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Three common complaints during a new system implementation and how to cure them...
"How in the world am I going to learn a new software package when I already have so much work to do?"
"I have been through three software implementations. Each time I was told that it was going to make my life easier. I am still waiting for my life to be made easier"
"Our CEO got us all pumped up about the new system. The excitement disappeared quickly when he got distracted with other business issues. We are still wondering why he bought it and what it was suppose to do for our business"
These comments are all too common when you interview staffing companies and ask employees about their experiences with new technology, and especially software implementations. At face value, you would have a hard time determining what went wrong and soured the person's experience. As you ask more questions, what is particularly surprising is that all too often no one really understands why expectations were never realized with such an important enterprise. That fact alone is revealing and possibly the biggest clue as to why a project costing substantial dollars never delivered anything generous to the operations of the company or to the bottom line. It is revealing because if you cannot identify why an implementation was unsuccessful, then you probably did not have the proper goals in place to begin with.
When system implementations are properly planned, breaking down all of the components with the appropriate measurement tools to determine success, projects are much easier to track and trouble spots are easier to identify.
The following are some steps you can include in your next system implementation to track the success of your project and identify trouble spots while they are still manageable:
- Define business goals - For the last twenty plus years, we have learned that a successful system implementation must have tremendous support from senior management. When the day is over, senior management sends signals throughout the organization of what is a priority and what is not. Senior management must be excited and fully committed to the success of a software implementation. For that to happen, management must have defined business goals. They must be strategic and compelling for management to have the vision and perseverance to see the project through to success.
- A non-technical understanding of how the technology is going to deliver the business outcomes that management requires. Time and again, the evaluation of a new product is delegated to employees who have not been clearly debriefed on the strategic reasons for purchasing a new system. Operations people are going to focus on the details of the system that impact their daily job functions and are not necessarily going to focus on the bigger picture from a business standpoint. It is essential for senior management to boil down the issues of how a new system is going accomplish their strategic objectives and have the software companies communicate to them on that basis. Senior management should be able to express the reasons for purchasing a business system in a ROI statement that states the financial implications of the purchase and implementation. This gives the business manager an opportunity to look at total cost of implementation, not just the cost of purchasing the technology.
- Cast the vision - Senior management needs to cast the vision and collaborate with the employees on determining the viability of the project. Frequently, employees are only given partial information to do their jobs, when being given all the information would make them much more effective at accomplishing the strategic goals of an organization. By allowing employees to participate in the assessment phase of the project, two things are accomplished:
- They are allowed to work through the process and gain ownership of the vision and belief in its viability.
- By allowing employees to understand to larger business issues, they can evaluate the software and the processes from a larger perspective in addition to the operational view that they would normally have. If your staff is fully empowered, this alone can bring back large dividends to senior management in the way of important feedback.
- Process/Systems Analysis - At some point, technology theory and process reality have to agree with each other. An internal project manager who understands the vision as well as the internal processes has to learn the capabilities of the software to determine if and how their business outcomes can be met with technology. Ideally, this person should produce an internal operations manual that combines the operations of the software with the procedures for each job function in the staffing firm. This becomes particularly useful during the initial and ongoing training. This type of document makes the assimilation of new employees into the operations of a staffing company much faster and smoother.
- Off-line Orientation and Training - Off-line means that your staff gets a full orientation on the roll-out of the project. This includes giving a bird's eye view of the business goals and how the deployment of the technology in each department will support those goals. It then includes an orientation of the operation manuals so they are familiar with them and can comfortably use them as a resource when the need arises. The operation manuals include integrating the use of the software within the procedures of the job.
- Data Conversion - A data conversion strategy and design has to be produced and executed. It is very important for verification of data to be completed before live operation of the software.
- Phased in deployment of the system. Phased in so each department that is going live has the full resources of both the internal and external project people for support during the conversion. Phased in deployments are positive because they create quick wins for the project team. This fosters a good attitude throughout the organization regarding the project and new technology. That type of energy has immeasurable value during a system implementation.
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