The foundation for successfully integrating a new software package into your business is a strong understanding of the underlying business processes. Oftentimes, this crucial step is either skipped or rushed through to speed up an implementation. This is a dangerous recipe for miscommunication, expensive months spent re-working the solution, and unhappy end-users.
Aligning your software implementation with your IT department’s specific needs and structure is key to successful end-user adoption.
Follow this three-step guide to efficiently and effectively implement internal software solutions:
1. Map Your Digital Nervous System
New software isn’t implemented in a vacuum. Your new tools need to be interwoven into an existing ecosystem of automated and manual processes. Understanding these business processes that are being affected by the integration is the first step. Set expectations with your implementation team and your internal IT team about the impacts to your operations and customer interactions to alleviate concerns while also avoiding months of re-work and adjustments at the end of the project.
At Chain.io, our experts have intimate knowledge on a wide range of business processes and work hand-in-hand with your in-house teams to ensure your expectations and goals are being met. (See our specialities here.)
Go the extra mile and map your own digital nervous system to document, discuss, and prioritize how your data is moving between systems - both internally and through your customers’ systems. Take this opportunity to identify any misalignments and put a plan in place to address these issues with your implementation team.
2. Prioritize the People
An integration impacts people all over in your organization, from end-users to stakeholders. These players should be the driving force for your implementation strategy. No matter the size and scope of the project, your key concern should be the people who will use this software (both directly and indirectly) on a daily basis. By prioritizing the end-user and every stakeholder, you ensure that all needs are being met in accordance with your goals.
At Chain.io, our business process mapping team works hand-in-hand with your internal teams to identify necessary capabilities, existing operations/processes, and other key requirements during the Requirement Analysis phase. Your Chain.io implementation team then uses this information to build an implementation plan and testing scripts that align with their expectations.
3. Continue the Relationship
Once your integration is in place, the relationship with your implementation team shouldn’t end. If done successfully, your integration strategy, whether you’re mapping several business processes, or taking it one at a time, should be repeatable, comprehensive, and act as the framework for future projects.
Contact us today or book a demo to get started building your implementation plan with one of our supply chain experts.