When IT Implementation Goes Wrong, Focus on End-Users First

Often times, people can get distracted by flashy new features, and with technology, this happens more than anywhere else. Since IT grows at such an abnormally fast rate, end-users can be left in the dust if you’re not intentionally trying to keep them in the loop. In fact, it’s highly recommended that you implement IT solutions for your business that are not just effective, but also user-friendly.

The reasoning for this is simple: your end-users are the ones who will be using the technology. Therefore, you need to consider how they will react to new solutions, and whether or not it will be something that they can understand how to use. The first step toward improving the way that your IT infrastructure functions is by implementing solutions that are user-friendly first, and great technology second.

In fact, when organizations implement new solutions to increase productivity, what they see is often the opposite. InfoWorld claims that this is due to two reasons: 1) Lack of training, and 2) A reluctance to change habits or behaviors. If your business implements new solutions, like an updated office suite or a brand new operating system, it will have little effect on your productivity if your team doesn’t know how to properly use it. In fact, they may just resist the change altogether.

More often than not, your end-users will only care about one thing: functionality. They don't care how technically sound a solution might be, so long as it’s simple to use on their end. Therefore, if you hope to get the most out of your new IT solution, you need to ensure that your team is both educated on the benefits, as well as competent in its usage. This can help to cut down on resistance to the project, as well as make it easier to hit the ground running once the implementation has finished.

InfoWorld states: “You might stagger the rollouts so the disruption is spread out. Rolling out a series of smaller changes takes more time, but it also lets users get more comfortable with the changes, reducing the disruption to their work. It might even let some users get deep into new capabilities and share their excitement with colleagues, who won't be so overwhelmed with changes that they can't focus on the benefits.”

The idea is to make your new IT solution not just a successful deployment for your IT department, but also for your users. This is what defines a successful solution deployment. After all, your end-users are the ones who will be using it, so if they get very little out of the solution, then why bother spending the time and resources implementing it?

If your organization is having difficulty implementing new IT, or training its team on how best to use your new technology, we can help. We want your business to succeed, and by helping you master your new technology solutions, we succeed ourselves. To learn more, give us a call at 708-781-7110.