LTYM - If it's not in the new system, it doesn't exist

Letters to a Young Manager

If it's not in the new system, it doesn't exist, #505
LTYM > Project Management

Dear Sophie,

***

One of the things I learned from my history in IT leadership positions is that when you introduce a new system, adoption is the hardest thing. People don't like giving up the ways of doing things that they've become accustomed to. Change is hard... and resisted.

There was a VP of Development at Save the Children, in the fundraising development. And she had a great way of converting people over to the new donor management system that they ended up getting. She basically said if you don't bring your sales pipeline report from the new system to the sales meeting, your sales don't exist. That got the message across!

What I learned from this is that an important role senior managers can play, beyond the sponsorship of doing the project, is becoming the leaders in using the project/system. They are key motivators in adopting a new system.

***

Sincerely yours,
Ed

________________________

References...

Takeaways:

Lead by becoming a primary user

Discussion Questions:

1. What roles have you seen senior managers play with a new IT project? What have they done beyond sponsoring the project and providing the budget?
2. What do you think of the adage that "there are no IT projects, there are only business projects?" How does it relate to IT system adoption?

For Further Reading:

"There are no IT projects," Story #619.