Ultimate Guide to Successful

Software Implementation
In this new enterprise ebook we explore the importance of creating a
new technology implementation plan, challenges to watch for, and how
to spot and fix failing implementation projects.
 2

Whatfix
A digital adoption platform
that empowers individuals &
organizations with
technology.
This whitepaper is brought to you from Whatfix. With
Whatfix's digital adoption platform, create contextual in-
app content such as interactive walkthroughs, task lists,
smart tips, help guides, embedded knowledge wikis, and
more, to manage technology adoption through employee
application empowerment.

Learn more at whatfix.com

 3

Introduction
New technology presents massive areas of growth for organizations. However,
without a proper implementation strategy in place, new software
implementation projects will quickly fail - costing millions of dollars for
enterprise companies. Digital transformation is
all about becoming a
In this guide, learn how to create an effective new system implementation digital enterprise—an
plan, and fix implementations that are failing. organization that uses
technology to
continuously evolve all
Table of Content aspects of its business
models (what it offers,
-> Chapter 1
The Importance of Software Implementation: 5-8 how it interacts with
customers, and how it
-> Chapter 2 operates).
How to Create a Technology Implementation Plan: 9-13

-> Chapter 3
Implementation Challenges to Watch: 14-17

-> Chapter 4
Digital Adoption: The Key to Successful Implementation: 18-20
 4

SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION

By the numbers

70% 84% 31%

of all digital of IT projects are deemed
of IT investment fail and
implementation unsuccessful, due to
are competely abandoned
projects fail due to missed timelines, over
or canceled.
employee resistance budget, or lacked promised
and/or lack of support. functionality.
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Chapter 1
The Importance of a Software
Implementation Strategy
Software implementation is a complex and risky endeavor. A staggering number of
companies fail - 86% of all IT projects - when integrating new software into their systems.
Over the last few years, the number of botched implementations has risen dramatically.

Too many companies invest a ton of time and money into purchasing new software. Yet,
once they make the purchase, they don’t put any energy into figuring out how to get it up
and running across their organizations. As a result, the implementation plan goes awry.

Failures in new technology implementation can reach millions of dollars. As a result of the
complexity of installing new systems, development costs can quickly rise, and if there are
problems with the implementation, the money is lost, and more funds need to be spent to
repair the damage.

In this section, we explore risk areas and expenses of failed implementations, a case study
of a high-profile failed software implementations, and the benefits associated with a well-
planned implementation project.
 Project Scope
Project scopes that are mismatched with goals will cause
software investments to go over budget and miss deadlines.

Unrealistic Expectations
New software will improve productivity and reduce cost, but
expecting it to solve all your problems is a recipe for disaster.

Why do so many
implementation
Lack of Onboarding & Training
Any transition to new technology should be accompanied by proper

projects fail? preparation, instruction, documentation, and support.

Poor Change Management

Improperly defining business processes and not paying enough
attention to change management can lead to implementation failures.

Lack of Due Diligence

Don't forget to take your time and cover your basics. Do your
due diligence before launching your implementation plan.
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CHAPTER 1

The Benefits of a Well-Crafted Implementation Plan

Whether you’re deploying a new piece of software, launching a new product, or rolling out a company-wide initiative,
developing an implementation plan is a crucial step for transforming ideas into actionable goals. Without a clear direction to
guide you, your project runs a higher risk of failure.

