Implementing right

Ready, Fire, Aim!

That pretty much sums up how businesses are expected to respond to new technology, but that doesn’t mean you should completely overlook “the process”.

Involve your team, they need to be on board:

Implementing a new system or even optimising an existing one is not just a matter of comparing the tick boxes and having the boss yell out a name… (well, not anymore)

Without the team on board, training and assistance, it will be too easy for staff to be discontent with the product and fall back into their old habits. And when this happens you end up with a mess… a half-implemented new system and a half-forgotten old one.

Be careful and know that the time is right, but when you switch from one system to another you really want to cut that cord nice and fast!

Try before you buy:

This might seem obvious, but fancy UIs, bright colours and BIG DISCOUNTS $$%% can be tempting to the best of us.

Always beware that applications often promise more than they can deliver in your particular circumstances, so trying before buying is a must. If you’re short for time and want to act now (as most of us do) a great answer to this is dilemma is the sprint. A five-day process which promises to:

“Shortcut to the endless-debate cycle and compress months of time into a single week” – The Design Sprint.

It was initially developed by a couple of gurus, feel free to check out more here: http://www.gv.com/sprint/ (it’s ideal for designing new products, but many of the concepts can be translated to whatever you are testing).

Get used to being uncomfortable:

“Today, now, this very moment, is the slowest pace of change you will experience in the rest of your life” – Fabian Diaz (Senior Partner, Lippincott).

…so if you’re struggling with change now, you could be in for a long one because it’s not going to get any easier.

So lock down your processes, get testing and keep your company at the forefront of innovation!