Whilst any system or solution delivered will be tested at both the program, operations and system level, this does not immediately ensure that it will function smoothly and efficiently in your client department.
Some of the questions which can only be answered at the implementation stage
are:
- Will the aims and benefits of the system be realised?
- Have you fully understood the client’s needs?
- Will business processes be adversely affected by the solution or new system?
The answers to these and related questions will be a measure of how effectively and accurately you or your consultancy firm has carried out the task.
Whatever the outcome, the implementation stage can provide interesting times for any consultant.
Implementation of Planning and Systems Transfer
Implementation, in common with other change activities, is best approached with careful planning and scheduling. An implementation plan must be prepared at an early stage of the Assignment and agreed with both the demander and the supplier.
You should consider the following
- Education and training, knowledge transfer
- Implement controls
- File set-up and conversion
- Implementation scheduling
- Implementation methods
- Review
In this section, however, we concentrate on knowledge transfer and review.
Education, Training or Knowledge Transfer
Education and training are separate activities. The purpose of education is to give management and staff a background to the solution or system, an outline of its functions and the benefits to them and to the organisation.
The purpose of training is to instruct staff in the details of the day-to-day running of the solution or system. These differences are also reflected in the change model we use in other sections of the website.
Education
Make sure that management and staff gain a clear understanding of the background against which the solution has been developed, why it is to be introduced, and the benefits to be gained from it. If a new system or workflow has been introduced, it should be clear about the aims and how it will operate, including any manual procedures.
Staff are likely to work more efficiently and with enthusiasm, if they appreciate the overall aims and benefits of the system, as well as having a detailed knowledge of their own contribution.
Training
Staff training includes presentations to client, user departments and others as required. In some assignments, this could be followed by a study of the procedural documentation, for example, user manuals, data preparation, data control documents.
The following items should be included in any staff training programme:
- Operational changes,
- Operational schedules,
- Documents used or manuals updated,
- Controls to be applied,
- Handling exceptions,
- Recovery procedures,
- Handling output
- Changes to clerical procedures.
Post-implementation Review
- Does it do the job economically and efficiently?
- Have there been any complaints from the client, the users, operations, data preparation?
- Have any operational errors been found?
- Have initial benefits been derived?
- Are the data processing schedules being met?
- Can the incidence of operational errors be identified by operations, data preparation, the users, clerical staff)?
- Are any reports too large?
- Are all functions of the system being used?
- Is there any potential ‘spin-off information?
- Is IT run time excessive?
- Has the user identified any potential improvements?
- Is the system output accurate?
- Have relationships improved between management and staff?
- Have they worsened?
- Do the clerical procedures need revision?