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PITTSBURGH, PA / February 17, 2011 – Five Star’s President and Co-Founder, Lou Camerlengo is interviewed on the topic of effectively executing business strategy. http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/washcochamber/connections0211/#/27/OnePage

Below is video from our recent webinar on “6 Best Practices for Gaining End-user Adoption of New Technology.” In this video Dave Colaizzi discusses the value of change management, change communications, training, and performance support in gaining end-user adoption of new technology.

Below is video from our recent webinar on “6 Best Practices for Gaining End-user Adoption of New Technology.” In this video Dave Colaizzi discusses strategies for gaining end-user and stakeholder buy-in for new technology.

The adoption of new software or technology may be difficult, especially when end-user expectations surrounding it are high or left unmet. How can those designing and implementing new software and technology best bridge the gap between the reality of what the software can/will do and end-user wants, needs, and expectations?

The road to linking reality to end-user expectations begins with a systematic assessment of needs and the documentation of software requirements. In this blog post, we will discuss three techniques that we have employed to help our clients understand end-user needs and identify requirements:

• Exploration meetings with stakeholders and targeted end-users.
  Focused meetings to observe, ask questions, and listen to your key stakeholders about what they like or dislike about performing a task or process.
• Assessment of the intended deployment environment.
  Asking questions about how the software or technology will be used and where it will be hosted is critical to gaining a clear picture of future limitations and requirements. For example, ask questions like:
  • Who will help the user when they run into a usability issue?
  • What are the corporate standards and guidelines?
  • What is the culture of the target audience?
  • What applications have had successes with the target audience in the past?
  • What features do target users look for and like in other applications?
  • How will the software or application modify the process of executing work?
  • Are there bandwidth limitations?
  • Can custom programs be installed on user computers?
  • Is support for certain software platforms required or prohibited?
• Use Cases, mockups, and prototypes.
  • A Use Case is one of the most helpful methods of exposing functional requirements. But one word of caution: as you build them be sure to exclude technical jargon and the inner workings of the software.
  • A Mockup, or a rough visual layout of the user interface, enables end-users to experience the software or application before it is completely developed. By gathering feedback, it is possible to assess how the software is able to meet, or fail to meet, end-user expectations. Also, end-users can reveal their stylistic preferences that may be difficult to capture otherwise. Below is an example of a mock-up created by one of our developers using Microsoft’s newest tool, Expression Blend™.

• Lastly, Prototypes, either partially or fully functional, can be very helpful in determining usability. A prototype will give you an accurate depiction of how well end-users believe the program will meet their objectives. You can incorporate their feedback into future iterations of the software before the program is fully built.

These three techniques are some of the many that can be employed in order to best bridge the gap between the reality of what the software can/will do and end-user wants, needs, and expectations. By taking the time to listen and educate your stakeholders and end-users, the likelihood of a successful integration of new software or technology will greatly increase.

Unfortunately, not all technology and IT implementations succeed. In fact, you may be racking your brain to remember an instance where one actually did! A recent Dynamic Markets survey of 800 IT professionals found that 62 percent of IT projects fail to meet their schedules and 41 percent failed to deliver the expected business value and ROI. Yet in the face of these statistics, most organizations continue to embark on the process of implementing new systems, applications, and technologies. This begs the question, what must an organization do to successfully implement new technology?

As we have partnered with clients to help them successfully implement many different types of technologies and systems, we have incorporated several key best practices into the overall solution. In this article, we will present two of these best practices and some practical recommendations you can implement.

Best Practice #1 – Stop thinking that technology implementations are just IT projects, and start thinking of them as people projects.

There’s no doubt that technology implementations are time and resource intensive. They take months/years of planning and preparation, the involvement of many people, and thousands or even millions of dollars to implement. Yet, too often the role that people have in the ultimate success of these projects is left overlooked. In fact, we would argue that the role that people have in the ultimate success of implementations far outweighs all other factors. People matter, plain and simple. If the people expected to use a new technology are unmotivated to use it, uninformed on why it’s important, and inadequately trained, there will be resistance for any new technology.

To achieve success in implementing new technology, it is critical that a strategy for engaging, informing, and training people be given higher priority than it typically receives. In our experience and research, we have found that the budgets allocated to support the people side of implementations are usually around five to ten percent of the total budget. However, research from Baylor University suggests that organizations should be investing ten to fifteen percent of their budgets for change management, communication, and training. This increase in investment has been found to increase an organizations overall chance of a successful implementation to 80%!

Best Practice #2 – Identify and engage an Executive Sponsor throughout the entire project.

Perhaps you have heard this story before. A small team of people (usually Senior Executives) have determined that a new technology or system is required to improve efficiency or reduce operating costs. A budget is set, a solution is purchased, and a small project team of IT and business professionals is assembled and charged with meeting aggressive implementation milestones. Although initially engaged in the process of designing the technology, the senior leader(s) of the organization eventually start to invest their time and energy into other critical priorities in the organization. As a result, the project team is forced to continue the project with limited executive involvement and authority to make changes required to ensure success. Sounds familiar? Sadly, this situation happens far too often in organizations seeking to roll out both small and large technology projects.

