Introduction allergy: 12 frequently asked questions about why users reject new products
In September of this year, I conducted my first webinar. As part of the DOCFLOW project, I had the opportunity to speak in front of fifty engineers, managers, managers and analysts interested in the problems of implementing corporate information systems.
During the webinar, I was asked unexpectedly many questions, so I continued discussing the same topic a few days later at the ISDEF-2015 developer conference. After the speech, I talked to the participants and noticed that their questions coincided with the assigned webinar listeners. Therefore, I suggested that the problem of involving users in the product being introduced excites a wider audience, and decided to reproduce my answers to frequently asked questions on this topic.
Photo: " Day 260 Allergies ", by parrchristy ( CC BY ) .
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The clearest examples will be examples of failures due to savings on training. The easiest way to turn to world practice. Alas, most vendors tend to share only success stories, but there are pleasant exceptions. Take at least two old case studies already included in the MBA program.
In 1995, the implementation of the ERP system failed at FoxMeyer Drugs, a US drug provider with a turnover of $ 5 billion. The implementation of SAP R / 3 was carried out top-down, without involving end-users, which at first resulted in mass sabotage of the company's work by ordinary employees due to fear of being replaced by an information system, and ultimately led to the company's bankruptcy in 1996. The owners of the company tried to bring to responsibility both the developer, SAP, and the implementer, Andresen Consulting (now Accenture), demanding compensation for losses of $ 500 million each.
This case is covered in more detail in the Information Technology for Management textbook : Advancing Sustainable, Profitable Business Growth (Efraim Turban, Linda Volonino, Gregory R. Wood. 10th Edition International Student Version. Wiley, 2015) and in The FoxMeyer Drugs' Bankruptcy: Was it a failure of ERP? (Judy Scott, 1999).
Another similar incident occurred at the Hershey Foods Corporation in 1999. The confectionery conglomerate then implemented three IT products at once. However, insufficient training of employees in the use of this software turned into a slow execution of orders: the delivery time of goods totaling more than $ 100 million was thwarted. The stock exchange reacted to this by reducing the value of the company's shares by 8%, and the CIO had to resign. By the way, the new CIO, George Davis, successfully completed the implementation due to the fact that it was one of its first decisions that revised and significantly expanded the employee training program.
Details of this implementation are described in the ERP Implementation Failure Case at Hershey Foods Corporation (Indu Perepu, Vivek Gupta, lCFAl center for Management Research, 2008).
Both high-profile failures are the result of insufficient user training, their late involvement in studying the selected corporate information system, and not at all the technological problems or incompetence of the implementation team.
Companies are not in a hurry. But some people - implementers, business analysts, project managers - with joy. As a rule, IT specialists are very open to communication on professional topics, even if the question is “delicate”. They are ready to share their experience if you are genuinely interested in them and are going to use them in your work in order to avoid the next “rake”. According to my observations, people who have recently changed jobs, as well as independent consultants, share this experience most of all. The latter, however, are likely to want to monetize their knowledge, but the former will happily lift the veil over past projects - without naming specific names.
It’s best to look for such people through professional communities on LinkedIn or Google+. But it is more convenient to talk, of course, offline, in an informal setting - in a cafe or for a beer. If you are embarrassed to disturb strangers on social networks, attend thematic conferences: the topic “Who is to blame and what to do?” Is very popular there on the sidelines or afterparty.
Obviously, by saving on user training, you reduce the project budget and approximate the launch date of the information system. Only now it will be a mistake to assume that the implementation of the information system ends on the date X, when users start working in a new environment. It will be possible to judge whether the work has become more efficient and whether the goals of implementation have been achieved, only after several months of real daily work. As a rule, by that time, the implementers are already leaving the company, and on their website appears a case about the next "successful implementation in a short time and with a minimum budget."
Now it is fashionable to discuss the topic: should the business adapt to the chosen information system, or should the information system adapt to the business processes and the existing organizational structure of the company? Alas, there is no universal algorithm for making this choice.
On the one hand, if the introduction of, for example, a CRM system involves working with a “sales funnel,” and the company is not even familiar with this concept, then it will have changes that will not go away. Today, any modern CRM involves the use of "funnel", and its effectiveness has been repeatedly confirmed. So the company has no other way than to decide on changes.
On the other hand, no one will change the established supply chain, the procedure for approving documents or the production process only because the selected information system offers its own way of performing these operations, which seems to be more efficient for developers. In this case, efficiency must be economically justified and proved by examples of implementations in other similar situations, in companies of a similar scale and scope of activity.
