part-iii-why-asset-management-system-software-implementations-fail

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Part III-Why Asset Management System Software Implementations Fail


The final of three posts highlighting the causes of failed asset management system software implementations and what can be done to

increase the chances for success The first post sug-gested that not setting proper customer expectations before an implementation begins is the root cause of failure The second post looked at some of the critical points where expectations should be clearly laid out You can read the first two post here

Do You Need Outside Consultants

This part of the series looks at making a determina-tion if the customer or vendor needs outside help (consultants) The key question for customers and vendors is Do we have the resources needed to accomplish our objectives As a starting point to answer the question above both customers and vendors can ask themselves 5 questions

1 What is the timetable for the implementa-tion 6 months 1 year 2 years

2 How many people will be required to exe-

cute the plan3 What is the knowledge level of the existing

staff 4 What is the availability of the desired staff

during the course of the implementation5 Do you have a change management leader

who fully understands the organizationrsquos work flow

If the answers to the preceding questions indicate that there are not enough resources in-house to do the project then a 3rd party possessing the needed resources might need to be approached Like the customer-vendor negotiations 3rd party help should have clearly defined expectations and roles

Other 3rd Party Asset Management Implementation Factors

The use of a 3rd party can be very beneficial but also comes with inherent risks On the plus side the right consultant or consulting group can bring tried and tested procedures for making the implementation work This helps customers avoid recreating the wheel when they run into an obstacle In addition an experienced implementation team or consultant can anticipate problems and then make use of their experience to find solutions that might otherwise delay implementation

On the other hand the more implementation that is outsourced the lesser amount of buy-in within the customer ranks will occur Customers must avoid the scenario where end users feel that the new asset management system has been forced upon them or Dragons will begin to emerge Other factors to be considered include the cost of consultants as well as management control issues

15102010 2110

httpblogmintekcomEnterprise_Asset_Managementbid52299Part-III-Why-Asset-Management-System-Software-Implementations-

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Implementations Are All About Communication

To recap what has been discussed in the three posts so far

bull The failure to set realistic expectations on the part of both the customer and vendor can and probably will doom an implemen-tation

bull Implementing an asset management system constitutes a major change in operations for a customer Buy-in from all levels is neces-sary

bull There are multiple points of failure during the course of implementation How you handle issues is often more important that the actual problem itself

bull When setting expectations remember that training has a huge impact on EAM adop-tion rates

bull Beware of Dragons bull If using an 3rd party to help with implemen-

tation make sure their involvement does not inhibit buy-in from customer staff

bull If the customer is unhappy with the end result then the implementation was not a success This may go against conventional thought that if the software system works the then the implementation was a success But I disagree a successful implementation goes beyond working functionality as an unhappy customer means no referrals bad word of mouth very little chance they will repeat (return) as a customer or in the case of Marin County a lawsuit

Successful implementations leave the customer happy with the value of what they paid for Vendors wanting to grow should not plan to meet customer expectations they should be planning to exceed them The customer is King exceeding customer expectations makes it a lot easier to keep customers and sell new ones

Tell how you define a successful implementation If you liked this article you may also enjoy reading

Register for your chance to

win a Free EAM amp CMMS Worth

$23000

If you want a EAM amp CMMS sys-tem but canrsquot afford to implement one this budget year then this contest is perfect for you We are offe-ring a chance to win a FREE EAM amp CMMS software suite Contest includes a 1-year site license 10 webmobile licenses and support as well as training and implementation

15102010 2110

Page 2


Clic

k h

ere

to s

end

you

r fe

edb

ack

Prin

ted

wit

hjo

liprin

t

blogmintekcom


Implementations Are All About Communication

To recap what has been discussed in the three posts so far

bull The failure to set realistic expectations on the part of both the customer and vendor can and probably will doom an implemen-tation

bull Implementing an asset management system constitutes a major change in operations for a customer Buy-in from all levels is neces-sary

bull There are multiple points of failure during the course of implementation How you handle issues is often more important that the actual problem itself

bull When setting expectations remember that training has a huge impact on EAM adop-tion rates

bull Beware of Dragons bull If using an 3rd party to help with implemen-

tation make sure their involvement does not inhibit buy-in from customer staff

bull If the customer is unhappy with the end result then the implementation was not a success This may go against conventional thought that if the software system works the then the implementation was a success But I disagree a successful implementation goes beyond working functionality as an unhappy customer means no referrals bad word of mouth very little chance they will repeat (return) as a customer or in the case of Marin County a lawsuit

Successful implementations leave the customer happy with the value of what they paid for Vendors wanting to grow should not plan to meet customer expectations they should be planning to exceed them The customer is King exceeding customer expectations makes it a lot easier to keep customers and sell new ones

Tell how you define a successful implementation If you liked this article you may also enjoy reading

Register for your chance to

win a Free EAM amp CMMS Worth

$23000

If you want a EAM amp CMMS sys-tem but canrsquot afford to implement one this budget year then this contest is perfect for you We are offe-ring a chance to win a FREE EAM amp CMMS software suite Contest includes a 1-year site license 10 webmobile licenses and support as well as training and implementation

15102010 2110


Clic

k h

ere

to s

end

you

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part-iii-why-asset-management-system-software-implementations-fail

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