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Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process that identifies both the positive and negative environmental effects of significant developments prior to planning permission being considered. It aims to prevent, reduce or offset any identified significant adverse environmental effects of development proposals. The EIA process is a method of ensuring that planning decisions are made in the full knowledge of the environmental effects and with full engagement of statutory bodies, local interest groups and members of the public.Population growth, rising expectations and technological changes have created serious environmental problems. Today, there is world-wide evidence that man cannot ignore the quality of the environment. Thus, environmental issues must be addressed as soon as possible during project planning. Environmental impact assessments measure or estimate impacts on one or more environmental indicators (air, water, soil, land, sound etc., qualities). EIA is widely accepted as a tool to ensure sustained development with minimum environmental degradation.Definition:An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an analytical process that systematically examines the possible environmental consequences of the implementation of projects, programmes and policies.Steps in EIA process:EIA represents a systematic process that examines the environmental consequences of the development actions, in advance. The EIA process involves a number of steps, some of which are listed below:1. Submission of preliminary information (Identifying and Defining the Project):The project proponent should submit information regarding the nature, location and impacts of a proposed project that requires an EIA. The best time for a project proponent to submit the preliminary information on the proposed project is as soon as the project concept is finalized and the location of the project is decided. A brief summary of the project is extremely helpful at this stage. The existing laws and regulations that are applicable to the project should also be reviewed along with the regulating authorities. It is very important to identify the team that will carry out the EIA procedure along with a coordinator and the decision maker who will read the final report.2. Environmental Screening:The EIA process begins from the very start of a project. Once a developer has identified a need and assessed all the possible alternatives of project design and sites to select a preferred alternative, two important questions must be asked: 'What will be the effects of this development on the environment? Are those effects significant?' If the answer to the second question is 'yes', an EIA may be required. Answering this question is a process known as screening and can be an essential first step into a formal EIA. Screening is done partly by the EIA regulations, operating in a country at the time of assessment.3. Environmental Scoping:Scoping is a stage, usually involving the public and other interested parties, that identifies the key environmental issues that should be addressed in an EIA. Scoping actually controls the cost and time of the assessment in deciding the scope of the EIA and therefore is a very important step both in identifying the impacts and controlling the size of the EIA. The following techniques are used for scoping. Checklist technique, Matrix technique, Networks technique, Overlay technique.4. Consideration of alternatives:This seeks to ensure that the proponent has considered other feasible approaches, including alternative project locations, scales, processes, layouts, operating condition and the no-action option.5. Description of the environmental baseline:Following on from scoping, it is essential to collect all relevant information on the current status of the environment. This study is referred to as a baseline study as it provides a baseline against which change due to a development can be measured. Baseline studies are based on the experience with respect to environmental aspects and cover everything important about the environmental impacts of the project. Baseline studies are rather easily carried out in the countries where the required technical expertise, long term database for environmental measures (for instance in the case of river flow) and relevant research papers and reports are available for the area concerned.6. Impact prediction:Once the baseline study information is available, the important task of impact prediction can begin. Impact prediction involves forecasting the likely changes in the environment that will occur as a result of the development.7. Impact assessment:The next phase involves the assessment of the identified impacts - impact assessment. This requires interpretation of the importance or significance of the impacts to provide a conclusion, which can ultimately be used by decision-makers in determining the fate of the project application. This step is generally considered as the most technical in nature and therefore is the most difficult and controversial part of the EIA. It is difficult because not every impact, especially natural and social impacts, can be quantified. A well balanced final decision can be reached regarding the fate of the project.8. Mitigation measures:These measures are taken to reduce the magnitude or intensity of the impacts affecting the environment. This of course will incur some costs, but it is expected that such measures will, in the long run, mitigate the impacts so as to make the project both economically and environmentally viable. The EIA team has to decide between two alternatives, either having a high cost and low pollution program or having a low cost but a high pollution situation.9. Public Participation:Best EIA practice involves and engages the public at numerous points throughout the process with a two-way exchange of information and views. Public participation may consist of informational meetings, public hearings, and opportunities to provide written comments about a proposed project. However, there are no consistent rules for public participation among current EIA systems.10. Producing the environmental impact statement:The outcome of an EIA is usually a formal document, known as an environmental impact statement (EIS), which sets out factual information relating to the development, and all the information gathered relating to screening, scoping, baseline study, impact prediction and assessment, mitigation, and monitoring measures. It is quite common that a requirement of an EIS is that it also produces a non-technical summary. This is a summary of the information contained within the EIS, presented in a concise non-technical format, for those who do not wish to read the detailed documents. This is very important, as EISs are public documents intended to inform the public of the nature and likely consequences of a development in time to comment and/or participate in the final project design.11. EIS review:Once the EIA is complete, the EIS is submitted to the competent authority. This is the body with the authority to permit or refuse development applications. The competent authorities are often in a position of having very little time to make a decision and have a detailed and lengthy EIS to read through which may contain errors, omissions, and developer bias. It is essential, therefore, that they review the document. Review can take a number of forms: it may be purely an ad hoc process whereby the document is read and commented on by decision-makers; it can be more formalised and expert opinion is sought; or it can be through the use of formal review methods designed specifically for the purpose. Basically, the review process should enable the decision-maker to decide whether the EIS is adequate (ex: whether it is legally compliant), whether the information is correct, and whether it is unbiased. If it is, they are then in a position to use the EIS as information to be considered in determining whether the project should receive consent.12. Decision:A decision to approve or reject a project is generally based on the final EIA. Usually the decision is taken by a manager or a committee, or personnel from the concerned ministry who had not been associated with the EIA during its preparation. In general, a decision maker has three choices:i. accepting one of the project alternativesii. returning the EIA with a request for further study in certain specific areasiii. totally rejecting the proposed project along with alternative versions.13. Auditing:This follows monitoring and involves comparing actual outcomes with predicted outcomes, and can be used to assess the quality of predictions and the effectiveness of mitigation.

