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Implementing new processes, policies, and software can be a challenge for any organization. Sometimes, two systems struggle to communicate with one another. Other times, key individuals may find it difficult to adopt the newly introduced element.
Here at LoanLogics, we see these challenges every day as companies endeavor to start up our systems and, as a result, reconsider their policies and redesign their processes.
Through many and unique trials, we have identified a set of critical and universal steps that have proven their power and ability to make every implementation successful.
- Secure Buy-In
It can be difficult to win the hearts and minds of an entire organization when it comes to a major change. When presented with a sound and logical reason, however, few folks will continue to refute the evidence.
Secure buy-in from your affected groups by communicating the reason behind your change. Provide as much supporting evidence as you feel the group will need in order to understand and accept your choice. Transparency is crucial to this step so that employees feel involved in the choice.
Ask for a verbal commitment, from each individual, to embrace the change and the steps it will take. Research shows that something as simple as a verbal commitment physically changes the makeup of a person’s brain and makes them significantly less likely to abandon or oppose a previously agreed upon commitment.
- Define Success Criteria
You, as the leader, must be clear on why this change was adopted in the first place. This can be a single “brass ring,” or a handful of metrics you hope to improve upon with this single change. Quantifying your goals provides for easier measurement once the change has been completed.
Let this criterion serve as your polestar when you find a hurdle in front of you. When confronted with unanswerable questions, the answer may simply be, “It gets me to my success criteria faster, or more efficiently?” Others find success criteria useful as a starting point and will simply work backward to identify what steps must be taken in order to begin the change process.
- Plan Your Transition
No change can be tackled without a plan. How loose or rigid the plan begins (several bullet points or dozens) will ultimately depend upon your organization. But, the change should be mapped out from beginning to end with enough milestones to kickstart the project.
Inevitably, the change plan itself will change. Through listening to employees and responding to other feedback loops, you will be prompted to adjust your plan’s direction.
Consult your success criteria when unsure of how to proceed. Whenever an edit to your plan has been made, communicate this change back to your team.
- Measure Results
Did you think your job was over when the change plan was ‘completed?’ The fun is just beginning! The change plan should include a process for measuring your results and modifying the remainder of your plan to ensure you meet your goals.
If you identified quantifiable metrics as your success criteria, then measuring your results is as easy as counting. If your success criteria are a bit “squishier,” you’ll need to find other ways to measure it – focus groups, surveys, and the like.
Bonus: Reward Your Champions
Work hard, play hard – right? Those folks who have helped drive the change plan deserve a pat on the back. Doing so publicly acknowledges their contribution to this very difficult task you’ve all just completed.
Additionally, recognizing your champions may serve to motivate new individuals to volunteer for the sometimes-difficult job when your next change project comes along.
