Implementing enterprise-wide change – especially across large teams – is a daunting task that must be approached methodically and thoughtfully.
Even in progressive companies there is resistance to change.
project management tools
Getting your team up to speed on a new project management tool is no easier than getting the team to adapt to other changes: it can be quite a difficult process.
Fortunately, there are a number of strategies you can use to turn your technology skeptics into enthusiastic users.
You've done your research, compared and tried out a number of project management tools, and set up the new system. Time to relax, right? Not so fast.
Your new project management tool is of no use to your team if they don't use it.
We want to give you five steps that will help you successfully implement a new PM tool, but first you need to find out where your employees' resistance comes from.
Reasons for the aversion to change
project management tools
You can’t just throw a new PM tool at your team and expect them to play with it
Change and adaptability are essential components of an effective workplace. Whether the changes affect the physical work environment or software systems, transformations are necessary to move your business forward.
However, these necessary changes will inevitably face resistance. In a 1969 paper on change and effective change management for the Harvard Business Review, Paul R. Lawrence wrote : "In fact, employees resist less technological change than they resist social change - the changes in human relationships that accompany technological change."
What causes this social change and how can we overcome or reduce resistance to it?
In the 1948 study Overcoming Resistance to Change, Lester Coch and John R. P. French Jr. found that employee participation was essential to a smooth transition of work processes. They introduced a new work process to four groups of factory workers, with each group being instructed or exposed to the change in a different way.
For example, the first group was simply told about the new workflow and asked to adopt it from now on. The fourth group was consulted about an issue that needed to be resolved and worked together on a new workflow to resolve the issue with their managers.
Not surprisingly, the first group reacted negatively, their productivity dropped and the number of resignations increased. The fourth group, on the other hand, got used to the new work routine quite quickly and saw increased productivity.
Even though these examples are several decades old, the basic principles of change management have changed little since then.
We know that when team members' competence is respected and they are allowed to have an influence, resistance to change decreases. But how can this theory be applied when it comes to introducing new project management software company-wide?
We spoke to some successful team leaders and project managers who gave us the following five tips.
How to implement a new project management tool
1. Make your managers ambassadors
project management tools
Changes are much easier to accept when they come with a friendly face
The first step in software implementation is to involve your management team(s). If your senior and middle managers are early adopters of the software, they are much more likely to be enthusiastic about the changes.
Your ambassadors don't have to work in the IT department. In fact, it can be much more effective if they are not IT experts and can present the benefits of the software without technical jargon.
To get your management team on board, you need to recognize that they all have existing workflows for their teams and project management. Alan Zucker, founder of Project Management Essentials , says this is one of the biggest challenges he sees when companies adopt new software.
In an environment without an existing enterprise tool, all levels of management and teams have their own slightly different processes and views. When migrating to a single enterprise application, all of these differences must be resolved and brought together.
To increase buy-in, involve managers in the software selection process and ensure that their existing workflows can be adapted to fit your new system. When your management team feels heard and understood, they are much more likely to train their own teams with a positive attitude.
Alexander Bekhterev, Program Manager at Emarsys , told us how this strategy helped his company implement new project management software across a team of more than 750 people across 15 global offices:
The reason most changes fail is because they are introduced once or twice, but not designed and reinforced by leaders or sponsors. We made sure that we not only told everyone in the company that a new tool was coming, but also designed and reinforced that change at all levels of leadership - from global leaders to frontline managers.
When selecting your software ambassadors, focus on people who communicate well and can effectively demonstrate and describe the simplicity of the tool and its immediate benefits.
Stewart Small, founder of KTTP , explains how his company selects early adopters when introducing new software and products to client teams:
We look for strategic early adopters: employees who are not too tech-savvy but are great communicators. We focus on training these key influencers first, who then act as catalysts to encourage and train other employees. This strategy works well because other members are much more motivated and confident when they see that less tech-savvy team members are already mastering the platform.
Summary: Identify your influencers and involve them in the decision-making and feedback process. The more ambassadors you have on board, the easier it will be to implement changes company-wide.
2. Make it clear what your team will gain from it
project management tools
Falling costs = good
But what about everyone outside of management?
To get the remaining team members on board, you must successfully communicate what's in it for them.
Maybe your current structure wastes time because employees have to collect information across different channels and tools. Explain that your new project management software will make up for that lost time and prevent tasks from being forgotten.
Show how the new software will help your team work smarter, not harder. Depending on company policy, you could also tout how increased efficiency can lead to bigger performance-based bonuses or fewer hours in the office (if you offer flexible working hours).
Susan Boles, partner at management consultancy Grind/Revive , tells us how her company was able to implement ERP on a large scale using this method:
The best implementations I've seen are those where communication with staff is a priority. russia telegram data Explaining why new software is being implemented, what the benefits will be for everyone involved, and the exact timeline is vital to getting staff excited about new software and processes.
project management tools
A true sprint cycle
Once you reach the training phase, your focus is on visually demonstrating the usability and benefits of the software.
Torsten Schlautmann, Head of HR, Controlling and Administration at Opitz Consulting , told us that the simplicity and visual elements of the project management solution chosen by the company made onboarding much easier, regardless of individual technical skills.
We particularly like how easy it is to use. Even those members of our team who have been reluctant to use our IT systems have quickly become familiar with our new collaboration tool. Our entire HR department, for example, loves the tool, even though they are not part of the technical team, simply because it is so easy to use and delivers benefits so quickly.
Alan Zucker confirmed that it is a good idea to first demonstrate the benefits to team members in a visual demonstration. "A project management system is primarily visual," he said. "People are much better at responding and giving feedback to something visual than to written requirements."