If you have started or are in the middle of an Enterprise Software project, COVID-19 has likely thrown your organization a curve ball. We’ve surveyed 146 IT / Human Resources professionals and found that 27% have paused current projects, 23% have changed scope and 2% have cancelled them outright*. For those who have PAUSED projects (or certain aspects), what can be done now to prepare for a strong future start? While your project may be on simmer, you can use this period to focus on the often-times overlooked components of a successful project that can more easily be done in a distributed work environment. Doing so will allow you to be on better footing when your project light turns green.
1. Reassess what parts of your project are most meaningful and what you can “Marie Kondo” (e.g. let go of.)
The post-COVID19 world of work will likely have shifted your approach to employee engagement, performance and management–many cases for the long term. You may need to accelerate parts of your project needed for mission-critical functions, but for others you may decide forgoing a certain aspect of the system will help you maximize your efforts. Think of your project as a product, and getting to an “MVP” (minimally viable product) by prioritizing the areas of highest impact is key. You may find that you also want to let go of certain software vendors or Consulting firms, who have not been able to provide the right type of product or service for your organization. Now more than ever, there are good SI firms looking for meaningful projects to keep their consultant bench busy and willing to go above and beyond to help customers (Reference: “Want to get to know the real deal on a consulting firm? Get to know their customers.”)
Customer comments:
“Ensure you review the project and prioritize the implementation. Review what is really important to your organization and re-plan.”
> “Ensure you identify key project resources and Project Governance is adapted to remote working. Have less meetings and focus on teamwork and wellbeing.”
2. Get out the scrub brush and clean up your data.
A big regret that customers document in their project reviews is that they wish they’d factored in more time for data cleanup (Reference: “Top 7 Regrets of Software Implementation“). The good news is there is now time for that. There’s a reason you’re changing systems, and it’s easy to think that a new user interface (UI) will make it easier to clean up old information. Not so.
> “We should have spent more time correcting our current state prior to our project launch. Fixing the current and preparing for the future has been a difficult task.”
> “Make sure you’ve taken the time to clean up all your legacy data so you are not bringing bad data in to your new system.”
> “Clean up your historical data – scrub, scrub, scrub – before you upload.
3. Get Real-Life Feedback: User Acceptance Testing (UAT) & Focus Group Sessions
During UAT, your users (e.g. employee / manager groups) test the software to make sure it can handle required tasks in real-world scenarios. There’s nothing worse than getting to the end of a project only to hear that your users find the UI clunky or confusing, or that something breaks along the way. With the availability of video conferencing and screen share sessions (Zoom, MS Teams, etc.), now more than ever you can easily facilitate focus groups and watch parties to test some of the new aspects of the system well before they are prime-time.
> “Assure ample time is built in for UAT and assume there will be errors and fixes that need to be done. Important details can be missed requiring significant delays and change orders. Don’t assume your partner always has the right answer and be sure to challenge them.”
> “Make sure your teams are fully aware of the time commitments needed to test and implement. Particular modules like Employee Central require extensive testing which can be very time consuming.”
4. Get out your pen and rewrite your Communication Plan & Documentation.
Strong written communication is how work gets done in a distributed environment, and is imperative for a successful project rollout. Using this time to draft your future launch communications, documenting processes within the system (for good knowledge transfer), and regularly keeping in front of your executive sponsors & users about the status of the project will pay big dividends later. You can even record walk-through scenarios that will help in user training later on.
Has your project been put on hold? What are you doing to utilize this time for good?