| In any business large or small managing change can be | | | | they went through a tender process to implement a |
| one of the most difficult tasks. Change is important in | | | | field service management software application (a |
| allowing your business to move forward and become | | | | monster project was created). They had listed a huge |
| more successful. I've always said that if you continue | | | | list of changes they wanted to implement, as part of |
| doing something the same way you always have, then | | | | the project the company was moving from a |
| you will never improve. Change allows you to make | | | | completely paper based system to an electronic |
| improvements in your business, however if the change | | | | based system. Their top level management had |
| isn't managed correctly it can be very painful. | | | | decided on the change yet they had very little |
| Here are some steps on how to make successful | | | | discussion with their staff about the specifics. When |
| changes in your business: | | | | we started the training with the staff who were |
| 1. Define what you want to achieve:Work out the | | | | actually going to be using the system I noticed there |
| exact details around what you are wanting to achieve | | | | was some resistance from one of the staff members. |
| by making the change in your business, this will allow | | | | When no one else was in the room she said to me |
| you to measure the success of the change. | | | | 'look I'm very scared about this system as I can see |
| The following table is a good example of the type of | | | | how good it is and I'm scared that I won't have any |
| information you should collect: | | | | more work to be done, then I wont have a job'. In one |
| Change required | | | | way this was a great complement to our software |
| Why How Time Frame Importance (Scale 1-10 | | | | and how it helps run a business so well. It did however |
| Important) Increase the speed to invoice customers | | | | show that their management hadn't discussed the |
| from 14 Days to 2 Days | | | | change with their staff and explained their vision and |
| This will increase our cashflow by customers receiving | | | | why they were implementing it. |
| their invoice quicker and therefor paying us faster. | | | | There was some further discussion with the particular |
| Collect information from our field staff quicker by using | | | | staff member, during which we explained that she |
| technology and ability to email invoices. Ie implement a | | | | was still going to be required by the company even |
| new field service management software focusing on | | | | with the new system and by implementing the new |
| this aspect | | | | system it allowed her to focus on more important |
| 3 weeks | | | | tasks. This would then allow the company to grow and |
| 9 | | | | provide better support to their customers. |
| What's good about this is it allows you to put specifics | | | | A simple 15-30 minute meeting with staff prior to going |
| around the change and makes it very measurable. | | | | down the path of implementing the system would |
| During the process of implementation you may get | | | | have allowed for a far more successful process in |
| drawn into looking at other areas for change but by | | | | making changes to their business. This would have |
| reviewing the table it will allow you to focus back on | | | | allowed any questions or concerns to be answered |
| your core reason for change. | | | | and then allowed everyone to focus on making the |
| 2. Small StepsOften when people start thinking about | | | | change successfully. |
| change they start to think a lot about all the areas of | | | | |
| their business that can be changed. It's very easy to list | | | | 4. Don't wait till it's perfectThis may sound strange but |
| 20 tasks that need to be changed and then very | | | | often business owners are perfectionists. It's actually |
| quickly start to feel overwhelmed by the change and | | | | better to implement a new change that solves 80% of |
| give up. When making changes try and break down | | | | your problems and work towards getting it to 100% |
| the changes into small steps that are easy to manage | | | | rather than not implementing anything at all. It's better to |
| and can be achieved in a matter of weeks rather than | | | | implement a change that you can adjust and work |
| months. Creating project that require months of work | | | | with to see how the change actually works in the real |
| to be done often means the project will become | | | | world. Adjusting the change so it works better in the |
| extremely complex and will also have a higher risk of | | | | real world means you will be able to get it |
| failure. | | | | near-perfect. If you always wait for something to be |
| Small steps will allow you to make progress and will | | | | perfect prior to implementing, you may find that once |
| allow you to achieve overall greater success. | | | | the change is in the real world it won't actually be |
| 3. Involve key people and provide vision from the | | | | perfect. |
| topHaving your staff involved in change is important, | | | | The old-school method of change management was |
| but it's also important that change is driven from top | | | | to design a whole massive project, make sure |
| down. You don't want to have change forced onto | | | | everything is perfect, build massive documentation and |
| your staff, it's important you explain your vision for the | | | | then take 12 months to implement. This methodology is |
| change and the reasons why the change is occurring. | | | | a thing of the past. Small steps are the way to go in |
| A good example of a poor way of handling change | | | | making successful changes in your business in a |
| with your staff is by creating uncertainty..... A while a go | | | | matter of days or weeks rather than months. |
| I was at a client implementing Connect2Field. Initially | | | | Start making changes to your business today! |