Introducing a Project Management solution can bring huge benefits to an organisation and there have been many success stories in a wide range of industries.
Overview
However, the uptake and adoption of the software can sometimes raise some concerns with the people who will be ultimately using the software.
These issues can stem from the culture that is deeply embedded within the organization. You need to deal with any potential issues early on to ensure that the solution you have invested in doesn’t get tossed to the side and old habits of project management make their way back in.
How do you convince the individuals involved in managing your projects to have a positive attitude to the change and ultimately improve the entire management of future projects? Following our experience in dealing with the implementation of the Cora solution, we have found that these tips can help get everyone on board.
6 Tips for Introducing a Project Management Solution to your Organization
1. Explain
The individuals who will be using the product should be shown why there is a need for such a solution. Outline scenarios where the Project Management software can be a great asset to the project team and the organization as a whole. Real-life scenarios can highlight all the benefits and reduce the level of concern that may come with the change.
2. Involve Everyone from the Off-set
Get the team involved in the process early on. Ask them to share their expectations and suggestions in what they would like in a software solution. Take these into consideration when researching your PM solution options.
3. Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself
Make sure that the solution, and the way it is used, is in line with the overall maturity of the project team. It is important to have a good perspective of the level your project team is at so as to match it to the correct toolset.
If you decide on a solution that requires a high level of project management experience, and your team doesn’t possess such experience, then the solution will probably be implemented with a high level of apprehension around it. This attitude is not ideal for moving forward and could ultimately cause the solution to be rejected.
4. Test
If you feel apprehensive and anticipate that there may be issues around change, you could test out the solution on a small scale. Start by selecting a section of the project team and examine in detail how well they work with the solution. Following this test, you should be able to determine if it is going to make a lasting impression with the entire organization.
5. Keep the Process
Once the PM solution has been given the go-ahead to be executed, the implementation team should keep the original project process in play. This again gives the project team a bit of assurance around the change. Getting training on the new technology is one thing but throwing a whole new process into the equation is only going to slow production down even further.
6. Get the Right Person
So presuming that the points as suggested above has gone well and you have decided to fully implement a platform, your next move is important so as to not undo all of your hard work up to this point. The future users of the PM solution are busy and therefore may not be over-excited about spending their valuable time getting trained on a solution that they may or may not see in a positive light.
To help with this scenario it would be worthwhile putting a good communicator in place to help smooth out any feelings of frustration and apprehension during training. If you don’t deal with these feelings in the right matter you could jeopardize the entire process up to this point.
Conclusion
You can and will achieve a successful PPM software implementation if you follow the above recommendations. It is well worth putting in the time in order to get a well-run and respected project management solution inputted into the organisation. If done properly the benefits will be endless. Cora prides itself on our delivery and PPM implementation processes and we will greatly assist in introducing a Project Management Solution to your Organization via Workshops, Education and Training and more.
