7 Tips to Guarantee a Successful Software Implementation in Your Business
How do you know if your company’s software implementation was successful? The answer is that you can’t know with 100% certainty until you’ve seen the results play out in your business over time, and that could take months or even years to see the full effect of your new software in action. While there are many ways to guarantee a successful software implementation in your business.
What Is Software Implementation in Business?
Software implementation is essentially introducing any software program into your business’s daily workflow. In fact, implementing new software into your company can be quite challenging. However, by following these seven tips, you will help ensure smooth sailing with any software implementation. HR automation technology can take many forms from spreadsheets and employee management applications to more advanced business process outsourcing (BPO) and technology consulting services from outside vendors. Following are seven tips for implementing new HR automation technology.
What happens during software implementation?
Software implementation can cause headaches and confusion, especially if you don’t have a plan for making it go smoothly. Before you sign on with a software vendor, make sure you discuss what will happen during implementation, so that your software rollout is successful from start to finish. For example, some important things to cover include how long it will take for your company’s IT team or consultants to learn and fully implement new software; when exactly they should introduce new software into your business processes.
Here, the top 7 tips to get you off on the right foot towards success with any software implementation of your own.
1 – Hire the Right People
Software implementation is all about process and workflow. The first step in smooth software implementation is building a system that’s compatible with how your business already works. To ensure that, you need employees who understand your workflow and are already familiar with how things get done within your company and HR automation software is no different.
2 – Pick the Right Project Manager
One of the most critical decisions that you’ll make is selecting who will be responsible for managing your implementation. This person should have strong communication skills, good analytical ability, and proven experience implementing software.
3 – Prepare the Business Processes, Procedures, and Forms
In order for your company’s computers and software systems to function at their highest potential, it’s important that you prepare for smooth business workflow. This involves preparing all of your business processes, procedures, and forms in advance. For example, if you are implementing new software or hardware on your team’s computers and want them taking notes within that software system, consider doing an implementation test with a few people before you roll out full-scale implementation of these systems to all employees.
4 – Anticipate all Risks
Before implementing any new technology in your business, think through all of its risks. Even software that seems straightforward may pose problems you never imagined. Get out there and talk to people who’ve used it before, or hire a consultant who can give you expert advice. When you know all of your risks, you can take steps to minimize them.
5 – Train Employees Beforehand
Software implementation is not always a smooth process. If you want your staff to be productive as soon as possible, train them beforehand on how to use your new software. Don’t assume that they’ll figure out how it works on their own, particularly if you know there are going to be issues during implementation. Even if your employees aren’t familiar with software applications, they can become adept at using them within an hour or two of training.
6 – Work Closely with IT Support Beforehand
When IT rolls out software that updates or changes your business workflow, it’s very important that they work closely with you and your team beforehand. All software implementations need to be customized to your company, so make sure IT is working hand-in-hand with everyone who uses it during roll-out. This will also allow them to iron out bugs before they have a major impact on your daily operations. When everyone’s on board, things tend to go smoother when IT delivers new software for employees.
7 – Monitor as You Go!
Monitor your business workflow during implementation. As you install software, make sure that you’re monitoring its effects on your staff and customers. You may notice some minor problems in your business workflow as you move forward with an implementation, but if they’re not completely halting your progress, it can be beneficial to continue until all of your resources are used up. If a problem is too big for just one resource, then it’s better to bring someone else on-board earlier rather than later.
Conclusion
Software implementation can be very complicated for businesses. The difficulties arise from custom software development, which is especially common if you’re implementing enterprise-level business software like customer relationship management (CRM) or accounting. When you’re dealing with complex programs, it’s easy for problems to arise, this is particularly true when you have multiple departments using your company’s software at once, each with its own unique needs and goals. Here are seven tips that will help ensure your software implementation goes smoothly.
