Throughout my career as a trainer and curriculum designer I've been involved in several software implementations, some of them highly successful and some of them not. At my previous place of employment - where I was witness to more than a few 'unpopular' implementations - it seemed like there was always something missing in each - and perhaps many of you can relate to this phenomenon. Whenever a new piece of software was implemented the end-users hated everything about it and wondered why they were being forced to use it.
I figured out the main problem back in 2005 when I joined a new company and project: the previous implementations hadn't included a change management program. Wikipedia defines change management as, "A structured approach to the change in individuals, teams, organizations and societies that enables the transition from a current state to a desired future state."
Basically my job on the change management team was to involve the end-users in every aspect of the implementation. This included immersing myself in the end-users' business processes; allowing the end-users to test and comment on the new software; providing them with presentations on how the new software would most affect their jobs, (which would give them a chance to prepare for the changes); creating custom training materials that included both their business processes and the software functionality; training them just before we went live so that they wouldn't forget everything they'd learned; and providing them with in-the-field support once the software went live.
When all was said and done, this ended up being by far the most successful implementation of my career. The software was heavily vetted before implementation, so the end-users got just what they expected, and the training was relevant and just-in-time. While there are many other components involved in change management that have not been mentioned here, you're well on your way to a successful implementation if you:
- communicate with your end-users and other stakeholders,
- get them involved in the process,
- train them on the relevant pieces of their jobs, and
- be there to support them once the software is live.
I would enjoy hearing from others about whether you've been involved with a change mangement program, or whether you just sorely wish you had been.
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