Change management is consistently a major challenge for any organization upgrading or implementing WFM software. After all, people naturally resist change. When making the move to Kronos Version 8.0, it is more crucial than ever to move user-adoption to a top priority of the project.
As workforce innovators, it is the Kronos project leader's 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.1. Users can struggle with Navigating the new Kronos Navigators
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 Kronos 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.
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2. Lack of Kronos Training Resources
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. Working with a Kronos Service Partner or Kronos consultants can be a great step towards properly equipping your workforce to work with Kronos. Kronos Consultants will help you build a training curriculum that ensures a truly comprehensive program. A solid Kronos team will also help your organization 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.
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3. Lack of Internal Communication
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.
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