EIA represents a systematic process that examines the environmental consequences of the development actions, in advance. The EIA process involves a number of steps, some of which are listed below:1. Submission of preliminary information (Identifying and Defining the Project):The project proponent should submit information regarding the nature, location and impacts of a proposed project that requires an EIA. The best time for a project proponent to submit the preliminary information on the proposed project is as soon as the project concept is finalized and the location of the project is decided. A brief summary of the project is extremely helpful at this stage. The existing laws and regulations that are applicable to the project should also be reviewed along with the regulating authorities. It is very important to identify the team that will carry out the EIA procedure along with a coordinator and the decision maker who will read the final report.2. Environmental Screening:The EIA process begins from the very start of a project. Once a developer has identified a need and assessed all the possible alternatives of project design and sites to select a preferred alternative, two important questions must be asked: 'What will be the effects of this development on the environment? Are those effects significant?' If the answer to the second question is 'yes', an EIA may be required. Answering this question is a process known as screening and can be an essential first step into a formal EIA. Screening is done partly by the EIA regulations, operating in a country at the time of assessment.3. Environmental Scoping:Scoping is a stage, usually involving the public and other interested parties, that identifies the key environmental issues that should be addressed in an EIA. Scoping actually controls the cost and time of the assessment in deciding the scope of the EIA and therefore is a very important step both in identifying the impacts and controlling the size of the EIA. The following techniques are used for scoping. Checklist technique, Matrix technique, Networks technique, Overlay technique.4. Consideration of alternatives:This seeks to ensure that the proponent has considered other feasible approaches, including alternative project locations, scales, processes, layouts, operating condition and the no-action option.5. Description of the environmental baseline:Following on from scoping, it is essential to collect all relevant information on the current status of the environment. This study is referred to as a baseline study as it provides a baseline against which change due to a development can be measured. Baseline studies are based on the experience with respect to environmental aspects and cover everything important about the environmental impacts of the project. Baseline studies are rather easily carried out in the countries where the required technical expertise, long term database for environmental measures (for instance in the case of river flow) and relevant research papers and reports are available for the area concerned.6. Impact prediction:Once the baseline study information is available, the important task of impact prediction can begin. Impact prediction involves forecasting the likely changes in the environment that will occur as a result of the development.7. Impact assessment:The next phase involves the assessment of the identified impacts - impact assessment. This requires interpretation of the importance or significance of the impacts to provide a conclusion, which can ultimately be used by decision-makers in determining the fate of the project application. This step is generally considered as the most technical in nature and therefore is the most difficult and controversial part of the EIA. It is difficult because not every impact, especially natural and social impacts, can be quantified. A well balanced final decision can be reached regarding the fate of the project.8. Mitigation measures:These measures are taken to reduce the magnitude or intensity of the impacts affecting the environment. This of course will incur some costs, but it is expected that such measures will, in the long run, mitigate the impacts so as to make the project both economically and environmentally viable. The EIA team has to decide between two alternatives, either having a high cost and low pollution program or having a low cost but a high pollution situation.9. Public Participation:Best EIA practice involves and engages the public at numerous points throughout the process with a two-way exchange of information and views. Public participation may consist of informational meetings, public hearings, and opportunities to provide written comments about a proposed project. However, there are no consistent rules for public participation among current EIA systems.10. Producing the environmental impact statement:The outcome of an EIA is usually a formal document, known as an environmental impact statement (EIS), which sets out factual information relating to the development, and all the information gathered relating to screening, scoping, baseline study, impact prediction and assessment, mitigation, and monitoring measures. It is quite common that a requirement of an EIS is that it also produces a non-technical summary. This is a summary of the information contained within the EIS, presented in a concise non-technical format, for those who do not wish to read the detailed documents. This is very important, as EISs are public documents intended to inform the public of the nature and likely consequences of a development in time to comment and/or participate in the final project design.11. EIS review:Once the EIA is complete, the EIS is submitted to the competent authority. This is the body with the authority to permit or refuse development applications. The competent authorities are often in a position of having very little time to make a decision and have a detailed and lengthy EIS to read through which may contain errors, omissions, and developer bias. It is essential, therefore, that they review the document. Review can take a number of forms: it may be purely an ad hoc process whereby the document is read and commented on by decision-makers; it can be more formalised and expert opinion is sought; or it can be through the use of formal review methods designed specifically for the purpose. Basically, the review process should enable the decision-maker to decide whether the EIS is adequate (ex: whether it is legally compliant), whether the information is correct, and whether it is unbiased. If it is, they are then in a position to use the EIS as information to be considered in determining whether the project should receive consent.12. Decision:A decision to approve or reject a project is generally based on the final EIA. Usually the decision is taken by a manager or a committee, or personnel from the concerned ministry who had not been associated with the EIA during its preparation. In general, a decision maker has three choices:i. accepting one of the project alternativesii. returning the EIA with a request for further study in certain specific areasiii. totally rejecting the proposed project along with alternative versions.13. Auditing:This follows monitoring and involves comparing actual outcomes with predicted outcomes, and can be used to assess the quality of predictions and the effectiveness of mitigation.

