Maestro Technologies - Intelligent management software for the construction industry.

How to simplify your implementation

Simplicity is a concept we all believe we understand. However, when we sit down to try and define it, we find that this task is more complicated than we thought. Why does this happen? The easiest way to explain this would be to say that because we are human beings, we are complex. Individually, we see simplicity differently through the way we live and how we view life on a day-to-day basis. This complicates our definition of simplicity.

Implementations are inherently complex. They involve significant change for many different people at all levels of the organization. They are expensive and they create additional workloads (stress) for staff. A great deal of decision making and problem solving are required to come up with the right solutions.

Implementing software is a project like any other construction project. If you have taken on a complex building project for the first time, you might feel that success is going to be very difficult to achieve. Since implementing software is not a regular project that is taken on very often over the life of any typical business, there might be concerns about how the project will evolve. Having experts in the field involved will help decrease complexity and improve clarity by using basic principles established from years of experience implementing in many different business environments.

Project Plan
Let’s discuss some simple approaches to decreasing all this complexity. The simplest way would be to break the project down into steps. We would begin with developing a simple Project Plan as follows:

1. Clearly define expectations and objectives (Communication)
2. Assign ownership
3. Identify timelines
4. Identify milestones
5. Define responsibilities
6. Execute the plan with timely follow ups

Expectations
When software is purchased, expectations are created during the sales process. What were the business reasons for purchasing the software? What can the company expect from the software to help them achieve their business goals? What are the main elements in the software that need to be implemented in order to achieve success? These expectations must be clearly defined and communicated to everyone involved in the project. It is surprising to see how often clients are unclear about their reasons for purchasing the software. It is critical that this first step be well understood by everyone in order that the implementation can be managed in a simple way. The clarity of these reasons will remind everyone of the need to implement and why it is so important to do so. The implementation team will be referencing these expectations and objectives throughout the project. Constantly referring back to the objectives and reviewing the expectations will ensure that the project stays on course.

Implementation and training steps
Any software package you purchase has a vast array of features and functions. If you take the approach that you will implement all of these exciting features at once, you will create additional complexity that will increase the scope of the project. This will lead to failure because you have now introduced even more change to staff members who may already be resistant to change. The last impression you want to give to staff members is that their workload has increased. You must ensure that the steps taken to implement and train them on the software are broken down into simple and easy to understand steps. Once staff members are working with the software to perform basic tasks, you can start introducing new functions. When they see that the software will allow them to do their jobs more effectively, you will be able to get their support. They will see the software as a tool to help them get their jobs done rather than a tool that creates a heavier workload.

Process review
Too often, clients make the mistake of retaining old business processes that worked well with their old software systems. They now find that they do not work as well with the new system. Reviewing these old processes to ensure they can work with a new software system will simplify the implementation. One must remember that all existing business processes can now be optimized or improved simply by using the new features and functions that are available in the new system. Clients can ask themselves “What can the new software help me do each day to make me do my job more efficiently and effectively?” Reviewing the new features and functions will force everyone to focus on what they can now do. Staff workloads can be decreased if these processes are carefully reviewed using their new tools.

Ownership of the project
Implementations usually fail because the client has been unwilling to take ownership of the project. It sounds simple doesn’t it? Clients often believe that ownership of the project lies with the software vendor. Like any construction project, ownership always remains in the hands of the client. The software vendor is there to assist and help manage the implementation. The client must be responsible for ensuring that the project moves forward through their constant involvement in the decision-making process. Very little or no involvement from the owner will lead to failure.

Schedule
All projects have a completion date or a set of completion dates. Setting the dates to be fair, reasonable and attainable is critical for everyone to agree. These dates, once established, must be adhered to. Dates can be established based on adding new modules separately, establishing critical functions that need to go live first, or going live with all modules at the same time. Phasing in certain portions of the software at certain times will make it possible to create a simpler implementation environment. Changing the go live date more than once will significantly increase the potential for failure. All future planning will revolve around these dates so it is imperative that considerable thought be given to choosing these dates. Once you have established your go live date(s), you will work backwards from this point to establish your milestones and when they must be delivered. Some examples of milestones include is software installation, uploading of data, form creation, first training session, etc. It is important to keep this simple. Too many milestones with unrealistic target dates will only lead to frustration for the individuals on the project team. Clearly defined milestones with attainable target dates will make the implementation simpler and more successful.

Team work
The client’s representative, who is responsible for the project, must assign responsibilities to other individual team members to ensure that everyone has a clear role to play in the success of the project. If the team does not have a clear understanding of what needs to be done, the timelines of the project will not be met. The software vendor should help with defining these responsibilities as the project proceeds. For example, making sure that all invoice forms, cheque forms and others that must be approved and then tested should be delegated to the people responsible for them. A timeline indicating when this needs to be completed in order to meet the go live date must be established. Typically, this work should be completed no later than two weeks prior to going live. This will give everyone enough time to make any changes that may be required.

Milestones
To ensure the project meets the timelines set out, a proper execution and follow-up plan must be put in place. Keeping this simple is critical. Regular meetings must be conducted at least once a week to discuss any issues that might be creating roadblocks that prevent the project from going forward. Creating an outstanding issues list with details of the problems, information about who is responsible for following up and when the work will be completed will simplify management of the project. With everyone working from the same list, the team members can understand the status of everything and when completion can be expected. It is essential that the person in charge of the project maintain the outstanding issues list with regular follow ups on the progress made on each item. If issues are not moving forward, the items in question must be escalated to the appropriate individuals involved in the project.

In summary, the easiest way to deal with complexity is to break the project down into its simplest component parts. Clearly identifying these parts and communicating what the parts consist of and how they will be worked on during the project will create a simpler environment for all project members to work in. Referring back to the simple originally established project plan will ensure that additional complexity will not be introduced and that clarity will be maintained throughout the duration of the project. Keeping simplicity in mind will create an easier working environment for everyone involved while at the same time ensuring the success of the project.

Mauro Caprini

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