The task of implementers is to conduct a dialogue with the business, ask, propose, advise, discuss. What language will be this dialogue - the language of numbers, Russian obscene or beautiful pictures - choose you, you know your client.
Is not different.
The end user usually knows little about the origin of the product and is not interested in who its developer is. The words "vendor", "outsource", "box product" for users - white noise. Of course, sometimes the user recognizes the familiar names in the product name, for example, SAP or Microsoft, but there is no evidence that the name influences the reaction of users. The success of the implementation is determined by the approach to the user, his involvement in the process of choosing a solution, collecting requirements, pilot operation, but not the name or origin of the product.
If you focus on "human factors", then I will highlight the following five.
I emphasize that this is not a “self-test list”, but a list of tasks that should be taken into account and worked out at the planning stage.
The level of resistance does not depend on the level of IT literacy. Judge for yourself: school computer science lessons, specialized courses in universities, additional computer courses - they all teach what sequence of commands must be entered using the keyboard or mouse to achieve the desired result. They explain how to do something, but almost never say why. Resistance to implementation will weaken, probably, when users see its meaning, when they feel that the new information system can change something more significant in the organization than the combination of "hot keys" or the design of pieces of paper crawling out of the printer.
It is enough to save users from the need to perform this very additional work. This is especially true of routine data processing tasks, transferring information from the old system to the new one, and setting up and configuring the new system. All such tasks should be automated or solved by IT staff. If the task is not automated, you will have to explain to the users why they should do this work right now, what will be the result as a result for the user himself and for the organization. People perform meaningful, reasonably useful work with the greatest desire, and if the result of the work concerns themselves, then it is also more qualitative.
In this case, you are faced with a business model implementers, it is called - "earn on eternal accompaniment." It is better for them to have five clients on the “eternal accompaniment” than fifty of those who have closed 80% of their needs in a boxed version, and then from time to time handles microprojects for improvement. Therefore, it is unprofitable to make the “rejected product”.
It remains for you to either continue to search for a suitable vendor, or “reject” it yourself: buy only a box with the right to work it out on your own or with the forces of any other contractors. Perhaps there will come to the aid of open source software - at least there is available a center of competence in the form of a user community.
Problems with implementations have been at all times, and in the era of DOS too. And the requirements for education did not weaken either now or then. Today, almost 100% of office workers have computer literacy at least at some level, so mastering a new work environment takes less time — they no longer need to explain what a keyboard, mouse is, how to turn on a computer and work on it so that avoid data loss. Many concepts of that era are no longer there: it is almost impossible to face the lack of free disk space, the need to exchange data on a physical medium.
That is, it's not about education. What then? I will assume that the problem is in the level of penetration of information technologies into business and personal life. If earlier corporate information systems were isolated within the office and solved only accounting tasks, now they have penetrated our homes, pockets, cars, where they are trying to subdue our working day, manage communication, suggest, plan. It is not surprising that many resist such penetration, especially if they feel their inability to control what is happening.
The main task of the project manager is to assemble a competent team consisting of motivated representatives of all interested parties (but without extra people), and then to establish communication within the project team. This is all in addition to the tasks that the selected methodology sets for the project manager.
Attract these people to participate in the project. These people have already stepped on a rake and are the bearer of valuable knowledge that will help your project. At least you should ask them for advice.
At the webinar were asked other questions that are not included in the list of frequently asked questions. Answers to them are heard on this video:
.
If you are only interested in slides, please:
I invite those who are not indifferent to share their experience - successful and not so much - in the comments. Scold, criticize, deny, doubt - I will be glad to constructive dialogue.
During the webinar, I was asked unexpectedly many questions, so I continued discussing the same topic a few days later at the ISDEF-2015 developer conference. After the speech, I talked to the participants and noticed that their questions coincided with the assigned webinar listeners. Therefore, I suggested that the problem of involving users in the product being introduced excites a wider audience, and decided to reproduce my answers to frequently asked questions on this topic.
Photo: " Day 260 Allergies ", by parrchristy ( CC BY ) .
')
1. How to prove to business that it is necessary to spend up to 20% of the budget on user training to implement an IT system?
The clearest examples will be examples of failures due to savings on training. The easiest way to turn to world practice. Alas, most vendors tend to share only success stories, but there are pleasant exceptions. Take at least two old case studies already included in the MBA program.
