Supply Excellence — Change Management is key to successful software upgrades

Change Management is key to successful software upgrades

July 7th, 2008 · by Cara Dunaway · No Comments · On Demand/SaaS, best practices, skills rectruitment and development

The technology sector is full of upgrade and implementation horror stories. Who could forget the pain of early 90s ERP installs? Or the struggles with an overzealous IT department’s anti-virus settings that pretty much prevented you from doing any work online? The latest batch of problems making headlines are largely around consumer applications and software. iPhones turning into iBricks, Palm’s attempt to hide update issues or the much maligned Vista “upgrade” are perfect examples.

Now take those consumer issues and multiply them by ‘X’ number of employees and you see why technology upgrades can be a major expense (support, lost productivity, data loss, etc.) for companies that don’t manage the process effectively. Most executives understand that successful implementation of a software solution requires a Change Management program. But once the solution is in place, then what? Software is frequently updated and new versions are released, but how much “management” is really needed to address those changes?

Some degree of change management should be planned and executed to manage end user impacts when implementing a new version. The trick is understanding how much. You don’t need to start from scratch or build an expensive, expansive training program. It’s an upgrade, so the software should be building on existing processes and features … and getting better and easier to use.

So then, what do you need? A simple, targeted change management program for a software upgrade ensures you’ll get the most bang for your upgrade buck. Keep in mind three principles:

Communicate. I’m always amazed that companies often neglect to notify their employees that a system change is taking place. Surprised, and soon to be frustrated employees login to their system one morning to find their dashboard on a different side of the screen or they can’t find the Submit button. Have a plan in place to notify employees in advance when the system will be changing, what to expect and how to get help.
Train … a little. Think about what your users need to know about the changes in the system and provide simple, delta-focused training. In most cases, you can skip full-fledged instructor-led classes and opt instead for self-study materials and/or web-based tutorials that provide an overview of new functionality and comparison of old versus new features.
Support, on-the-job. Even with communications and simple training, people will have questions. A round-the-clock help desk may sound nice, but is likely overkill in this scenario. Make sure your users have on-the-job support tools such as quick reference guides that they can refer to until they get used to the new system.

Following this simple change management plan will help ensure your users proactively and effectively change along with your software.

Cara Dunaway is a Senior Manager in Ariba’s Education & Change Management group.

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