Top 3 Reasons Why Systems Fail
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“Why the heck are we doing this now?!?”
That was the only question in my mind when our HR group announced that we were implementing a new software system for writing performance reviews one month before they were due.
At that time, I had 17 people on my teams, so I had A LOT of reviews to write. And, I knew it was going to be a disaster (spoiler alert: I was right).
I wish that was the only example of a failed systems implementation that I can conjure, but in over 20 years in IT, I’m sorry to say that I have seen a number of systems fail.
What I find fascinating is that it’s rarely for reasons you’d think. What do I mean by that? Well, I don’t think systems fail due to dysfunctional teams, or low performers, or leadership who swoops in at the last minute and changes everything (though that certainly doesn’t help).
Instead, I’ve seen three other culprits tank systems implementations more than anything else. Let’s take a look at each one.
We don’t talk enough about WHY the system is needed.
When I was starting out in corporate training, one of the first things I learned was that adult learners need to know WHY they are learning something. It’s unique to adults- kids often want to know why, but they can learn what to do or how to do something without needing to know why it’s being done.
But adults can’t roll that way. Adults absolutely need to know why they need to learn something before they can learn it. The same is true for taking action- if no one knows why something is happening, you can’t expect them to get on-board with it.
When implementing new systems, it’s critical to tell people WHY this change is needed, and especially if you are going through a stressful period, it’s equally important to share why this change is needed NOW.
Most adults I know are capable of learning new systems and making changes. They’re not all excited about doing so, but if they understand why (maybe the old system is going defunct) and why now (there’s a new sale looming, or we need to gear-up for a busy quarter ahead), they’ll be much more willing to adopt the new system, which is what we all need in order for changes to stick and systems to succeed.
We don’t align our working processes with the system’s capabilities.
It is easy to get distracted by shiny new systems. They look better, cooler, and seem to be bursting at the seams with new efficiencies for your team(s).
But all too often, the work we have to do doesn’t actually match up with what the system offers. Even with systems as widely used as SharePoint or Microsoft Teams, the work we need to do and the way we need to get things done is not always perfectly supported by the system.
With something like SharePoint, you really have to dig-in to a process to understand how to organize a library or set of websites that supports it. Do you need one folder per project? Or should you organize one folder for each team? What about one folder for each type of deliverable?
There are so many options with how you can organize SharePoint, and getting a group of people on the same page about how to organize it takes time, conversations and compromise. In my experience, very few teams actually have the desire or time available to organize it properly to get their work done.
What does this produce? Chaos and confusion. No one can find anything, and all of a sudden you’re back to storing local copies of documents on desktops and tearing your hair out while trying to reconcile past versions of contracts.
We don’t teach people the skills needed to do the job (we just give them a system).
I’m looking at you, anyone who’s ever said, “We’ve got Asana now - everyone can just manage projects.”
To that I say, “Oh heck no!” Just because you have Asana available for use does not mean that everyone at your organization understands how to manage a project. Have you taught people how to break-down work into smaller and smaller tasks to be able to track it?
Have you taught people how best to communicate updates to leadership and provide real-time reporting on status?
Have you taught people your expectations about how to run meetings, assign follow-up, and ensure accountability?
If you haven’t taught your team the underlying skills needed to complete complex work like managing projects, then you can’t expect them to use a system designed to do that work.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Have you seen implementations fail? What were some of the driving reasons behind it?