There is a trend in software project management to assume that project success is simple: If you come in on time, within budget, and meet the business owner’s list of requirements, then your project is a success. But what if the business doesn’t use your shiny new software application? What if they use it all wrong? If the users don’t use it, or uses it in the wrong ways, then the project is not a success for the company. If it didn’t succeed for the company, how can it be a success for you?
When you address success criteria for your software project, you can never forget two important details: adoption and training. Your project needs a plan to drive adoption. It needs to start before you even get to training. Your goal is that by the time you’re ready for training that the users can’t wait to use the product and are open and interested in the training process.
Adoption should not necessarily be driven from the PMO or from IT- this is not their areas of expertise. Your company and business owner must help you here. You need to engage them and help them understand that if adoption fails, the project is a waste of time. Get Communications, HR, Marketing, whoever you need to involved to help drive adoption. Your company sells to your clients- surely it can sell to its own staff?
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This blog is written by me, Stacey Douglas, an analyst, project manager, systems designer and executive in the software industry. You can learn more about me at my website, http://www.staceydouglas.com.