What's mildly irritating you today?

[SteveDallas]

I am beset by complaints from coworkers who are worried about a ma$$ive software implementation. I am trying to be diplomatic, but the time for complaints was months ago. I am trying not to point out that we've already delayed the project by four months to absolutely no effect, simply to assuage peoples' discomfort. There are many things I'm trying to to point out simply because they'd come off as insulting. But the bottom line is this is going to happen whether anybody likes it or not.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

I am beset by complaints from coworkers who are worried about a ma$$ive software implementation. I am trying to be diplomatic, but the time for complaints was months ago. I am trying not to point out that we've already delayed the project by four months to absolutely no effect, simply to assuage peoples' discomfort. There are many things I'm trying to to point out simply because they'd come off as insulting. But the bottom line is this is going to happen whether anybody likes it or not.

Keep in mind that it doesn't matter how virtuous the system is you're inflicting on people if they won't cooperate. The users have to be on board or you're wasting your money. The users are your key to success.

I think it's worth the time to assuage every reasonable worry. But some people are going to bitch and moan no matter how much training and reassurance they receive. You have to deploy sometime.

The good thing is that if this software is a key factor in the success of the company, anyone who embraces it will prosper and those who don't will eventually get left behind (if not shit-canned).

In the future, your company might try to make the users see the virtue of a new software package before making the decision to implement it. If you believe this software will make a huge difference to the bottom line and can make the users decide that they must have this software, then you're golden. When those two criteria (and some that aren't occurring to me in my just-woken phase) aren't fulfilled the software probably isn't a good idea.

(I'll stop here. I have a shit-ton more to say about this, but you're probably just venting and don't care. This Master's degree shit is warping my mind--I'm actually thinking about business!?)

[SteveDallas]

Originally Posted by Perry Winkle

Keep in mind that it doesn't matter how virtuous the system is you're inflicting on people if they won't cooperate. The users have to be on board or you're wasting your money. The users are your key to success. . . blah blah blah . .

I agree with almost all of what you wrote. Before we even looked at a single product (officially--of course I had feelers out) we ran internal focus groups to talk about what was wrong with our current systems and what we needed to replace them. After a great deal of research I narrowed our options to three companies. Each company spent two days on site doing demos for our staff, along with other meetings etc. etc.

Product C was the universal third choice of everyone. Product A was the #1 choice of about 60% of the people, and was deemed "OK, we can work with that" by most of the others. Product B was twice as much as product A, so (duh) we went with A.

I could go on, but the only way we could have made this more participatory is if we had given each employee cash and told them to go buy their own databases. Like you said, some people whine no matter what, and you have to pull the trigger sometime.

[Shawnee123]

Obviously, I can't take a day off. Inundated with emails about this and that, things others are more than capable of researching but would rather push it off. So much for hoping for an extended time off...a couple days, maybe (GASP) a whole week. The times is there, I just can't use any of it. Apparently.

Then I also get emails from boss saying she is taking the next 3 Thursdays off and my peer, taking the next 2 MOndays off.

I plan to inundate them back: Um, Miss Mia Mofflebopper wants to know where you are in processing her aid. I could look it up but I don't feel like it.

I will put a "high importance" exclamation point icon with it when I send, for effect.

grumble grumble grumble.