Many organizations are installing new software systems. These organizations frequently ask: When is the right time to redesign processes when installing new software—before or after software installation? The answer is both before and after.
Software Vendors Want to Help
When installing new software, most software vendors hold requirements meetings with subject matter experts. This valuable opportunity allows you to share your specific needs with the vendor. The more prepared your team is for these discussions, the better job both you and the vendor will do during the meeting. In addition, the software installation will proceed more smoothly, resulting in better outcomes.
When a team informs the software vendor about the processes they already have in place, the vendor will use that data to configure the new system. For example, if you currently use paper confirmations, the vendor will configure the system to create paper confirmations in the new software. If you conduct four reviews of grants during the grantmaking process, the vendor will structure the new system so that it accommodates four reviews.
One of the key reasons to get new software is that the outcomes from the existing system and processes are not meeting an organization’s need. When processes are slow and they create errors or fail to deliver the needed donor or grantee experience, everybody loses. As one leader recently wondered, “Why would I automate the processes that are not working for me now?”
Get Ready for More Success
If an organization seeks better outcomes from their process and systems, the best option is to improve processes before meeting with the software vendor. The purpose of such process redesign is to identify and resolve pain points so the current shortcomings are not baked into the new system. For example, an organization may seek to redesign its processes so they are electronically driven instead of being tied to paper documents. Another organization that typically reviews each grant four times might examine the errors that typically emerge and then improve their process by implementing self-checks to reduce or eliminate many of the errors, thereby reducing the need for reviews.
When teams redesign their processes and convey those improved processes to the software vendor, they achieve significant benefits, including:
After Care to Lock in Error-Free Outcomes
Great software vendors train their clients to make the best use of the new system software that was tailor-made for their organization. But is that enough? Vendor training is only one piece of the process training and documentation that organizations need to do with a software upgrade.
More work to support process is needed to implement the designed steps, produce error-free work, and ensure that the organization achieves maximal value from its substantial investment. Once a new software system goes live, a good next step is walking through every new process with the people who will do the work. During this walk-through, staff training should consist of talking about each process and system step in detail. Process improvement during this time ensures that the new system will bring about the intended outcomes. A final stage of rolling out the new system is documenting the process steps and addressing questions and suggestions for improvement as they come up.
Conclusion
Redesigning processes before sharing them with your software vendor and after software implementation will yield the best results for your organization. By revising your processes at both of these points in time, you will tighten your processes, gain full system use, speed software implementation, and improve your overall outcomes. Contact lee@improveprocess.net to talk how to get the greatest benefit out of your system install.
As founder and president of Innovation Process Design, Lee Kuntz has spent over two decades using process improvement to solve the unique challenges faced by leaders of complex service organizations. Through expert training and coaching, she helps teams look at their work with new eyes, transform how work gets done, and create real results. Contact Lee with questions or to talk about what you see and what you want to achieve.
Contact Lee today to discuss your challenge.