Clarifying your goals and developing a clear plan for achieving them adds structure and clarity to processes with a lot of
moving parts. Gaining that clarity can provide the following benefits:

Planning all of your steps in advance will keep you organized throughout your project
Having a detailed set of action steps will free you up to think strategically throughout your implementation
Time frames defined in advance can help you better manage deadlines
Knowing your financial limitations in advance will help you stay on budget
Setting milestones to track your progress toward achieving your desired outcomes
When leadership is able to review your plan, you’ll get more buy-in for your project
When you can hold stakeholders accountable, they’re more likely to complete tasks on time
Making sure everyone involved is on the same page avoids misunderstandings and prevents scope creep
 8

CASE STUDY

The Infamous Hershey's Failed ERP Implementation

In the late nineties, Hershey discovered their legacy systems had a high risk of being affected by the Millennium Bug. Instead of
spending lots of money to fix the date-related issues, they decided to replace their ERP. They chose to implement three
separate ERP solutions from SAP, Siebel, and Manugistics, which proved too complicated and disjointed for the company to use
properly, and their self-imposed deadlines proved to be unrealistic. Hershey would go on to lose more than $100 million in
orders for products they had in stock and experienced an 8% drop in their stock price in one day. The company eventually
recovered a year later and completed full integration of SAP ERP in 2002

So, what happened? Hershey's ERP implementation failed for a number of reasons, including:

There was little onboarding and continuous training, meaning that the adoption rate of the new
Overall poor adoption systems across the organization was extremely low. This led to the company not being able to
satisfy over $100M word or orders for products that were in its inventory.

The company was recommended a longer 48-month rollout by IT consulting services and its
Rushed deployment internal IT departments, however, leaders insisted it be completed in 30 months, a nearly 40%
decrease in deployment.

Instead of taking its time and finding one solution, the company instead attempted to launch
Too many complex three complex ERP systems at the same time - leading to huge changes that overwhelmed IT
systems at once resources, confused employees, and conflicted operations.
 9

Chapter 2
How to Create a Technology
Implementation Plan
Once you’ve selected your software and chosen an implementation
team — whether it’s your IT team or a third-party vendor — you’ll
need a plan to make sure everything goes smoothly to drive ROI on
our software investment. By developing processes ahead of time,
you can avoid any surprises, minimize the risk of failure, and create
the proper training so your entire company will realize the full
benefits of your new software.

Successful software implementation starts with a clear definition of

change success and the accompanying processes.

In this section, we'll cover how to create a new system

implementation plan to help support a successful digital
transformation.
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STEP 1

1. Scope out your implementation project

An implementation project scope is a detailed roadmap that outlines all the tasks you need to complete as part of your
project. You can also use scopes to manage expectations, plan when each step will occur, and prevent issues by listing
possible problems so you can fix them in advance. They can also assist in minimizing scope creep, which can cause
confusion and missed deadlines.

You can tailor your project scope statement to the complexity of the software you’re implementing and your systems,
but all scopes should include the following information:

Deliverables — list the name and description of the software you are implementing and the total implementation cost.
Your timeline — include a start and completion date. If you don’t have exact dates, provide an estimate.
Prep work — anything that needs to be done with your current systems before implementation can begin.
Excluded items — tasks that will not be part of the current implementation process but might be on a broader road map.
Expected outcomes — to align stakeholders, explain what benefits you expect to gain and how your teams will use the
new software.
Potential conflicts or issues that may arise during implementation — this is anything that needs to be fixed or adjusted
after your new software is deployed.
A list of teams or employees that the new software will impact — make sure to include the types of training you’ll be
providing.
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STEP 2

2. Assign team owners to drive the implementation process

Communication is an essential part of successful software implementation. By assigning team owners, you can identify which responsibilities
need to be managed so nothing falls through the cracks. These owners will know the best way to work around possible issues and understand
how certain teams will be using the software. They can also think through the whole implementation process and work out any kinks before
getting too far down the road with implementation.

The complexity of your company’s systems and your chosen software will determine how many people you need on your team. For instance,
larger companies with more complex software may need a bigger team to execute an implementation successfully. On the other hand, smaller
organizations can often get by with just a few team owners.

STEP 3

3. Try out new software in a testing environment

To successfully implement a new piece of software into your system, you’ll need to have things in place to make sure your new software is
compatible with your current systems and working as intended. The more testing you do, the greater your chance of implementation success.

