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October 19, 2021

How to Achieve a Successful Software Implementation

Molly Rammel-Puckett talks with SPESA on workforce development

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT ARE KEY

In the midst of global disruptions and changing consumer habits, the right technologies can make all the difference in giving brands a competitive advantage. Whether it’s collaboration between continents, visibility across the entire supply chain or digital transformation of the factory floor, companies are leveraging digital tech to rethink, reshape and prepare to meet the demands of the future consumer, today.

As with any initiatives or rollouts, the right technology partner can make it or break it. And it’s crucial not to forget the people element. Our VP of Consulting & PMO, Molly Rammel-Puckett, recently sat down (virtually) with Michael McDonald, president of Sewn Products Equipment and Suppliers of Americas, to discuss how workforce development and change management can ensure the success of these implementations, as well as how the best providers can help.
 

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

To Rammel-Puckett, workforce development means, “elevating employees throughout their career at your company . . . reinvesting in them . . . educating them so they can be a part of the company’s success.” It’s a continual process of investing and reinvesting in your people, their talents and future effectiveness.

The global workplace L&D industry spends nearly $358 billion (U.S.), with $165 billion spent in North America alone. The average spend per employee on L&D worldwide is $1,308. The tremendous growth in learning investment shows the seriousness with which companies are taking upskilling and reskilling as a means of futureproofing companies.

Onboarding and training are not one-and-done operations. Today’s industries, markets and roles demand reinvesting in employees as technologies and processes change. The company has a responsibility to develop employees throughout their careers, and employees have a responsibility to engage and develop alongside them.

Workforce development is not just training on new technology. But new software and solutions often involve improving processes and increasing efficiencies in how a company operates. Often you are changing not only the technology but also the way in which employees do their jobs.
 

HOW A PARTNER CAN HELP

A consulting technology partner is there for its clients every step of the way. Said Rammel-Puckett, “A big part of our focus is making [clients] self-sufficient. We want them to take ownership of the software, their processes, their culture—put all of those things into the mix and come out with a successful implementation.”

Sometimes the consultancy involves coaching a company through org restructures or proper alignment. It may be establishing and placing trainers across the company for better engagement. The partner will understand the macro view and take steps to make the client masters of its new system and solution.

The right partner will also help companies address challenges before, during and after implementation. In a software rollout, for example, it can be easy to overlook the people component. Systems are only one side of an installation. Companies that buy a software thinking only of replacing people may encounter issues.

“A big part of our focus is making [clients] self-sufficient. We want them to take ownership of the software, their processes, their culture—put all of those things into the mix and come out with a successful implementation.” – Molly Rammel-Puckett

A new software will change what work is done within your company. It could automate laborious manual tasks and eliminate duplicate processes. It might provide greater visibility into and across a business. But in the end, the best software still depends on your users knowing how to use it.

Through development and training, your partner can help elevate your employee base from data entry to critical thinking employees—people who can innovate and enact efficiencies. It can free up your talent to grow and move the business in new directions.
 

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Another key area in which the right technology partner can help is to manage the change—and change the management.

It begins with involving the key movers and shakers. Often these aren’t your managers. They are your major producers, your troops on the ground. Employees often know more about the inner workings, processes and issues than C-level executives. They have valuable information, and they want to feel valued. Engage at least a subsection of users in the software implementation until you get a consensus on where the company is moving.

“If you take [end users] along with you in that process, it makes the chances for success much higher,” said Rammel-Puckett. And encouraging involvement from the top down has additional benefits.
 

ENGAGE AND EXCITE

If you include the user base for a software or solution rollout, this engagement can provide valuable input in decision making, build excitement and boost morale during a time of change. It also improves communication and awareness of your plans of action. Even the best system could be abandoned if you don’t get buy-in across the organization. Employees are expected to value executive insight and directions, so show that you value their wants and needs, as well. “Take them along on the journey,” said Rammel-Puckett.

