The success of a project depends on more than just delivering on time and having an attractive product that works properly. Optimal and effective use of the new solution is the key to success. If the employees do not use the new solution or do not use it effectively, or they do not adopt it, then the investment has been wasted. That is why it is important to prepare employees carefully for the planned change. After all, they are what ultimately determines the success of the project. In order to call a migration successful, care for and guidance of the user cannot be ignored. That is User Adoption.
User Adoption includes processes that lead to people efficiently and effectively using a new solution and leaving behind their old way of working. It is aimed at changing behavior or habits within a professional context. Through User Adoption, users are made aware of the need for change. They learn how to use the new hardware or software correctly, are capable of practical implementation within their actual work environment and understand that the old ways of working can no longer contribute to the desired changes. From the combination of awareness and learned skills there emerges a new attitude to performing the job, after which it is only a short step to a change in behavior.
Our approach
User Adoption does not just happen. It is a process costing time and effort, and consists of a number of steps and iterations. To steer this process in the right direction, Realdolmen has produced a User Adoption Framework based on Michael Sampson's User Adoption Strategies.
The complete framework consists of four different steps:
- Winning attention: How do we make sure that the end user is aware of the planned modification? How can we demonstrate its relevance to their work situation?
- Cultivating basic concepts: How do we ensure that the end user knows the basic functions of the new solution? How do end users learn how to use the new solution?
- Enlivening applicability: How does the new work method fit the specific circumstances of an individual or team? How will end users work within the framework of the new solution?
- Making it real: In this last phase, we ensure that the old working method is truly left behind. All data has been migrated, the ways in which the team and the individual will work are defined, and so on.