A testing environment is a virtual space set up exactly like your current system but completely separate from the software you use every day.
This testing or staging environment allows you to build, launch, and test new software to make sure it’s compatible and helps highlight bugs or
any features that are not working correctly. Your developers will set up a testing environment for you — make sure it’s part of your scope.

A testing environment takes extra time to set up, but it’s needed to protect your live system from malfunctioning. It might be tempting to
deploy a seemingly simple piece of software without trying it out in a testing environment first. Still, even simple software can melt down your
current systems if there are serious incompatibilities, so don’t risk it.
 12

STEP 4

4. Create an onboarding and training program for employees

Software implementation is often only associated with the technical steps, but preparing your team is a critical part of
the process. Create your employee onboarding and training programs in parallel with your implementation, so you don’t
have any downtime once the software is ready for use.

To make sure everyone who needs to use the software gets trained, roll out your training on a team-by-team basis to
make sure each team knows the right way to use the software for their particular application. Your software
implementation onboarding and training program should include:

An overview of the software’s essential functions

How to use the software for maximum efficiency in each team’s workflow
Who to turn to for help
Ongoing support and a way to provide feedback
Training on new features as they come up

You can use a digital adoption platform such as Whatfix to help guide employees through new software and updates to
their processes, in the flow of work, with interactive, in-app walkthroughs and tutorials.
 13

STEP 5

5. Install and integrate your new software tool

Now it’s time to do the installation and integration work. Depending on what you’ve installed, this is the point where your employees will begin
using your new software. If your deployment requires shutting down your existing systems, roll out your new software during off-hours when
the least amount of employees are logged in, and warn employees in advance.

If your software requires new accounts or logins, make sure to send out account creation and login instructions just before or at the same
time the launch occurs. In addition, it’s helpful to send reminders at least a few days before launch to ensure you don’t encounter any
surprises.

To encourage digital adoption, seek out internal champions of the new software to improve adoption. These advocates play a vital role in
getting more people excited about using your new software by showing employees how it can help them. Tasks that are well suited for
internal champions include answering basic questions and showing a new user how to navigate the software.

STEP 6

6. Gather feedback from your team

It’s essential to design a feedback process as part of your implementation, so you can identify any glitches, bugs, or other issues once the
software goes live. Early feedback will let you address issues before they are widespread, so start asking for feedback while employees are
training to use the software.

The process of getting feedback from every employee using your new software can seem like a daunting task, but a short email survey is
usually enough to highlight common issues. You can ask for feedback by department or on an individual basis and focus on questions that ask
how they feel about their experience using the software.

Regardless of the method you use to solicit feedback, your implementation team should have an open line of communication with employees
to provide support and address any issues that arise.
Chapter 3
Implementation
Challenges to Watch
Bringing a project to life can be tough, and it’s even tougher to get it
right. If you don’t have a plan that outlines the exact path you need
to take to achieve your goal, it can quickly become an
overwhelming task that may never get off the ground.

Creating a solid implementation plan can make all the difference

when it comes to turning your change management strategy into a
reality. Building an actionable, realistic, and thorough
implementation plan is an excellent way to make sure your projects
succeed and your best ideas don’t fizzle out.

While there are many benefits of creating an implementation plan,

you need to keep your eye out for some potential challenges. In this
section, we'll highlight potential challenges to watch for when
integrating a new system into your workflows.
 15

CHALLENGE 1:

Enterprises have siloed teams and software redundancy

Large organizations typically have a decentralized structure, meaning

decision-making has been shifted to lower levels throughout the organization.
This allows global companies to have multiple sales, marketing, and customer
support departments for each country and region they have a footprint in.

This leads to siloed teams spread across a company, which presents a huge
challenge to digitalization efforts, including communication barriers, lack of
C-Suite / Leadership
collaboration, no knowledge sharing, and software redundancy.

