If you have ever been on the leading edge of adopting a new innovative solution, you know that not everyone will immediately embrace a disruptive idea despite obvious benefits. Here are 5 tips to speed up insertion of innovative products into your environment.
1. Create a Value and Impact Analysis
Benefits Assessment
As stated by Connolly
“Sometimes we get so enthralled with shiny new tech tools that we forget the basic fact they need to bring business value.”
A key element of generating momentum behind a new solution is to demonstrate the impact. Does the new solution save time, money, or resources? How so? How much? Create a clear and direct linkage between the proposed technology and something that stakeholders want.
Cost Dynamics
Often times, budget managers focus on the upfront cost of new technology. Be sure to include a cost analysis in your value assessment that articulates potential savings over time. If the investment is savings neutral, consider demonstrating the opportunity cost associated with choosing not to acquire the benefits brought about by the new innovation.
Risks
Nobody likes surprises, especially decision makers and leaders. Identify the worst case scenarios up front and cover likelihood of and responses to risky outcomes.
2. Identify and Recruit Advocates
Leadership
A champion in leadership can socialize the value of new technology at the highest levels within the organization. They are key to removing adoption obstacles. Enlist a champion in leadership with powerful influence who can provide a force for change.
Influencers
Similar to champions, influencers have significant organizational voice regarding decision making within their sphere. These might be technical SMEs, key contributors, or cross-team liaisons. Engage influencers actively and encourage them to communicate with their teams.
Manage Expectations
Set clear goals and communicate them effectively to all stakeholders. Clear expectations set the framework for the results you want to achieve. If advocates don’t understand the full picture, they can’t be helpful in spreading the word.
3. Plan and Execute a Limited Pilot
Testing new technologies in a low-risk environment before moving to full scale is almost always a wise move. Plan first, in order to execute your pilot effectively.
Create Success Metrics
Determine what success looks like based on your previous value analysis. Use those ideas to create some target metrics. What do we expect to happen? Did we achieve the desired outcomes?
Define Evaluation Criteria
Determine how you will gauge the results of the pilot. Are some outcomes more important than others? Are there competing technologies that should be compared? How will you measure feedback taken from key participants? Determine how your collected metrics will be rated once the pilot is complete.
4. Conduct a Pilot Review
Spread the News
Your pilot should provide you with quantitative results about the positive effects of your proposed solution. Share the information about pilot performance with your stakeholders.
5. Create an Adoption Plan
Funding & Acquisition
Now that you can support the value of your proposal, you need to secure funds to initiate purchasing. Use your pilot results as a basis for your estimates and factor in deployment and sustainment costs. Also factor in any training needed.
Change Management
New technology will often disrupt the existing apple cart. Consider the best way to roll out your new technology throughout the organization. Some solutions can deploy wholesale, while others may require more incremental phasing into operation. Consider the people impacts of adoption and plan ahead for potential course adjustments along the way.
Conclusion
Successful technology adoption requires early planning, significant buy-in, and efficient engagement. You never want to be the person that wastes money on the expensive solution that doesn’t produce. Instead, be the driver of ROI by pre-empting resistance and strategically aligning innovative technology to the business.