Before embarking on a new technology implementation, we recommend that you draft a job description for each role on the project team; including the role of the Executive Sponsor. In developing the role description it is vital that you focus on three major areas of responsibility for the Executive Sponsor. These include:

1. Linking the project to the overall vision of the organization.
   Leaders plant the seeds of success at project inception. For any implementation to flourish, leadership must provide a solid base by connecting individual effort to your organization’s business objectives.
2. Gaining support and communicating status of the project to the workforce.
   The executive sponsor needs to be visibly supportive of the initiative and explain and reinforce the compelling business purpose for making the change to the new technology. He or she must ensure that all leaders are directly and indirectly aligned around making the implementation a success.
3. Removing obstacles and coaching team members.
   By nature of their role within an organization, Executive Sponsors can help remove roadblocks hindering success. In addition, they should be willing and able to coach their employees and the project team in order to reinforce right behaviors and correct wrong behaviors.

It’s just plain naive to think that an implementation will go smoothly all on its own. That being said, it certainly doesn’t have to fail! To achieve success, you must be aware of potential icebergs that may be in the waters ahead and take preventive measures so you don’t need those lifeboats.

Interested in learning more about how to best gain end-user adoption for new technology? Sign-up for our free Webinar on October 15 from 2:00-3:00 PM (EST) on “6 Best Practices for Gaining End-User Adoption of New Technology.”

Do you happen to know someone who fits this job description?

The value of a great Executive Sponsor cannot be understated.

Great Executive Sponsors turn frustrated groups of people into highly effective teams that enable each individual team member to use their strengths to execute with laser precision. Without a great Executive Sponsor, most strategic projects are doomed to fail due to lack of organizational commitment and the team’s inability to overcome certain obstacles alone.

Given this apparent need for Executive Sponsors, why is there such a shortage of great Executive Sponsors in today’s business world?

The answer to this question is somewhat unclear. However, the typical reasons for lack of Executive Sponsorship include time challenges and conflicting priorities that prevent an executive from investing the time necessary to become a great sponsor. These are valid “symptoms,” but have you ever considered that a possible root cause for the shortage of great Executive Sponsors in most organizations is lack of focus and alignment among leaders?

If a leadership team is not focused and aligned around a shared vision or a compelling organizational purpose, all projects quickly become “top priority projects” that must be implemented congruently and with immediate urgency. Ultimately, this lack of focus limits the effectiveness of everyone, including executives.

For a leadership team (and ultimately the organization) to become high-performing, each member must be willing and able to work together to achieve the organization’s compelling purpose. A compelling purpose provides direction and helps leaders evaluate the ultimate priority of projects and initiatives, and as a result it enables executives to allocate the necessary time they need to serve in the ever-important role of Executive Sponsor.

What do you think? Use the comments section below to offer your ideas as to why there is a lack of great Executive Sponsors.

As we move into 2009, the focus on organizational performance has never been higher. Consequently, the ramifications of low performance have never been greater. Organizations around the world are taking a closer look at performance in a large-scale effort to execute strategies that lead to high performance. Fittingly, President-elect Obama recently announced the creation of a Chief Performance Officer (CPO) position, and appointed Nancy Killefer to the role to oversee budget and spending reform in the U.S. government.

The starting point on the path to high performance varies for every organization, yet the journey to get there contains consistent components. In the case of the U.S. government, a multi-faceted strategy has been defined, but a key component is continuous process improvement. Charged with leading this reform, the CPO has been asked by President-elect Obama to “work with economic officials to increase efficiencies and eliminate waste in government spending.”

For many other organizations, the path to high performance might begin with focused and aligned leaders and/or the implementation of enabling technologies, but regardless of the starting point, the key to starting the journey towards high performance is the development of a roadmap. A roadmap defines where the organization is going and each step along the path staying the course towards high performance. It is used as an assessment tool to enable leaders within the organization to track progress and measure success.

A strong roadmap will objectively evaluate the current organization and focus on the critical initiatives needed to improve performance in each of the Five Key Drivers of High Performance™.

Realistic roadmap tips for high performance include:

• Optimize and integrate the Five Key Drivers of High-Performance Organizations across the entire organization.
• Pace implementation; not everything has to happen all at once.
• Plan incremental steps, and measure results along the way.

Has your organization defined a roadmap for high performance?

Leaders desire to build and people want to work in high-performance organizations, because high-performance organizations execute strategy to achieve measurable results. However, research shows that only 15% of organizations can be classified as high performance.  Yet, the good news is that all organizations have the potential for high performance. The question is, how can that potential be realized?

So, what is the relationship between strategy execution and high performance? The optimization and integration of each of the Five Key Drivers of High Performance™ is essential to achieving and sustaining high-performance organization that execute strategy. As leaders and workforces embark on the journey of creating a high-performance organization, a strategy to optimize and integrate each of the Five Key Drivers must be in place. This strategy must define the long-term direction, priorities, and goals of an organization. During the process of defining the strategy, leaders must evaluate their organizational move through the lens of the Five Key Drivers, which provides the framework for enabling organizations to execute against their business strategy.

Successful execution of a well-defined business strategy, one that is framed around the optimization and integration of the Five Key Drivers, leads to high performance.

Is your organization executing the kind of strategy that leads to high performance?