Technology Systems Implementation

Technology Systems Implementation

Technology Systems encompass the tools that organizations use to collect, manage, and analyze data. This data guides decision-making to improve efficiency and profitability. However, the true value arising from system tools hinges on an organizations ability to create adoption, ownership and the proper utilization of these tools to achieve the business objectives. The Engine Room understands the true impediments to digital transformation success and employs targeted implementation processes that enhance performance.

The Engine Room’s digital transformation programs are purposefully brand-agnostic. We recognize that the success of significant change initiatives depends less on the specific software brand and more on aligning three critical factors: People, by ensuring roles are effectively executed; Processes, by optimizing end-to-end workflows; and Technology, by leveraging the functionality of the tools to meet business needs.

The Engine Room supports clients through this end-to-end system implementation process through a three-phase process that includes Risk Awareness Discovery to avoid the common pitfalls many organizations fall prey to, IT Tool Configuration Guidance to support alignment between process and technology, and Go-Live Implementation to support adoption, ownership, and utilization of the systems and tools.

Phase 1: Risk Awareness Discovery

The Risk Awareness Discovery begins with a rapid assessment that establishes clarity on the goals of the transformation and identifies the significant risk factors that may lead to transformational failure. Common risk factors include:

• Ownership of the change initiative existing in the wrong part of the company (often IT as opposed to the operating groups that use the tools and undertake the change).
• Failing to be intentional on where processes will be altered to align with how the software is intended to be used, or modifying the software to align with how the business previously operated.
• Failing to validate the business case for ‘IT System Features’ that burden the organization with unnecessary administrative tasks, permanently driving up transformational operating costs.
• Configuring software with excessive process rules or poorly designed automation, both of which prevent employees from efficiently executing the core business successfully after going live.
• Failing to appreciate that neither implementing new software, nor training necessarily leads to effective employee utilization of system tools.

Phase 2: IT Tool Configuration Guidance

It is critical to approach IT projects by aligning organizational business needs with the software’s capability. Virtually all ‘off the shelf’ software systems associated with digital transformations require some configuration. The end-user’s configuration choices are pivotal in aligning the software tool with the business’s target operating model to maximize functionality and ROI. Critical elements of this process include:

• It is essential for business leaders to be assertive with IT service providers and, as engaged and proactive customers, demand answers that align with their business needs.
• While it is appropriate for consultants and software vendors to make recommendations, the project team must be able to present a compelling vision of the future and coherent logic for their recommendations.
• Understand that configuration errors that prevent the business from achieving its objectives or burden it with low-value process steps often result in system users blaming the software (incorrectly) for poor system performance.
• Configuration choices must be reviewed by the digital transformation initiative’s owners and signed off as appropriate, ensuring ownership and accountability are appropriately designated to the system tools’ end users.
• Operations leaders must become informed about what the software is designed to do and assess the alignment between the software’s functionality and their needs. If they fall short, the software will not meet the business’s needs. If they overdo it, the business will pay for unnecessary features.

Phase 3: Go-Live Implementation

Once the change initiative is ready for implementation, the Engine Room process changes to support the adoption, ownership, and utilization of the systems and tools. Consequently, the Engine Room’s process involves parallel strategies that shorten the learning curve, address change management hurdles, anchor business ownership and arrive at superior utilization outcomes sooner. This includes:

• Tailored communication surrounding the change coming from the end-user leadership team focusing on the concepts, principles and end goals of the system tools. Leadership must be prepared to address implications arising from the change with integrity, avoid overselling the benefits and underappreciating the impact on the people.
• Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) can be invaluable is designing change initiatives but even the best, well-intentioned employees are not necessarily experts in every topic or challenge. Therefore, designing the change initiative by piloting change concepts with end users first since proactively reduces risk and increases end user adoption.
• Once a change has been piloted and demonstrated to be viable, a percentage of end users will embrace it because of the benefits. However, a percentage of the end users may not. It’s up to leadership to create the culture of accountability surrounding behaviour change, adoption and utilization.
• Implementing change initiatives that involve changing practices or behaviours, requires a blended skills development process. A training course alone will not initiate adoption and utilization. Employee focused strategies should target the 70:20:10 people development model of experiential learning, coaching and training to anchor skills into daily practice.
• Anchoring the change requires leadership focused strategies that create feedback mechanisms to actively look out for glitches and correctly determine if they are people, processes, or technology issues. Developing KPIs and dashboards to actively monitor process health and performance is critical, supported by developing rigor and a culture of accountability on system tool use.