A side effect of distributed structure that often occurs in decentralized

structured organizations is software redundancy - ie. teams using multiple
software vendors that serve the same purpose or having duplicate licenses Operations &
East-Coast Region West-Coast Region Southeast Region Midwest Region
Finance
to the same vendor.

Decentralized organizations become fractured, leading to poor

communication, as well as a lack of knowledge sharing and collaboration - all Sales & Manu- Sales &
Marketing
Manu-
factoring Sales & Manu-
Sales & Manu-
Marketing factoring Marketing factoring
factoring into technology redundancy. This has major effects on technology Marketing factoring

budget, data literacy, technology integration, and more - all becoming a

major hurdle for decentralized organizations undergoing transformation
efforts.

It also leads to organizations not sharing knowledge across teams, such as

best practices and documentation, which leads to inefficient application
usage and various levels of technology proficiency across an organization.
 16

CHALLENGE 2.

Digital literacy & skills vary across large workforces

Many enterprise organizations - especially in non-technical industries such as insurance, non-profit, and construction - have a wide-range of
digital-literate employees. While certain, more tech-focused departments may have the digital skills required to handle a digital
transformation efforts (IT, marketing), less-tech focused departments (sales, HR, finance, operations, customer support) will need to have
personalized reskilling and upskilling training to obtain the basic digital skills needed to perform their day-to-day in a new, digital environment.

A one-shape-fits-all upskilling program will not be effective, as organizations will also have various levels of digital literacy inside of the same
department. A 20-year veteran employee will be much more set in their current processes and will have less experience with digital
processes in comparison to a new employee in their mid-20’s.

CHALLENGE 3.

Loss of productivity while employees learn new digital applications and processes

Reskilling and upskilling won’t happen overnight, it will need to be an ongoing process. However, organizations don’t have the flexibility to shut
down operations while they train and onboarding employees on new tools and processes. Organizations must solve the challenge of migrating
to new systems, sunset legacy technologies, and provide proper support for their workforce. Failing here means a huge loss of productivity
that many organizations are not able to survive.
 17

CHALLENGE 4.

Digital needs for large organizations are highly custom, leading to complex applications with steep learning curves

Many organizations have complex, customized software due to custom-needs and security concerns. This
presents two challenges:

Integrating custom applications with existing and new software applications. IT departments will need to
spend extra time creating, launching, and maintaining this digital data ecosystem.
Creating a contextually-relevant training and onboarding program for potentially an application only
used at your organization. For many companies, this also means a much more steep learning curve for end-
users, as well as a lack of online support documentation.

CHALLENGE 6.
CHALLENGE 5.

Outdated internal support processes for employee issues Internal resistance to change

Your people will need support after their reskilling and onboarding Don’t forget about your people. Some of your
process. Organizations must view this as a continuous development and employees may have used the legacy systems and
support process. For many large companies, however, internal support is processes for a long time, and will be resistant to
also outdated and in need of digitalization. Companies leverage their IT change. For siloed organizations, these people may feel
departments to handle internal support issues on application queries underheard, and feel that have an existential threat to
and challenges. When new tools are implemented, tickets skyrocket, their current role. While this may not seem as daunting
leading to either overwhelmed support teams or going over budget by as the other challenges on this listen, the different
bringing in temporary IT support agents. The longer employees must between internal resistance to change vs. acceptance
wait for answers to their issues, the more frustrated they become. This and evangelism will go a long way in ensuring digital
leads to low adoption of new technologies, with employees reverting to transformation success.
older habits.
Chapter 5
The Role of Digital Adoption &
Digital Adoption Platforms
Digital adoption is the process of learning how to use a new
technology in order to take advantage of its full potential. This is
critical to the success of digital transformation and new system
implementation efforts - and digital adoption is embedded as an
underlying challenge throughout the digital maturity model and all
new technology implementation projects

Digital adoption can fail due to any of the previously mentioned

implementation challenges, and organizations must face these
head on to facilitate the widespread use of new technology by its
employees or customers through the implementation, onboarding,
and ongoing support phases.

