Part II - Why-asset-management-system-software-implementations-fail
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The document discusses common reasons why asset management system software implementations fail. It identifies 5 critical points of failure: 1) poorly defined project scope, 2) not prioritizing the most impactful parts of the system, 3) unresponsive technical support, 4) lack of benchmarks, and 5) ineffective training. It stresses the importance of managing expectations, including customer objectives, required customization, and responsibilities of each party. Clear expectations help address many potential points of failure.
Part II - Why-asset-management-system-software-implementations-fail
- 1. 15/10/2010 21:10 blog.mintek.com Why Asset Management System Software Implementations Fail Part II - Why Asset Management System having the right tools or resources for the Software Implementations Fail task at hand. 2. The low hanging fruit is not being col- I n our prior post, Why Asset Management System lected. Recognize that 80% of the benefits Implementations Fail - Part I, we described the come from 20% of the system; therefore it roles of the key players for implementing asset makes sense to give the 20% a higher prio- management system software. Each party brings rity. a different skill set to the table which great facili- 3. Unresponsive technical support or ope- tators strive to recognize. These skill sets are used rational staffs. Staff can be unresponsive to provide the expertise and buy-in from others. for any number of reasons ranging from a personality conflict to just having a really bad day. Once the trust is gone, almost no- thing can bring it back (Something Deloitte and SAP should have recognized early on). All vendor staff or consultants should know basic problem resolution techniques. 4. Benchmarks are not set. We live in a show me the money business world. To avoid show stopping surprises from the customer, it is important to be able to measure the success of the implementation at given time frames. My guess is this was not adequately done with Marin County. Click here to send your feedback 5. Training is ineffective, delayed or pus- hed aside. Asset system training is the most underestimated value of implemen- Critical Points of Failure tation. Ineffective or non-existent training will result in lower system adoption rates, At the same time, organizational leaders must be end user resistance to using the system, wary of as many crucial failure points as possible. fewer people having a strong working Some of the more notable points of failure for an knowledge of the system, and far less of the implementation are: system being utilized. joliprint 1. The scope of the project is not adequa- Because training is very labor intensive, it is often tely defined. This occurs when the objec- front loaded and intense. This brings out other issues tives of the customer and the vendor do not such as the staff’s ability able to retain more than match up. For example, the vendor brings 10-20% of what has been taught and a significant Printed with in an energy efficiency expert to map out dependence on vendor technical support. If tur- a plan, but the client really wants an auto- nover is a problem for the customer it is possible mated work order system. The result is not that within a year or two, no facility employee will http://blog.mintek.com/Enterprise_Asset_Management/bid/52196/Part-II-Why-Asset-Management-System-Software-Implementations- Page 1
- 2. 15/10/2010 21:10 blog.mintek.com Why Asset Management System Software Implementations Fail have sufficient system knowledge to accomplish the they bring in unwanted negativity that can desired objectives. derail an implementation by encouraging others not to buy-into the program. Dragons • Running out of time and/or money to can normally be stopped by including them collect asset detail set-up. System output is in the implementation or selling them on only as good as the information fed into it how the change will help them do their job (garbage in=garbage out). Collecting asset better. detail is a time consuming process and often • The operations team is not empowered requires that manpower be taken offline to to make the necessary changes to processes. gather the needed information. The operations implementation team has to have the ability to draw upon whatever re- For example, a facilities manager might be expected sources they need to execute change. When to use their maintenance teams to collect asset detail. cooperation with the implementation team But if they do this they may not have the resources is optional, the plan will unravel. to perform maintenance and repairs when needed. Without careful planning, resistance to the new asset Why Setting Expectations are management system software will grow. Important • The emergence of Dragons. A dragon is a Many of the points of failure can be addressed by p the vendor making sure they have a clear unders- tanding of the customer’s expectations for bet- ter asset management and measuring results. Other issues, such as unresponsive support, are an opportunity for vendors to exceed customer expectations. My experience leads me to firmly believe that clients are more likely to leave be- cause of how a problem was handled then over the problem itself. Click here to send your feedback As mentioned previously, the setting of expecta- tions begins with the vendor salesperson and the executive or decision makers for the customer. The process does not stop once the implementa- tion has started. This is because of things rarely go according to plan. Parties should be willing to adjust their expectations should unanticipated events occur. joliprint Many of the actual customer expectations are going to be handled with the sales contract. It is not possible for me to list all the items that could be in a contract but it is possible to identify a few Printed with of the major expectations. erson who is either resistant to change or feels threatened by change. Left unchecked, http://blog.mintek.com/Enterprise_Asset_Management/bid/52196/Part-II-Why-Asset-Management-System-Software-Implementations- Page 2
- 3. 15/10/2010 21:10 blog.mintek.com Why Asset Management System Software Implementations Fail Expectations that Should be Addressed If you liked this article you may also enjoy reading: • The overall scope of the implementation in- cluding who will be involved and what they will be accountable for. Register for your chance to • A listing of customer objectives such as win a Free EAM & CMMS Worth work order automation, knowledge trans- fer, space planning $23,000 • A listing of vendor responses to the cus- tomer that describes what can be done to If you want a EAM & CMMS sys- meet the customer’s objectives such using tem, but can’t afford to implement one this budget mobile handheld devices, document han- year; then this contest is perfect for you. We are offe- dling and so on. ring a chance to win a FREE EAM & CMMS software • How much customization will be required suite. Contest includes a 1-year site license, 10 web/ and what are the costs. mobile licenses and support, as well as, training • Who will perform the set-up of the asset and implementation. detail (customer staff, vendor, 3rd party) • The amount of training and the realistic re- sults of proposed asset management system training. • Who will be trained, how and where will this occur. • How often will they be retrained. • Roll out schedule for large organizations or multiple properties. • Benchmarks of success, how will the client know the system is working as sold? Click here to send your feedback The purpose of these items is simply to make sure that the vendor understands the clients expectations and that the client is fully aware of the changes being implemented and what is required on their part to make this occur. By understanding the roles of the players, critical points of failure and expectations, clients and ven- dors can now review their resources to see if a third party is needed. The final post of this series will joliprint take a look at some of the reasons a 3rd party may be needed to ensure a successful implementation. Share with us the problems with implementations Printed with that you have witnessed. How many of the issues could have been resolved with better communi- cation? http://blog.mintek.com/Enterprise_Asset_Management/bid/52196/Part-II-Why-Asset-Management-System-Software-Implementations- Page 3