Increasing IT User Adoption and Overcoming Barriers - six steps to success
16 February 2012 by Capensys
Six steps to success:
Step 1: Plan
Revisit the last similar deployment and examine what went well and not so well. Involve Firm’s trainers with the project early in the process as they can help you avoid issues. How is the new system going to help users and how will expectations be met and measured?
Step 2: Understand Your Users
Understand how your users work so you can speak their language and design the training accordingly.Find out what the frustrations are (if you don’t already know!) Remember you have to earn the right to get the fee earner’s time.
Step 3: Market the Project and the upcoming Training
Have your pilot group and tech committee be your evangelists. Elicit the support of the Managing Partner or senior stakeholder – a video from him/her works wonders. Have high-ranking champions tell users what they have to gain. Video snippets, quotes work well. Win the support of well-known “squeaky wheels.”
“Never let a crisis go to waste.” If there’ve been examples in the Press of Firms getting into trouble through lack of compliance etc., use those as scenarios to avoid. “Everyone else does it…” is a strong message. A strong marketing theme with posters, and themed giveaways, and “What you are going to love” animations. Competitions between offices to complete the pre-requisite e-learning first. Rewards and thanks for going through the training.
Step 4: Tailor the Design and Delivery
It’s all about them! Design or tailor your training to fit as closely as possible to the various work groups, practice groups, or even individuals. Even people within practice groups work in different ways, perform different tasks, so get as close as possible to exactly how the user works. Relate the training to their workflows, rather than training features or functions.
Step 5: Provide On-going Support and Learning
Make sure your Help Desk knows how to answer questions which are likely to surface in the first weeks. Provide them with Tips, FAQs and a knowledge base to help them support users .Provide them with links to e-learning which they can send to users in addition to answering their questions. Learning is a process, not an event. 70% of learning takes place back at the desk, so provide users with the tools to keep learning correct procedures. Searchable on-line Quick Reference Guides – make them easy to access and update.Context-sensitive support tools can help users get information quickly.
Step 6: On-Going Communication
Did the software work? If you were able to define the expectations at the outset of the project, then you can tell users that the software has met expectations, and show what you’ve been able to do for them and how their efforts have been able to help the firm. This will increase user cooperation in future.
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