Are you excited about a new technology platform or software? Maybe you’ve found an innovative solution to revolutionize your research organization’s workflow. But how do you get buy-in from your IT department and prevent the new tech from becoming a burden on their workflow and processes?
While new tech implementation can be a game changer for every area of your organization, it can also become an opportunity for miscommunication, misalignment, and misunderstanding. How can you ensure your IT team is on board with a new tech implementation and is set up for success? Let’s explore how to facilitate better conversations with your IT department.
Before: Get buy-in and align messaging
Many organizations struggle to obtain buy-in from stakeholders, resulting in resistance and reluctance to adopt new systems. Therefore, getting this support from your team members before an IT implementation is essential to guarantee a smooth transition. Here are three key steps:
- Establish the “why.” Clearly communicate the need for the new system. Explain how it will benefit the organization and its stakeholders, and address any concerns or objections to the new technology.
- Involve key stakeholders and understand their concerns. Include key stakeholders in the planning and decision-making process. Invite the IT team to vendor calls. This will give them a sense of ownership and involvement in the project, making them more likely to support it.
- Overcommunicate. Make sure no changes come as a surprise. Communicate early and often about how the transition will proceed and what each team should expect.
During: Establish and maintain two-way communication
Throughout the implementation process, establishing two-way communication will be critical. This means getting feedback, testing the system together, and ensuring your vendor can keep everyone abreast of all necessary information. Below are five ways to promote open communication.
- Continue to seek feedback. Ask your IT team about their concerns, advice, and needs.
- Include IT in demos. Your IT team will have different questions than you do and can help your vendor set up the new system so it works for the whole team.
- Pay attention to behavior. Read the room. Note if some team members are hesitant or if anxieties are running high. Behavior can clue you into the right questions to ask.
- Provide training and support for the new system. Training will help users feel more comfortable and confident with the new technology.
- Use pilot testing. Your team should test drive the system and have enough ramp-up time before its official launch for everyone to become comfortable and work out any bugs. This will also build momentum and enthusiasm for the new technology.
After: Quantify results and seek feedback
After implementing new technology, always quantify the results and seek feedback from each team to evaluate the implementation’s success and identify areas for improvement. These five steps can help:
- Define success metrics. Establish metrics to measure the success of the new technology implementation. These metrics should align with your goals and objectives. For example, if the goal is to increase efficiency, use metrics like time saved, task completion rate, and error reduction. Each team should define its own metrics for success and be included in the feedback loop.
- Gather and analyze data. Collect data for the defined metrics before and after the implementation. You can gather this data through surveys, interviews, user logs, or system-generated reports. The IT team should help define and incorporate the data they need. Analyze the collected data to evaluate the implementation’s impact.
- Seek feedback. Gather feedback from your IT stakeholders on their experience with the new technology. You can collect this feedback through focus groups, surveys, or interviews. Based on the analysis of the data and feedback received, address any issues or stakeholder concerns by implementing changes and improvements.
- Communicate the results. Share the results of the implementation and the actions taken with stakeholders.
- Celebrate success. Make a point to celebrate successes and acknowledge the efforts of those involved in the implementation. This will reinforce the importance of the new system and encourage further adoption.
By keeping all stakeholders informed and aligned along the way, you can have a successful implementation benefiting your entire organization.
At Cayuse, we’ve designed and completed hundreds of data migrations and system integrations with a 97% customer satisfaction rating. In fact, we’re #1 in completed implementations of eRA software. We understand the importance of stakeholder buy-in and work with teams to ensure everyone is included and all feedback is considered every step of the way.