Without digital adoption, organizations will fail to find their full

potential through digital transformation.
 19

What is a digital adoption platform?

A digital adoption platform (DAP) is a type of software that overlays on top

of software applications, providing in-app guidance for employees as they
navigate through their digital technologies.

This includes in-app training and support content such as:

Product tours
Guided workflows
Onboarding task lists
Smart tips
Beacons
Modal windows
Compliance alerts
Self-help wikis
Feedback surveys

Those leading change initiatives, including onboarding and training

professionals, are equipped with non-technical content creation tools to
build, manage, and test in-app content, without the need for coding skills.

DAPs also provide organizations with behavioral analytics, allowing them to

understand how new and existing software is being used, what areas of these
tools need additional training, and apply feedback from employees to
improve application onboarding and support.
 20

Digital Adoption Stage The Whatfix Solution

Organizations are empowered to create in-app guided content such as product tours, interactive walkthroughs,
Reskilling and upskilling employees
onboarding task lists, smart tips, and self-help wikis that provide employees with more engaging onboarding and
How to Solve Complex to new digital applications and
processes
training solution. This helps organizations create personalized upskilling and onboarding tracks based upon an
employees role or digital literacy.
Digitalization
Challenges with Personalized change management
With Whatfix, organizations never experience a drop in productivity, as change happens by learning in the flow of
work. Teams are able to build contextual change tutorials and engage users with interactive in-app guidance that

Whatfix walks them through complex tasks - helping to provide inclusive support across employee demographics, hierarchy,
and digital literacy.

Whatfix approaches digital adoption Build knowledge retention at the moment of need prompts and continuous guided training. Showcase underutilized
differently and empowers both Contextual prompts and guided features, best practices, and other application-specific tutorials with in-app guided flows. This provides organizations
flows with a contextual solution for complex, customized application onboarding - as Whatfix is an agnostic solution that
employees and organizations to
overlays on top of any piece of technology or software application.
become digitally proficient, allowing
them to find the most value in the
Transformational change doesn’t end after onboarding. To truely take advantage of all the capabilities of new digital
applications and digital processes technologies, organizations must provide continuous, on-demand support with Whatfix. Whatfix’s Self Help provides
they’re using. This allows organizations On-demand self-help support employees with an embedded self-help wiki - allowing them to search for answers to custom queries and always
to find the true ROI of their digital have an FAQ in their digital workplace. Organizations empower their workforce by building an entire knowledge base
transformation investments, and of best practices and how-to tutorials, as well as providing links to documentation found online or anywhere an
organization may house their training and support documentation - all overlaying on your new digital technologies.
successfully hit their digitalization
goals - contextually support
employees and organizations through Digital transformation impacts your employees more than anyone else. With Whatfix Analytics, organizations are
the various stages of digital maturity. empowered to understand how employees are using new tools, what features are being underutilized, who needs
Behavioral analytics and feedback
additional onboarding, and much more. It also provides a feedback solution for employees to respond directly to the
in-app content they’re engaging with, allowing for employees to be heard and training to be improved.
Why Whatfix? With Whatfix, the short adoption time
of new systems is mind-blowing. We
Whatfix is the leader in the digital adoption platform space, with
recently implemented a new HCM
Fortune 100 companies relying on Whatfix to support their digital
system for 90,000+ and with a
transformation efforts through employee guidance and on-demand
Whatfix-powered adoption strategy,
support. Whatfix has also been named a Leader in G2's DAP category 12
we average less than 10 HCM-related
straight reporting cycles, with a user review score of 4.7/5 across 200+
support questions a week. There are
reviews.
so many great things about Whatfix – I
am excited to partner with them on
our initiative to change the way we
train on new systems.
Request your demo
Vicki S.
Enterprise Training Manager
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