“Employees don’t get excited about the everyday tasks. [They] get excited when you get them involved in a process that brings true value to the organization.” Try to automate that spreadsheet or repetitive task. Let your employees learn something new and grow with the business.

“Employees don’t get excited about the everyday tasks. [They] get excited when you get them involved in a process that brings true value to the organization.” – Molly Rammel-Puckett

IMPLEMENTERS, ASSEMBLE!

The best tech partner will help you assemble a winning team to make the implementation a success. Rammel-Puckett said you are looking for “superusers,” people who know your processes and the processes next to them. Many employees may be a superstar in one role, but you are seeking people who are knowledgeable, who know what comes before and what comes after their place in the company.

You are also people who are trusted among their team, even across many teams. Director-type personalities, even if they don’t have director in their title, can be good to leverage to enact changes and implementations.

Flexible and adaptable people are also great to involve in your implementation. You want folks who can roll with changes and pivot when needed. Any plan won’t take you 100 percent of the way, so you need staff who can help you change direction.

As you assemble training plans, it’s important to focus on backups. “You aren’t just looking for one person to drive the bus; [you need] other people who can take over when needed,” said Rammel-Puckett. You want to train a first, second, even a third for each of the roles on your team. Cross-training is one way to ensure no expertise is left hanging in the event someone leaves.
 

TRAINING CULTURE

Depending on how much of a software suite you have purchased, your partner might literally touch everyone in the company. Implementing new software can be an opening for a company to make changes. New technology and processes can be enabled and encouraged through this process. Training for new courses and ways of working can be a challenge, so you should find and nurture the right talent in the right place at the right time.

Onboarding and setting expectations with new and reskilled employees are another way to build a training culture. In a BambooHR survey, employees who experienced effective onboarding were:

  • 18 times more likely to feel highly committed to their organization
  • 30% more likely to feel strongly integrated into their workplace culture
  • 30 times more likely to have high job satisfaction

Another opportunity to better compete with today’s companies is to consider hiring remote employees. And with a hybrid workplace, it’s even more important to offer great onboarding and establish expectations.
 

CHOOSE WISELY

By now you understand how important your technology partner or consultant is in your implementation. But how do you find and choose the right one? Rammel-Puckett offered a few insights here, as well:

  1. Look for what the business needs: This may not be immediate needs, but it’s good to keep the focus on the near future. The days of five-year fashion and apparel industry plans are gone. Even a three-year plan may be three, one-year plans wrapped into an overall vision.
  2. Look for a forward-thinking company: You want to have confidence in this partner that they are looking forward, moving forward, advancing the technology and the industry with best practices and best solutions. Think cloud, think no-code, think next-gen.
  3. Look for openness and transparency: Life’s short, and technology can be expensive. Drill deeper than the boilerplate speech and find out how this company works. You want a partner that is open with you and with which you can be honest. Talk about what is there, what is missing, how you plan to succeed and how you can work together through any issues—because chances are, there will be issues.

The pandemic isn’t the first disruption, and it won’t be the last. Before COVID-19 was the cotton crisis in the late 2000s. These disruptions accelerated changes that were already under way, and many of these changes are here to stay. Every time we experience a business disruption, it changes the industry significantly. “Within the next 30 years, something else will occur to push us forward,” said Rammel-Puckett. And as the world becomes more integrated and interdependent, the faster changes happen, the faster we must work to keep up.

The next generation will grow up with these disruptions. Businesses will find a way to evolve, and employees will come along with the business. For this rapidly evolving world workplace, we will need engaged and effective employees who are invested in growing the business. We want staff and companies that are invested in innovation, willing to offer up new ideas to change the industry and push it forward.

For more on this topic, you can watch part 1 of the discussion between McDonald and Rammel-Puckett, which covers workforce development and change management, followed by part 2, which outlines the idea technology partner, adding value and the future of the industry.

 

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