User-adoption is a major challenge for any organization upgrading or implementing WFM software. People are programmed to resist change. As workforce innovators, it is the project leaders job to proactively monitor any variables that may hinder users from fully adopting the new software. Fear of the unknown is one of the main contributing factors of a lack of user adoption. In order to take steps towards shedding light on some common unknown project variables, here are the three major threats to user-adoption we have seen during a Kronos Version 8.0 upgrade.
One of the biggest changes found in Workforce Central Version 8.0 is the switch from classic view to Navigators. All Kronos users will have to interact with the Navigators. The Kronos home screen classic view has been upgraded to a Navigator interface. A Navigator provides a browser view for users interacting with Kronos. It can be customized for each individual user. Each part of a navigator either provides you with information or helps you to perform a task. The interface contains a collection of work spaces, including the default home work space, which opens when a user first logs in. The home view includes the home work space, tabs for other active work spaces, alerts, the workplace carousel, and the search button. Since all users will have to interact with the new navigators, it is important to understand how they function and the importance of adequate training. Switching to Navigators has been consistently reported as the number one user-adoption issue with our clients. Preparing a comprehensive training strategy will help ensure that your users are equipped to work with the new Navigator interface.
Training should be a consideration from the very beginning of a Version 8.0 upgrade. While the initial training for employees is crucial to creating high levels of user-adoption, organizations can easily neglect the process of creating training resources for new employees who will be using the application in the future. Taking the time to build a training curriculum will ensure you have a truly comprehensive program and give you a basis to develop Kronos training resources and a manual. Your organization may use a training database if there are a large number of topics to cover. A training database should match, as closely as possible, the live application. It should provide a simulation of what the real system will look like, but be specifically planned and designed for training exercises and activities. If employees can access the site outside of the initial training event, a database can be a great resource for equipping future employees.
Internal communication before, during, and after an upgrade is one of the key factors to creating high levels of user-adoption. A well thought-out introduction coupled with clear communication can improve how employees think and feel about the change they will experience during the Kronos project.
Create a communication plan to ensure you clearly articulate the decision making process and the implementation process. Make sure to manage the change, monitoring feedback from all parties involved. Unclear communication and misunderstandings are some of the biggest hindrances to user adoption. Lay out how your organization will communicate the upcoming changes, who the changes will affect, and the organization's WFM goals. A Communication strategy should include:
Communication Planning: Determine the information and communication needs of the key project stakeholders: who needs what information, when they need it, and how it will be provided.
Information Distribution: Make needed information available to project stakeholders in a timely and effective manner.
Performance Reporting: Collect and distribute performance data, including status reports, progress measurement, and forecasting.
Administrative Closure: Generate, gather, and distribute information to formalize a phase of project completion.
These four steps will help to ensure honest, transparent, and effective communication is the best way to help employees deal with change. The more open your employees are to change, the more likely they are to successfully engage with the updated application.