Improve User Adoption
You’ve invested in new tools and processes. Your team has attended training. So far, everyone is feeling confident about the new ways of working. But you know that feeling isn’t going to last. When people go back to their desks to do their day jobs, how will you ensure that the investment in company development pays off? That’s where knowledge transfer comes in.
Knowledge transfer is simply one of the best ways to improve user adoption of new tools and processes. Whether it’s Deltek Cobra to support your new EVM system, Primavera for project management or PMO processes, when people feel they understand and can use the tools, they do so.
If they aren’t confident about how to use the tools, there’s a risk that they go back to old ways of working, for all the reasons people don’t like change.
The slide back to the old ways doesn’t have to be inevitable. Knowledge transfer helps boost the team’s confidence and provide a bridge between formal training and daily use. However, you have to plan for it as part of your system implementation to get the most out of it.
Plan for knowledge transfer
First, make sure that the training offered is role-based and appropriate for the users. It should cover the functionality they require to do their jobs.
Work alongside the trainers to establish how best to transfer the knowledge back to the workplace. That starts in the course, with the use of relatable exercises and case studies tailored to the user experience. Then it can be transitioned to use in the day job via access to manuals and guidance on how to make the theory ‘real’ when back at work.
Use online support systems
Online support systems include video recordings, forums, common asked questions and document libraries hosting examples, templates, process guides, quick start instructions and more.
This provides targeted help to users when they need it, meaning they can access information in a timely fashion. They can continue working because they’ve got the help they were looking for – no need to wait around to speak to a manager or coach.
Make sure everyone knows how to access resource libraries and what they can find in there. Managers might like to ask their teams to put aside an hour a week for ongoing personal development by browsing the resources and building their skills by reviewing the most relevant resources.
Engage mentors and coaches
Mentors and coaches do have a valuable and essential role to play in knowledge transfer. When you are implementing complex systems like earned value, coaches experienced in Deltek Cobra can give you the reassurance and support you need, when your users need it.
One of the great benefits of having experienced mentors and coaches supporting your team is that solutions can be co-created. External consultants bring the subject matter expertise and deep system knowledge. Your own internal staff bring their understanding of other systems and company culture. Problems can be addressed collaboratively, meaning everyone is bought into the final solution and the resolution is a perfect fit for your business.
Ultimately, the goal of using external mentors and coaches to support knowledge transfer is to make your own team the experts. We’re most happy when our consultants have ‘mentored themselves out of job’. They can step away, knowing that the ‘home team’ has everything they need – knowledge and skills – to continue to develop and improve the systems, not simply press the buttons they have been told to press. We pass on the tools to help your team members become capable of taking your systems forward independently.
Provide direct support when needed
Direct support is a hands on approach that provides individuals with tailored support to put their new knowledge into practice.
That could involve setting up a ‘war room’ where people can drop in to get their questions answered, or one-on-one sessions with an experienced user. Brown bag lunches are another way to reach a user community in an informal but informative setting.
One common way we support Primavera knowledge transfer is through supporting the team through the first few cycles of reporting. That lets the team run the reporting cycle while knowing they’ve got the back up of experts to hand if they need it. Any problems can be quickly identified and resolved collaboratively. Issues don’t get swept aside and they are tackled proactively because we make the time to address questions.
User adoption is significantly improved when people feel they can own the processes and are confident to run them independently. That confidence typically comes with time – something that having a planned approach to knowledge transfer buys your team.
Monitor the success of user adoption
The initial training is only the start of your user journey. Experienced consultants work with your team to make sure that every step of your new systems is understood. But how do you know if your knowledge transfer plans are working?
Like every other business change, you should think about how you can monitor and track the success of user adoption. It might be calls to the help desk, or by search queries in the resource library, a staff survey, or simply through the PMO manager taking a gut feel of how much support the PMO team has needed or provided over the past week.
Actively monitor user adoption and make changes to your approach as necessary. You might want to add in more resources to your online libraries or hold another brown bag lunch highlighting best practice. Tweak what you do to best suit the needs of your users.
Over time, and with a structured knowledge transfer approach, your team will grow in confidence and skill, taking ownership for improving project maturity and developing the tools in ways they don’t believe possible today. Just watch them.