Business use of the Internet is expanding almost as quickly as Web innovations themselves. Think of a new way to manage a business process via the Internet and it can be done in record speed. One of the newest and fastest growing ways businesses are using the Internet is to spread knowledge more quickly and easily between cubicles, allowing for enhanced collaboration. Users on the corporate side are taking advantage of the Web's capability to bring groups of people together to collaborate, using social networking tools such as wikis for business purposes.
Not surprisingly the way businesses manage projects is changing rapidly and in some cases dramatically. Often,
however, project managers and team members lack appropriate tools allowing them to adapt to this new reality. Just as
it has transformed the way we shop, the way we travel and the way we stay connected, the Web has reshaped the ways we
collaborate and make decisions.
One of the most difficult issues confronting an organization is gaining acceptance of this shift, especially when it comes to adoption of project management software. As with any change in work processes that moves staff from standalone, often paper-based methods to automated computerized systems, some will be eager to adopt software to help projects run more smoothly, accurately and collaboratively; some will be reluctant to do so because they either don't understand the software's benefits or fear the technology. Some managers simply love having every aspect and update of a project literally at their fingertips with integrated project management software; some just can't bring themselves to crawl out from under the spreadsheets and sticky notes.
Businesses can help ensure adoption of PM software by considering four steps that will promote buy-in from staff and higher productivity by instilling more efficiency throughout the organization:
1. Choose software users love. As with any software selection, those who use it must recognize its value or adoption becomes problematic. When evaluating project management software, the end user - and not just the project manager -- must be looked at as the customer. Software should be intuitive, simple and valuable, with a familiar, welcome experience for users; reminiscent of the software and web applications they use daily in their work and personal lives.
There is one, simple way to gauge whether or not users will love the software: let them try it and listen to their feedback. Involve those who will be tasked to use the software on a daily basis to test it before you buy (make sure the vendor offers this option - most likely some type of free trial). Daniel B. Stang of the Gartner research firm recommends "IT professionals, project managers and business development managers should provide input into the PPM [project and portfolio management] investment decision; otherwise, the tool might not be capable of providing all promised benefits."1
Ensure that the team is wrapped into the selection and deployment stages for PM software so that they are eager to adopt it as soon as it becomes available to them. Those early adopters who may have been reluctant initially can become the organization's strongest software advocates among their colleagues, once they become attuned to the benefits the software offers, not just to the company, but also to themselves, their creativity and their own value in the organization. Additionally, the input from users often can help customize and enhance the software with business-specific knowledge (e.g., the creation of templates and best practices) to meet specific needs that may not otherwise be obvious.
2. Participation promotes adoption. Software with highly collaborative functionality is more attractive to users, lending itself to quicker adoption. Web-hosted software especially can make life much easier on the entire project team, as real-time knowledge sharing becomes universally accessible, 24/7, and duplication of effort is eliminated. Colleagues can share their knowledge instantly via Web 2.0 tools such as Wiki-like discussion forums, and decision-making is accelerated, without the hassles of calendar coordination for meetings or time-zone variances. Moreover, team members become empowered to make instantaneous updates to the project. With a Web-based system users can collaborate from any location around the world at any time with just a laptop, Internet connection and login. Projects are all about team work - it is therefore essential that any project management solution be viral such that all stakeholders are easily invited to participate and contribute to its success.
The most advanced software even pulls in outside stakeholders, such as customers, business partners and/or third-party vendors, allowing the entire project team - not just internal contributors - to securely share project data, collaborate, update tasks and deadlines, giving a true up-to-date view of a given project's status. Some Web-based software even sends email reminders directly to a team member's inbox at specified points, and allows users to send updates back to the software through their own email account. Incorporating this level of familiarity within the system drives adoption that much quicker.
As team members learn that project changes and updates are immediately available for the entire team and that they can easily share their views and perceptions with their peers much more intuitively than with older systems, they will realize as well that the project can be completed more quickly, further stimulating their interest in the PM software.
3. Fast deployment means fast adoption. Hitting on another key point highlighted in the Gartner report cited above, analyst Daniel B. Stang suggests project contributors and managers may resist adopting software tools "out of fear the learning curve of such tools could hinder their day-to-day productivity."1 It seems like an obvious point, but sometimes the most apparent is often overlooked: choose software that's easy to get up and running and doesn't require an IT S.W.A.T. team for training. Management must look for the most effective software with the shortest ramp-up time for employees, yet still powerful enough to deliver on their business needs.
4. Adopt software with an intuitive interface. When software is easy to use, adoption naturally will soar. Consider software that provides a simple, intuitive method to initiate, update and evaluate projects. Software can possess incredible functionality, but if it's not easily understood visually and conceptually by team members those functions have no hope of ever being used. Similarly, software that enables project managers to retain the processes, steps and overall knowledge created for one project and re-deploy those same elements in subsequent processes will allow teams to gain cumulative benefits from the software, shorten project cycles and improve productivity.
Experience with Web-hosted PM software shows that project teams are thrilled with this method of managing projects because it is easy to use and to update. They become more productive because they can contribute more fully, and decisions are made more rapidly than is possible with other means of collaboration. Every team member becomes a part of project planning, initiation and execution, and the Web-based methodology generates a viral attraction to the software across the company. Intuitive, collaborative software that's up and running fast with familiar functionality such as email offers the best chance at quick, full-scale team adoption, and therefore the best opportunity for overall project success.