As you can probably imagine, I spend a lot of time talking to clients who are either preparing for IFS implementation, carrying out IFS implementation, or getting used to work with their IFS system in place. Nothing makes me happier than hearing from a client that theirs has been a complete success – but if you want that to happen, there are some things you need to do.
Key Actions for a Successful IFS Implementation
So what can you do, and what shouldn’t you do? The biggest thing you can possibly do to improve your chances of success is to make sure you have expertise on your side. But let’s break down the other essential steps.
Implementations Need Full Support
Your senior leadership team needs to get behind the implementation as a united front. It’s going to be them more than anyone else who communicate to the employees why this project is so important; it’s going to be their buy in that creates buy in across the organisation.
More importantly, their doubt can spread just the same way – but faster, and harder to eliminate.
Understand the Time and Resources Needed
It’s obviously important to have the implementation done and be developing a new BAU as quickly as possible. It’s also important to remember the difference between what is and what isn’t possible. Whoever has oversight of the project should have the experience to know what timescales are possible with the resources available. Following that guidance means you’re more likely to get more out of IFS after implementation.
Stay Up to Date
Communication is the most important thing while implementation is going. That might be monitoring implementation milestones to ensure that deadlines are hit, but it’s also necessary that stakeholders know what is happening – and are confident they understand it. Regular updates are a vital part of this.
Prepare for Go-Live with Time to Spare
As soon as the tools are there to start training your teams, they should be training with the system. It’s important to get this going as early in the implementation as possible, and to listen to any feedback and questions the people who will be using the system have as they go. There may need to be changes along the way to make this all work.
Above all, you need the expertise to know what to do, why it needs doing, in what order, and how to modify the plans for your particular business. If you don’t have that expertise in house yet, why not get in touch and I’ll help you find the ideal candidate?
