... it has to be easy or our people won't use it.
(6 tips for successful software adoption)
Sometimes, company decision makers feel they have wasted money and time on previous software solutions that promised much but delivered little. In some cases, the problem might not have been the software but the strategy of adopting the software tools into the business processes.
If you are considering buying new software tools to make your business more efficient you need to select the right software and have a clear plan for implementation and adoption of the software product.
Before starting to implement the technical aspects of your exciting new acquisition, be sure to consider the people who are actually going to use it everyday.
Here are six tips to help you think about how you can make a success out of new software and plan your adoption before your implementation begins.
1. Encourage the senior management to use the new technology during meetings with managers and staff so that the entire team can see them doing so. Leading from the front leaves a powerful impression.
2. Don't rely only on the IT department alone to implement the technology. These people are not the consumers of the technology so it is essential that operations teams and end users are recruited into the set up and organisation of data in the system from the project's outset.
3. Get the HR team onboard as soon as possible. It's easy to forget them when making a decision to implement new software but any change management project will require training, which should be done by HR professionals and not IT personnel.
4. Involve the end users as early as possible in the planning process and establish a timeline for each step of the roll out. Don't suddenly announce that people are going to have to start using a new system from tomorrow.
5. Identify a key person in each department to lead the change, ideally the one invariably found in each section who has a natural tendency to get excited about the latest gadget. Such individuals are often early adopters of new technologies and can help lead the adoption of the new software within their department or business unit. They can become the 'go to' person for help when workmates need assistance.
6. Before doing anything, agree on clear expectations for the project with respect to business and performance gains. Put them in writing for everyone involved to see and understand and monitor and review the actual gains compared to the initial expectations at meaningful times.
For more information on upgrading your business systems, talk to the Gumnut team on +61 (0)2 8011 4996, email [email protected] or visit www.gumnuts.com
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