Change management is a vital part of IT success: Gareth Murphy
Change is inevitable, especially in technology and in business. But it is something that is often not given the respect and time it needs to be done properly.
Whether you’re acquiring a business or implementing a new AI system, the process of that change needs to be effectively managed.
McKinsey reported that 60-80 per cent of digital projects fail, and that hasn’t improved in the last ten years.
So, what is going wrong? In our experience, the fatal error that companies make is not valuing change management and, as a result, setting themselves up to fail.
Historically, businesses had their own change teams to manage this process. This eventually got phased out as software providers began to offer this service in their packages.
This was great until that too got phased out to keep costs competitive, leaving us with the standard ‘drop and go’ approach that leaves teams struggling to get to grips with new systems that they weren’t aware of, weren’t adequately trained on, and were sceptical of.
While it can be easy to get swept up in the shiny new toy mentality of a new system at board level, where it really needs to work and be properly communicated, is out on the shopfloor with the people who will be using it day in and day out.
It is these people and their uptake of the system that will ultimately determine whether the project is a success or a failure.
Successful change management is driven by structure and forward planning. At Fluid, we don’t just come in and drop a system, we work with the team from the ideation stage. Working out why the change is happening, why it’s important and the impact it will have on every person and every process is crucial to driving a successful and lasting roll out.
Most people operate with the ‘what’s in it for me?’ mindset and that absolutely must be considered when rolling out any kind of change. Get people onboard so that they understand the benefits and the plan for getting there.
Our business analysts use the Prosci ADKAR methodology to lead people through the five building blocks of change (awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement) to help our clients’ teams make and accept the changes that are coming.
Laying the groundwork for the change plays a major role in the future success rate. But we don’t just judge success on go live day. Real success is when a roll out is successful at launch and beyond, with teams having the confidence to continue working with their new systems well into the future, and not sneakily using spreadsheets on the side!
For many, a major IT overhaul is not a common occurrence, however we are seeing a huge increase in the number of new AI platforms being brought to market, and that brings its own challenges. AI projects suffer from even worse success rates, with MIT reporting that 95 per cent of generative AI pilots fail.
It can get even more difficult when dealing with a change that can completely change what someone’s role looks like due to automation, or when the need for their particular role is no longer there. These types of changes need to be managed with the upmost respect on honesty.
For us, change management is all about reducing the learning curve, building confidence and a sense of togetherness around any rollout, no matter the size, ensuring that people, processes and technology can flow together harmoniously.
Gareth Murphy is managing director of IT consultancy Fluid