A Formula for Successful Implementations

Start With a Solid Foundation

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

In my last article, “Change Is Constant and Change Is Hard,” I talked about best practices for managing change and the importance of setting change agents up for success.

At the heart of every successful implementation is a solid project management framework.

You may be thinking, “Wait a minute, Jen, project management isn’t new!”

Whenever I bring up project management, I hear comments like this:

• “Are you going to tell me I have to use Microsoft Project or Jira?”
• “I am being forced to follow a process that doesn’t fit, and it’s slowing me down.”
• “We have someone checking off tasks who does not understand what those tasks are.”

What Happens When We Don’t Follow Effective Project Management Best Practices?

I would argue that good project management is none of these things. Surface-level box-ticking or relying too much on the tools won’t get you across the line. Instead, you must have a deep understanding of the why and the how, assign the right people to the right roles, have the proper resources, set realistic timelines, and follow a proven process.

Follow the Formula

To successfully implement new technologies, you must follow a formula. I recommend a four-step process. Each part of the formula is interdependent, so it’s crucial to not skip any of the steps.

1. Alignment: To gain alignment on the why and the how, you need to talk with stakeholders to determine what is and is not working well so you can understand the problems that are holding the organization back.
2. Empathy: You need to listen in earnest to truly understand the pain points so you can understand why the problems need to be fixed and how the new system will fix those problems and benefit the organization. Listening and empathizing helps foster community and build trust among teams. This can have a ripple effect and help people feel more invested in their contributions to the company.
3. Supported and skilled change agents: Ensure change agents have the proper training, support, resources, and tools; that they understand each task; and that they have adequate budget to carry out the project.
4. Effective project management: This means applying the input and information gathered from all parties involved to define outcomes and impact and to set realistic timelines with appropriate phases.

An Implementation Success Story

In the previous four articles in this series, I shared examples of tech implementations that didn’t go smoothly. Now I’d like to share a story that shows how following the formula led to a successful implementation.

I was hired to be a head of technology for a large city-wide convention and hotel booking engine company. The heads of the company came from TWA and Starwood. This was a 20+-year-old boutique company with hospitality at its core.

Why the Change Was Necessary

The company had evolved into a tech business without anyone really noticing. Because the company’s software and tools had not been updated in years, they were lagging behind competitors who, despite not having the same hospitality approach, had more modern and more efficient software and tools. One week after joining the company, I traveled with heads of the company to meet with our biggest and most profitable client. Our goal was to promise the client a new system for their conferences going forward.

This was a BIG commitment, and frankly I had a fair bit of trepidation.

Change Starts With Listening

After hearing the client’s concerns, I came back to the office and began a listening tour in earnest. I spoke with all the executives and decision makers, the line-level employees who had to support our work, and those in charge of our programs to understand their issues and concerns. Then I held a tech summit to hear the concerns of those creating and supporting the technology and to learn about competitors’ offerings.

After the extensive listening tour, I worked with the executives and other stakeholders to gain alignment on why we needed to upgrade our technology and our approach and then aligned on how to develop our approach to revamping and modernizing our platform. We shared our game plan with our customers and adjusted it where needed. Then we kicked off our project with our whole company over a round of soft serve ice cream.

Change Is Never Easy

Let’s be clear: Although the steps in the formula may appear on the surface to be simple, it’s hard work. This project was no exception. Fundamentals like database software, code, and operating systems were all desperately out of date, and some were no longer supported. Using good project management principles, we defined our outcomes and impact, phased our approach, and set realistic timelines. And we backed the project with funding for resources and tools. This included back-filling roles that would be consumed by this large lift. Our change agents were visibly supported by all the executives, and we maintained transparency by checking in regularly with stakeholders, customers, and the entire company.

By following the formula of alignment, empathy, supporting change agents, and using effective project management, we successfully launched a modern, robust, and resilient new platform with better internal tools — and we did all this while reducing our tech debt.

The result: We not only retained our biggest customer, we gained new customers, including some big-name tech companies we’d previously only dreamed of working with.

Don’t Take the Easy Way Out

Photo by Charlotte Karlsen on Unsplash

Look, I get: It’s hard to follow the formula. There have been plenty of times when I have skipped steps. I was able to get away with it on a very small-scale project, so I thought I could do the same on larger projects. Other times I skipped steps because I was greedy for the solution, or I thought the formula would slow me down, but every time I did, I paid for it and burned my hand — and others burned their hands with me.

I think it’s clear that no matter how amazing or cool technology has become, no matter how it evolves and we come closer to that Jetson’s world we watched as kids, some things don’t change. We have to follow the formula because the why, the how, the team, and the process all matter.

Shortcuts Don’t Cut It

It’s hard to follow the formula.

It’s easy to get away with skipping steps on a small project. Not so much with larger ones. When we skip steps, we burn our hands — and others burn theirs with us.

It’s easy to want the solution and to think the process will slow you down.

But remember, success will happen if you follow the formula.

It’s a Wrap!

That’s all for this series, but watch this space for more advice on best practices for implementing new tech and building high-performing teams. I can’t wait to hear all the wonderful ways you are leveraging cool new technologies in this Fourth Industrial Revolution.

I invite you to comment below to share your successful implementations!

This article was written in collaboration with Sophie Michals of (SM) Edits LLC. Follow her on LinkedIn and subscribe to her newsletter, The Writing Standards Weekly, for tips on delivering clear, concise writing with a consistent brand voice.