Just because you purchase a project and portfolio management system, does not mean the software will update itself. You need buy in from your team members if you are going to have a successful implementation. This is where the 'people' piece comes in (mentioned in my last post). No matter what software solution you implement, whether it is an ERP, a CRM, an accounting system, or a PPM, you will need the team to cooperate. With project management software, you need team members to log in, update their tasks, post comments and documents, and enter their time.
Do not make the mistake of thinking your implementation will roll out perfectly. There are always bumps in the road. There is always one project team member that is a squeaky wheel, who does not want to login or change the way he or she works. In our experience, the 'squeaky wheel' people are usually the ones who do not want the transparency, visibility and accountability that a portfolio and project management software solution provides. Why? They are usually the team members whose tasks are behind schedule. Project Insight and other software solutions show which team members are lagging. So, know now that you will have resistance and that the resistors may very well be your most vocal antagonists.
What should you do when you encounter resistance?
The best thing to do is to plan for resistance. Even the most cooperative team members find change difficult. We advise customers to develop a 'carrot' or a 'stick' program that will incentivize team members to attend training, learn the application, and start using the software. First, ask yourself if your organization and team members will respond better to a carrot or stick program, or perhaps a hybrid combination of both.
What do I mean by 'carrot' program?
An example is an advertising agency with over 400 team members using Project Insight. One part of their carrot program was to hold a friendly competition among departments or teams with respect to time entry. They measured compliance with team members entering time on a weekly basis. Then they sent out an email to the entire company announcing each team's compliance percentage. For example, 88% of Department A's team members entered their time correctly on Friday. Department B's team members had a 95% compliance, so Department B won. The prize was a pizza party for the winning department at next Friday's lunch time. Because the organization's corporate culture is edgy, young and fun, this type of carrot incentive program worked.
What do I mean by 'stick' program?
Another professional services customer of our software used Project Insight's expense entry features. One of their issues prior to using our solution was that team members would wait too long to submit travel and expenses associated with their customer implementation projects. This impacted their bottom line in a severe way. For example, the customer would be invoiced 30 days after the engagement, then the team member's expenses would come rolling in. As the final customer invoice already went out, the organization had to absorb these costs. When they launched our software, the leadership stated that all expenses had to be entered in Project Insight and submitted within 30 days, or else the team member would not be reimbursed. The result? It only took a team member one time to learn the hard lesson of not getting his or her expenses paid back, then compliance was gained.
If neither of these examples fits your culture, then maybe a hybrid approach is called for. That is the purpose of this blog, to invite customers and partners to submit their own ideas and experiences about what works and does not work. Examples do not have to be Project Insight specific, as we believe that successful software implementation tips are transferable. Do you have any incentive programs that have worked for you?
Cynthia K. West, Vice President, Project Insight
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West is Vice President at Project Insight where she oversees the sales and marketing efforts for the project management company. West is a ‘serial entrepreneur‘ with over 15 years of experience in IT. She specializes in building the sales infrastructure for new companies or divisions.