To save your time and nerves here is a Validation Spreadsheet. It has 12 criteria that will help you to choose the right software company.And a little intrigue.At the end of this post there is one more useful bonus for you.Let's get back to the question.Guess, you already got my point anyway.In my humble opinion and 7+ years in software development in most cases, to work with a software house is more reasonable.Here’s why.1. You get a full cycle of software development servicesYou may need to develop a fairly complex software product. I'm talking about creating an application, website or a comprehensive software solution, such as CRM or ERP. Such development requires specialists in various fields.Through cooperation with professional companies, you get them all:managersanalystsdevelopersquality assurance engineersdesignersThus, you get support for your product from idea to launch.No matter how good the freelancer is, he probably will not be able to provide you with such a wide range of services.2. You can be sure of a team of specialistsI especially want to note that with well-coordinated teamwork the tasks of the project are much easier to solve.When looking for freelancers, you have to create the project team on your own. Here you should note that they haven’t met each other before.As a result, they will have to set up some elements of the development process from scratch, including project management, communications, software engineering practices, and more.3. You have access to a diverse experienceFrom actual experience I will say that the huge advantage of studios is diverse expertise.Here you’ll find a wide technology stack, one for building websites and web applications, the other for creating mobile apps, and so one.Some software engineering companies specialize in delivering e-Learning and e-Commerce solutions, some in blockchain projects, and others in Artificial Intelligence. And they have industry expertise and will understand your business-specific needs.What’s more, software house professionals can recommend technologies that will better suit your project. For instance, many web development companies use either PHP or Java in their work. They will help you define in which programming language your web product should be created as well as tailor the type of architecture.4. Project management is not your problemI am sure you want the project to be completed on time and the process of its implementation to be as organized as possible. All this is possible for a professional development company.That's how it works: specialists collect your requirements, analyze them, make recommendations, prepare a technical specification (if needed), and estimate the scope of work.No need to worry about interim results. Project Executors constantly organize meetings to ensure that everyone knows at which stage the project is and avoid mess during the dev process. Also, a project manager takes care of tuned workflow and meeting the deadlines.5. You have guarantees of continuity of work on the projectForce majeure happen.Unfortunately, sometimes right during the work on the project. Diseases, sudden departures, unforeseen personal circumstances and much more can happen at any time.In the case of cooperation with a freelancer, the consequences can be extremely negative. Most likely the project will have to be paused and you will spend additional time searching for a replacement.A software development company is responsible for having their employees accessible during the project. If a team member can’t exercise his or her functions because of illness or for other reasons, a company connects another specialist with similar experience and knowledge.Software engineers will quickly explain all the tasks, project goals, and show what has been already done. So, the plus is that onboarding goes quickly due to face-to-face communications and project documentation.6. You get a constant project maintenanceLet's imagine that the project is done.If freelancers implemented it, then it would be deprived of post-project support. They simply do not offer such a service.Nevertheless, some errors may appear long after the launch of the product, for example, in case of an influx of users. A custom software development company will always provide you with further project support.As you can see, hiring an agency provides a higher level of reliability and flexibility compared to freelance engineers. Therefore, cooperation with a software house will be the best choice when you need:to implement a complex projectto create an application or website from scratchassistance in defining the requirements to the producta post-project supporta wide spectrum of services, from business analysis and prototyping to product development and marketingLet's be honest, reliable software house can release you from a headache associated with numerous technical issues, from project management to product maintenance.P.S. Equally useful for both Freelancers and Studios will be this Front End Checklist I made. Just let me know and I will send you :)