Changing IT Systems

[jfez]

I need to make some fairly wholesale changes in the IT system at work so that we can make sure we're giving our customers what they want and also, because we're pretty small, we want to stay ahead with technology because we can change it quicker than our larger competitors.

The question I had was: what would be people's recommendation on the speed of the change? I've found various guides but I don't know whether to bring in all the changes at once and make it less painful for the staff in terms of time or whether to make the changes in a series, one at a time, which is an option and would help people get their heads around one change at a time.

Any advice gratefully received.

 

[Paul_Rosser]

The most important thing is to get the staff's buy in to any changes, if you make them feel part of the process then they will be much less likely to complain about new systems, procedures etc

I would speak to the staff and ask them what they do and don't like about the current systems, what they would like to get out of new systems and then take their comments on board. Depending on the size of your company have a "super user" per department who has been trained on the new systems so they can give help to the other users.

Whilst going with a "big bang" approach for systems implementation does mean it can be less painful, it also means you have to deal with any technical issues all at once, so would make sure you have enough support staff to deal with any problems quickly.

You may also want to try running dual systems for a bit to make sure the new systems have been tested properly before switching across.

 

[Quest Cloud Solutions Ltd]

Are you looking to change the infrastructure your software sits on to provide a smoother experience, or are you looking to completely up-haul it and change it to an entirely new system with new hardware, software, processes etc? The type of changes you're looking to make will dramatically affect how you go about it; you should always thoroughly test the new system before rolling it out, but if it's just hardware changes then I imagine just you could do the whole thing at once (after testing it). If it's new software then you may want to run the systems alongside each other if possible for a while to make sure that it works as you want (testing, regardless of how thorough, often won't pick up on everything...).

 

[Team Leith Training]

I think it is a case of less speed more haste,

Research, is rit the right too for the job
investment Vs lifetime of product, will you get your monies worth
Testing the software to ensure it deliveres what you need, maybe have a few customer help trial it.
Training, new software will bring new skills requirements. Training and documentation will be needed (shout if you need help here).

Plus ensuring that what your bringing in will bring better value for money than customers are already receiving?

Just a few ideas

 

[leemason]

There is much that you can do behind the scenes in terms of basic infrastructure which users will not notice but will make a solid basis for moving forward (e.g. network routers, network switches, virtualising existing servers, etc). Once you have addressed these basic infrastructure issues this wil make it much easier to make the front-end changes that they will notice. So create a firm base first, and then build on that to provide the application and structure to provide a business advantage.

 

[Laurenpears]

There are as many have said lots that can be done with minimum effect, and if so, even run the systems alongside each other for a while before making the final stamp on the change, what is it that you are looking to change? Is it CRM or some specific software to your business?

 

[beacon4business]

There has been some very good advice given here and it stands lots of research but also ask yourself what do you want to achieve and how?

If you are looking to bring in a new CRM system will you need new infrastructure? Will it have to be capable of handling legacy hardware that runs your business?

Just a few things to consider