ideas will begin in 2025.

Washington Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board (WTB), 2022

Halcyon developed a legislative report for the WTB evaluating progress on increasing the behavioral health (mental health and substance abuse) workforce in Washington State.

The report addresses the recommendations that the workforce board had set for itself and offers recommendations for new approaches. Recommendations under evaluation spanned three previous reports over six years and were grouped into six categories. The final report also contained an executive summary of the work, and a short roll up of all Legislative and other major initiatives related to each recommendation. 

More about the Behavioral Health Workforce Report project

Washington Department of Health (DOH) and SAMHSA Grant, 2023- 2024

Halcyon led a collaborative effort to standardize follow-up procedures for Washington’s 988 crisis line. The collaborators included DOH, Volunteers of America Western Washington, Frontier Behavioral Health, and Crisis Connection. Our team facilitated in-depth discussions to align standard operating procedures across the three agencies, plus existing national guidelines. Based on these discussions, Halcyon drafted and refined a comprehensive document detailing consistent follow-up practices for agencies to provide support to 988 callers. This initiative was funded by a SAMHSA grant. 

Washington Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board (WTB), 2023-2024

Washington State is facing a sizeable and growing lack of workers to provide long term care to seniors and people with disabilities in Washington State, across a range of facility types. Halcyon is facilitating a series of virtual meetings with state employees, facility representatives, advocacy group members, and direct care workers themselves to develop policy recommendations to address this dearth of workers. The meetings are grouped around recruitment and retention, workforce and career development, rural and underserved areas, and the overall ecosystem of the LTC workforce. Halcyon will lead an in-person summit in July 2024 to finalize and prioritize the recommendations, and then write, design, and edit the final report.

Washington Center for Nursing (WCN), 2020-2021

Halcyon facilitated a series of meetings to inform a DOH-funded study on the effects of COVID-19 on the nursing workforce, through an equity lens. Participants represented over 40 entities, including non-profits, state agencies, affinity groups, university/college nursing programs, and unions. The results informed an Action Plan to implement responses to the research findings.

Washington State Department of Health (DOH), 2021-2022

DOH and DSHS served as co-lead agencies for this large-scale stakeholder effort. Per Legislative request, the effort evaluated the effects of COVID responses at long-term care facilities, with the intention of developing effective as well as compassionate guidelines for future public health emergencies. Halcyon contributed to the design of three stakeholder meetings, then facilitated the virtual conversations. The meetings addressed issues such as visitation, access to personal protective equipment (PPE), admission and discharge, the psychosocial and physical health of residents, and rapid and accurate testing for disease.

Participants included trade groups for nursing home owners, hospitals, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, and home care and hospice, plus: public health officials, Long Term Care (LTC) residents and their family members, and the LTC Ombudsmen.