In 1995, the implementation of the ERP system failed at FoxMeyer Drugs, a US drug provider with a turnover of $ 5 billion. The implementation of SAP R / 3 was carried out top-down, without involving end-users, which at first resulted in mass sabotage of the company's work by ordinary employees due to fear of being replaced by an information system, and ultimately led to the company's bankruptcy in 1996. The owners of the company tried to bring to responsibility both the developer, SAP, and the implementer, Andresen Consulting (now Accenture), demanding compensation for losses of $ 500 million each.
This case is covered in more detail in the Information Technology for Management textbook : Advancing Sustainable, Profitable Business Growth (Efraim Turban, Linda Volonino, Gregory R. Wood. 10th Edition International Student Version. Wiley, 2015) and in The FoxMeyer Drugs' Bankruptcy: Was it a failure of ERP? (Judy Scott, 1999).
Another similar incident occurred at the Hershey Foods Corporation in 1999. The confectionery conglomerate then implemented three IT products at once. However, insufficient training of employees in the use of this software turned into a slow execution of orders: the delivery time of goods totaling more than $ 100 million was thwarted. The stock exchange reacted to this by reducing the value of the company's shares by 8%, and the CIO had to resign. By the way, the new CIO, George Davis, successfully completed the implementation due to the fact that it was one of its first decisions that revised and significantly expanded the employee training program.
Details of this implementation are described in the ERP Implementation Failure Case at Hershey Foods Corporation (Indu Perepu, Vivek Gupta, lCFAl center for Management Research, 2008).
Both high-profile failures are the result of insufficient user training, their late involvement in studying the selected corporate information system, and not at all the technological problems or incompetence of the implementation team.
2. How to find people with unsuccessful implementation experience, if companies are not in a hurry to admit to failures?
Companies are not in a hurry. But some people - implementers, business analysts, project managers - with joy. As a rule, IT specialists are very open to communication on professional topics, even if the question is “delicate”. They are ready to share their experience if you are genuinely interested in them and are going to use them in your work in order to avoid the next “rake”. According to my observations, people who have recently changed jobs, as well as independent consultants, share this experience most of all. The latter, however, are likely to want to monetize their knowledge, but the former will happily lift the veil over past projects - without naming specific names.
It’s best to look for such people through professional communities on LinkedIn or Google+. But it is more convenient to talk, of course, offline, in an informal setting - in a cafe or for a beer. If you are embarrassed to disturb strangers on social networks, attend thematic conferences: the topic “Who is to blame and what to do?” Is very popular there on the sidelines or afterparty.
3. Are there successful practices of introducing information systems with insufficient training or without training at all?
Obviously, by saving on user training, you reduce the project budget and approximate the launch date of the information system. Only now it will be a mistake to assume that the implementation of the information system ends on the date X, when users start working in a new environment. It will be possible to judge whether the work has become more efficient and whether the goals of implementation have been achieved, only after several months of real daily work. As a rule, by that time, the implementers are already leaving the company, and on their website appears a case about the next "successful implementation in a short time and with a minimum budget."
4. The introduction of the information system should lead to a correction of the organizational structure and the redistribution of official duties. It is necessary to encourage the leadership to decide on these changes. That is, it is not easy to make everyone below use this new program, but to adjust the organization’s work patterns so that the program brings tangible benefits. What words and what to say to such a manager to make the implementation successful?
Now it is fashionable to discuss the topic: should the business adapt to the chosen information system, or should the information system adapt to the business processes and the existing organizational structure of the company? Alas, there is no universal algorithm for making this choice.
On the one hand, if the introduction of, for example, a CRM system involves working with a “sales funnel,” and the company is not even familiar with this concept, then it will have changes that will not go away. Today, any modern CRM involves the use of "funnel", and its effectiveness has been repeatedly confirmed. So the company has no other way than to decide on changes.
On the other hand, no one will change the established supply chain, the procedure for approving documents or the production process only because the selected information system offers its own way of performing these operations, which seems to be more efficient for developers. In this case, efficiency must be economically justified and proved by examples of implementations in other similar situations, in companies of a similar scale and scope of activity.
The task of implementers is to conduct a dialogue with the business, ask, propose, advise, discuss. What language will be this dialogue - the language of numbers, Russian obscene or beautiful pictures - choose you, you know your client.
5. Does the reaction of users to the introduction of “boxed” information systems differ from their own reaction to the introduction of a “self-written” system or a system designed for individual orders?
Is not different.
The end user usually knows little about the origin of the product and is not interested in who its developer is. The words "vendor", "outsource", "box product" for users - white noise. Of course, sometimes the user recognizes the familiar names in the product name, for example, SAP or Microsoft, but there is no evidence that the name influences the reaction of users. The success of the implementation is determined by the approach to the user, his involvement in the process of choosing a solution, collecting requirements, pilot operation, but not the name or origin of the product.
