2016 Q4 ISSUE COSTTREE CAPTURE. 19
IT Gridlock
When it comes to technology implementations, all roads lead to I.T., and that road can quickly turn into a gridlock. Not understanding how your project fits into the overall I.T. plan can bring the most enthusiastic project to a halt. Understanding the true scope of the project’s impact on I.T. can also be a major factor. Many new technologies are cloud-based and do not require the heavy I.T. involvement of yesteryear. Communicating clearly to your staff what the project impacts will be can help set expectations and provide a more realistic implementation timeline.
Best Practices
TRANSPARENCY
Project implementation challenges are often avoidable with the right planning and preparation. Here are three things to consider during your preparation stage.
Thoroughly review current business processes and legacy systems. Remember, it’s not about taking an old system and creating new technology around it, as we can’t use the same methods we used before and expect different results. Instead, it’s important to have a clear understanding and vision for how internal policies and legacy systems will be transformed by the technology solution.
You need to clearly define your system needs and the desired performance outcomes. What are your stakeholders’ expected outcomes of this implementation? It may sound obvious, but having extremely clear outcomes can help determine the right vendor or solution “fit” for your organization. Vendors will often tout their ROI or outcomes, but it’s critical to ensure that these outcomes are truly aligned with what your organization seeks to achieve.
Realistically assess your staff capacity and competency. No amount of preparation will ease the burden on an overwhelmed staff unable to navigate new systems. Cataloguing the systems each person is currently managing can help determine whether or not you should wait to implement another new system.
PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE
Over-communicate During Launch
Clear communication among your staff, leadership, and the vendor is vitally important to your implementation process. Consider the following during your implementation launch:
Set very clear milestones at the beginning of the project, both internally and for the vendor, to ensure your project stays on track.
Communicate the unique impacts to each stakeholder. Depending on how complex the rollout is, you may want to provide individual detailed deliverables for the different roles in your organization. For instance, there could be very specific milestones that I.T. needs to achieve that would prevent the project from proceeding until they are completed.
You should also ensure that you have appropriate leadership support for your implementation. Obtaining a publicity announcement email from management at the outset to emphasize the importance and authority behind the transition helps to strengthen organizational support for the effort.
Invest in adequate training—it’s a step that is often missed or inadequately addressed. Make sure your end users have the resources to understand how the new technology will impact their current position, how old processes will be completed, and where expectations may need to be adjusted. Investing in training will ensure the momentum created after the launch continues when rolled out to the end users.