Adopting new technology can provide competitive advantages by reducing costs, optimizing processes, improving customer service, and driving more dollars to your bottom line. In this article, we discuss the 4 most common roadblocks that companies face when implementing new business technology, and ways to address them.
1. Lack of employee enthusiasm.
This is the most common roadblock we see when assisting steel service centers with technology implementations. A team that is not all rowing in the same direction or is fighting an implementation is a sure sign of a project that will not succeed – certainly not within the expected timeframe.
Know that it is extremely common for employees to be uncertain about a new technology, and this roadblock can usually be eliminated by recognizing and openly discussing the issue.
First, let’s look at the reasons an employee might be wary of new technology:
- Concern over their ability to learn new technology
Long-time employees and those with no formal technology training may be particularly worried about their ability to pick up new technology. - Job security worries
Employees are often conditioned to believe that new technology will replace human workers, but we find that this is extremely uncommon. - Concerns over work quality and customer service
Customer-facing employees, such as the sales team, are often concerned that new technology will cause a drop in product quality and their ability to deliver personalized customer service.
How to get employees on board
In over 40 years of managing ERP implementations for our customers, we have found that the top indicator of project success is the level of employee involvement. Our most successful customers typically employ the following methods and techniques:
Informing everyone about the company’s intention to implement new technology.
Communication with all employees starts as soon as the decision to evaluate new technology is made, and should include:
- What – Short description of the project (ex: We are evaluating new barcode scanners to replace our existing equipment).
- Why – Reason(s) for the project (ex: Our current scanners are out of date and will no longer be supported by our hardware vendor as of the end of this year).
- Who – The people who will be responsible for leading this project.
- When – An estimate of how long this project will take.
- Goal – Your top-level project goal (ex: to replace existing scanners with new devices with as little disruption to current processes as possible).
Continuing communication throughout the project is important, including updates if the timeframe or scope of the project changes.
Involving employees from every department and every level of the organization.
The level of involvement will, of course, vary based on the scope of the project, but this can be a critical step in ensuring the success of a project and not only encourages acceptance, but solicits valuable input from users.
Adrian Zitella, the Director of Finance and Human Resources at Terra Nova Steel & Iron, oversaw his company’s implementation of Enmark’s Eniteo system. “Involving our entire staff in our Eniteo implementation was key to our success,” says Zitella. “I shadowed employees in every department and prioritized what they needed the software to do for them.” View a recording of our conversation with Adrian Zitella.
Be clear about the project goals and expected results.
It is extremely common for people to assume that the issues most important to them will be solved with a new project. Misunderstandings around project goals are a common source of confusion and dissatisfaction with technology implementation projects. Our most successful customers clearly communicate project goals and ensure that everyone understands their role in the project.
2. New technology doesn’t match current processes.
Another common roadblock in technology adoption projects is a mismatch between your current processes and the processes that are supported and recommended by the new technology. This issue can arise with projects of all sizes, but typically becomes a roadblock with larger projects.
For example, newly integrated credit card readers at the front counter will speed up customer on-site purchases. However, your accounting clerk is concerned that, because he won’t be processing all credit card payments, he will be unable to continue to review and approve larger orders.
Read more about Connected Service Centers and the steps you can take to minimize data redundancy and disconnections throughout your company in our “Connected Metal Service Centers” ebook.
Could the new technology offer a better process?
Our most successful customers do a great job of finding a good balance between keeping important processes in place and making changes when needed to better implement the technology. Take the time to understand why the new technology has a different process or workflow. It is likely based on the feedback and experience of many users that have come before you.
3. Just cannot find the time to implement.
Not being able to find the time to implement new technology can be indicative of a number of things. Be sure to understand the underlying reason:
“I don’t think this project is important.”
Can you revisit your communications efforts and make some changes to engage these employees?
“I don’t understand what I am supposed to do.”
This issue can usually be solved easily with training or mentoring. Use any lessons learned here to improve your next project.
“I really don’t have time.”
If the issue truly is a lack of available time, this is a larger issue that can be avoided by prioritizing those technology projects that will have the biggest impact on your organization. When planning a new project, clearly define how much time you expect each person to spend, find ways to make that time available, and enlist an executive sponsor to keep the project on track.
4. Our “successful” implementation did not meet expectations.
A completed project is only successful if the results meet expectations. Goals should be well-defined and easy to track. However, when goals are missed or misunderstood, evaluate the following:
Are the results delayed?
The most difficult part of setting goals is defining the timeframe within which the goal should be met. If your goal is something that needs to be measured over time, do you expect to continue to improve and meet this goal later than expected?
Did we set the right goals?
If your teams’ expectations do not match the stated project goals, the project may be “successful,” but not be viewed that way throughout the company. This typically points to issues that occurred early in the project when goals were set. Do not minimize the time required to do this right at the beginning of the project.
Are we measuring the goal correctly?
Often overlooked when goals are not being met is a misalignment between the goal that was discussed at the beginning of the project and the data that is actually being tracked. For example, if the goal is to decrease the time between the placement of an order and the shipment of that order – look carefully at what dates are being used to calculate that number (ex: original order date vs. customer acceptance date).
No technology for technology’s-sake
Your business is making, fabricating, and/or selling steel. Technology should be implemented to further your goals and increase your bottom line – that’s it. Our support team often tells customers that they do not expect them to be software and IT experts, and we mean that. While plenty of our customers have in-house IT staff, that does not mean they want to be a technology company. Prioritize technology projects based on what they will accomplish for your organization and be sure to involve as much of your organization as possible to ensure success!