6. What are the key factors that create the condition for the successful implementation of the information system?
If you focus on "human factors", then I will highlight the following five.
- Providing project support for leaders and leaders throughout.
- Attracting users (and not only innovators!) To the selection and evaluation of competing solutions.
- Informing users about what is the benefit of introducing new software personally for each of them, and what is for the organization as a whole. Use the principles of goal-setting: tell us what business goals your organization has set for itself, track progress and reward users for contributing to achieving goals on time.
- Providing users with the opportunity to gain new knowledge and share experiences, express their opinions, make suggestions and discuss new ideas.
- Eliminating users from having to manually transfer data from the old system to the new system.
I emphasize that this is not a “self-test list”, but a list of tasks that should be taken into account and worked out at the planning stage.
7. Why, even with the current level of general IT literacy, does implementation resistance not become weaker?
The level of resistance does not depend on the level of IT literacy. Judge for yourself: school computer science lessons, specialized courses in universities, additional computer courses - they all teach what sequence of commands must be entered using the keyboard or mouse to achieve the desired result. They explain how to do something, but almost never say why. Resistance to implementation will weaken, probably, when users see its meaning, when they feel that the new information system can change something more significant in the organization than the combination of "hot keys" or the design of pieces of paper crawling out of the printer.
8. How to overcome the reluctance of ordinary users to perform "additional" work in the implementation of workflow?
It is enough to save users from the need to perform this very additional work. This is especially true of routine data processing tasks, transferring information from the old system to the new one, and setting up and configuring the new system. All such tasks should be automated or solved by IT staff. If the task is not automated, you will have to explain to the users why they should do this work right now, what will be the result as a result for the user himself and for the organization. People perform meaningful, reasonably useful work with the greatest desire, and if the result of the work concerns themselves, then it is also more qualitative.
9. We choose a warehouse accounting system and are tired of hearing: “Each warehouse is unique, and only we are able to customize our system for you.” The depressing inability of the vendor of the solution (which positions itself as a center of competence!) To see for particulars is common, for different words are similar entities ... It seems that every vendor wants to become a “provider of perpetual support”. How to motivate a solution provider to a “rejected product” suitable for “self-service”?
In this case, you are faced with a business model implementers, it is called - "earn on eternal accompaniment." It is better for them to have five clients on the “eternal accompaniment” than fifty of those who have closed 80% of their needs in a boxed version, and then from time to time handles microprojects for improvement. Therefore, it is unprofitable to make the “rejected product”.
It remains for you to either continue to search for a suitable vendor, or “reject” it yourself: buy only a box with the right to work it out on your own or with the forces of any other contractors. Perhaps there will come to the aid of open source software - at least there is available a center of competence in the form of a user community.
10. Old software products for DOS had a small volume, clear interface, decent performance. Now progress is (not always justified) in the direction of increasing requirements for resources and education. So, maybe that's why users are allergic to the introduction of this useless "beauty"?
Problems with implementations have been at all times, and in the era of DOS too. And the requirements for education did not weaken either now or then. Today, almost 100% of office workers have computer literacy at least at some level, so mastering a new work environment takes less time — they no longer need to explain what a keyboard, mouse is, how to turn on a computer and work on it so that avoid data loss. Many concepts of that era are no longer there: it is almost impossible to face the lack of free disk space, the need to exchange data on a physical medium.
That is, it's not about education. What then? I will assume that the problem is in the level of penetration of information technologies into business and personal life. If earlier corporate information systems were isolated within the office and solved only accounting tasks, now they have penetrated our homes, pockets, cars, where they are trying to subdue our working day, manage communication, suggest, plan. It is not surprising that many resist such penetration, especially if they feel their inability to control what is happening.
11. What are the main tasks of the project manager that need to be addressed for the successful implementation of corporate information systems?
The main task of the project manager is to assemble a competent team consisting of motivated representatives of all interested parties (but without extra people), and then to establish communication within the project team. This is all in addition to the tasks that the selected methodology sets for the project manager.
12. How to deal with negative previous experience of individual project participants?
Attract these people to participate in the project. These people have already stepped on a rake and are the bearer of valuable knowledge that will help your project. At least you should ask them for advice.
At the webinar were asked other questions that are not included in the list of frequently asked questions. Answers to them are heard on this video:
.
If you are only interested in slides, please:
I invite those who are not indifferent to share their experience - successful and not so much - in the comments. Scold, criticize, deny, doubt - I will be glad to constructive dialogue.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/295320/
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