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There are many times this can be said whether it is real or perceived, especially among the ranks of the employee when related to implementing new technology or processes. It is unfortunate but common among many people I have spoken with to hear that as the user of a system, solution or whatever the project of the day is, that no one ever asked them about how they do things or how what is being implemented might impact them. I refer to this as the cell approach in that the project was conceived, planned and designed in a cell under the belief that those involved knew and understood the current environment and the impact of what they were planning.

The reality in most situations is that while these individuals may have a baseline understanding of the current state, the ones who know best are those who perform the daily tasks and feel the pain of what they try to accomplish every day. There are many times when an organization makes a decision to move a project forward without consulting or consideration of the user community which causes apprehension and resistance within the user community. This in turn leads to potential project failure or less than anticipated results.

In my view, one of the most critical aspects of any program or project is to get a solid understanding and validation of the current state along with user input to develop the future state in order to properly support the operational goals and align with the corporate strategy. In this way, the likelihood of gaining acceptance and achieving the project goals successfully is higher. No one likes to feel left out; most want to be part of a solution. Involve the user in your project and you are on the way to success.

If you are ready to move forward and are finding yourself stuck or unfocused and are not sure where to begin or what to do next, seek professional assistance and/or training to get you started.

What say you? Do you have a story to tell? What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have a topic of interest you would like discussed in this forum? Let me know.

Bob Larrivee, Director and Industry Advisor – AIIM

Email me: blarrivee@aiim.org   

Follow me on Twitter – BobLarrivee

www.aiim.org/training     

I will be speaking at and look forward to meeting you at the following events:

• December 6-9, 2011 AIIM ECM Masters in Silver Spring, MD
• January 17-10, 2012 AIIM ECM Masters in San Francisco, CA
• January 31-February 3, 2012 AIIM ECM Masters in London, UK
• February 5-7, 2012 Capture 2012 in San Antonio, TX
• February 14-17, 2012 AIIM BPM Masters in San Diego, CA
• February 26-28, 2012 Share Conference, Johannesburg, SA
• March 13-16, 2012 AIIM ECM Masters in Seattle, WA
• March 20-23, 2012 AIIM 2012 Conference in San Francisco, CA