Are you trying to implement a new process or software at your firm? Have you tried in the past and didn’t get the results or adoption you wanted? If this sounds like you, you are not alone. You can’t just have a big idea or a great new tool these days. It takes the team to implement it to make the big changes you desire.
This takes rolling it out and being adopted by your firm or at least the end-users. This is where the trouble begins. Change is hard and, for some reason, even harder at our engineering, architecture, and construction firms. It can take a long time if it even gets legs at all.
I have implemented new processes and software at every firm I worked at. Some of this succeeded, some it failed, and some, well, just stalled. Now, I help firms implement their Deltek CRM systems every day. With this experience, I have learned some key steps in the implementation process. I share those five steps below.
Also, if you read to the end, you can get my Implementation Success Guidebook, that can guide you and your team through any implementation you need.
Know Really Why You’re Making the Change
Whether it’s a new CRM software or a new go/no go decision process, understand really why you’re making the change will help with adoption.
As a consultant who helps firms implement Deltek CRM systems every day, I am constantly asking this question to my clients. Just having the software is not a good enough reason to implement a CRM system.
I often ask my clients what they are really trying to achieve with this software. Because it has so many capabilities, I dig deep to find out what they really want. Sometimes it just having a list of upcoming opportunities, sometimes it just a place to store project information, and sometimes its to track a holiday card list. These are very different reasons with very different levels of effort and change for the organization.
So, take a look at the process or change you are trying to implement, ask yourself why you are really wanting to make this change? How can you get to this change in the least disruptive way to the users? What benefits are you trying to realize with this change?
Once you can get really clear on this true reason for the change, the next steps become a bit easier.
Get Executive Leadership on Message
We all know that we need the leadership buy-in to begin the change or implement a new program. However, it goes beyond just getting their buy-in and budgetary support. Your executive leadership team needs to be communicating openly and directly about the change with all of the levels of your firm.
The message from your leadership team needs to be short, clear, and consistent when explaining the reason for the change. Your leadership team also needs to be a united front regarding the change.
Begin with a Selective Test Group
The next step is to identify a small test or pilot group to implement the change with first. This way you can test the change, get feedback from the users, and adjust accordingly.
Be very selective when choosing this initial test group. It should consist of those folks who welcome change (or at least don’t resist it), maybe a little more progressive in their work styles, and who are respected at the firm.
This group will be the innovators or first-adopters at your firm. They will go through the implementation and help you build the final process. They will also realize the benefits that the change brings.
They will have an ownership stake and become your internal champions. Ideally, they will be the group who helps you roll it out firm-wide.
I did exactly this when trying to implement a capture planning process. We identified an FDOT project that was a new service type for our firm and had a perfect project manager in mind. However, that project manager lived across the country and was unknown to the client. The project manager wanted to move to Florida and was the main reason for identifying this project.
I proposed a capture planning approach to position our firm and him with the client. He was on board and followed every instruction, held every meeting, helped developed the strategy and won us the project. We even won a marketing communications award from my local SMPS Chapter for that pursuit.
After that experience, he was my biggest advocate and told every project manager we should follow that approach.
Complete Some Upfront Legwork
Between the test group and the firm-wide rollout, I strongly suggest doing as much as the upfront legwork as possible. Of course, this will mean different things based on the change you are trying to implement so let me give you some examples.
Going back to CRM implementations example, I always suggest to my clients that they get as much historical and present-day data into the system. This includes entering all active pipeline, clients, meeting notes, etc. into the system. This way, when they go into their training and roll-out, the end-users’ information is already entered for them and they can just start from that day. This helps overcome the data-entry complaints and shows them their historical information and how that’s useful from day one. More on this next.
Let’s look at another example. This could be implementing a go/no go process. If your firm hasn’t had on in the past but wants to start one. The upfront legwork could be completing the go/no go form evaluations independently for a few months and comparing to the opportunity outcomes.
This means that someone in marketing along with the executive sponsor completes the go/no go forms, gets the scores, and tracks the outcomes. You are not asking any of the future end-users to do anything extra, at this point. Then after a few months, you can do an analysis of how the go/no go scores relate to the results. Depending on the number of submittals our firm has, this may take a few months or possibly a year.
The goal is to do the evaluating and tracking without asking the end-users to do any extra work, but still, have the benefits of the system to report on the results.
And that leads me to my next step.
Show How it Benefits Them Personally
Earlier I mentioned identifying the real reason your firm is implementing this change. That’s good to start the program and create an executive leadership message. However, when it’s time roll out to end-users, you need to show the benefits to them on a personal level.
If you have utilized a test or pilot group, this is where they can really assist. Just like we would create case studies for our projects, develop a few employee case studies that have them explaining how this change has personally benefitted them and their work. After all, you are basically selling this change internally. Bringing it to the personal level will help you make the sale.
Continuing with my CRM example, I tell my clients to use a real-life, active client or project they are pursuing during the training. Bring that client and contact information up on the screen. If you have completed your upfront legwork, you should have the meetings and conversations entered as well as any pursuit information. Then you can walk through how you would manage that pursuit using the system.
Taking this approach, the end-users can really see how it benefits them personally. It takes it from some corporate goal or initiative and brings it down to their daily work life.
Implementation Success Guidebook
To help you with your next implementation or change management efforts, I have put together the Implementation Success Guidebook. This free resource will help you and your team walk through these steps to help make sure your next implementation is a success.
Just click the image below to get your free copy.
In Conclusion
I don’t know what it is about our industry, but change is hard. Even if that change will make our folks’ lives easier, they still resist. Yet, changes are coming and coming faster. Our world is moving faster and our industry can’t stay stagnant. If you want to continue to be a leader in our industry, you need to stay ahead of the curve and help your firm do the same. This takes the ability to implement change and do it successfully. I hope that some of these steps I shared help you achieve that.
