You went live with the new business software, time to sit back and relax, right? Not at all! The go-live is the start of a new phase in which you gain maximum return on investment from your system and benefit from extensions and improvements.
Monitor the way of working
New business software entails a new way of working. Not only because the system forces you to work differently, but (more importantly) because the new working method is more efficient and effective. This does require your employees to adapt. In the training courses and workshops during the implementation, employees were guided in familiarizing themselves with the new way of working. But is that still going well after the go-live? A few things can go wrong:
- Your staff does not understand the new way of working: Despite the consultancy provided during the implementation, employees may not be able to follow the new procedures. You solve this by means of proper documentation, first-line support and extra training after go-live.
- The new way of working is not accepted: Sometimes users do not want to change. Because they do not support the changes or do not see the benefits. Show them how it makes their job easier and help them see that the change is actually an improvement.
- The new way of working does not function properly: Although a new way of working may seem like an improvement on paper, practice may show otherwise. When processes do not become more efficient or effective at all, it is important to take action. Redefine the business process and implement this new approach.
"After the go-live, there is no time to stand still, it is important that you quickly learn to use more possibilities of the system."
Optimize how you use the software
When you go live, you set realistic goals. You want the system to function up to a certain level. For the vital business processes plus a number of extra things. But it is impossible to completely master the software. After the go-live, there is no time to stand still, it is important that you quickly learn to use more possibilities of the system. A few examples:
- Start using extra features: When you go live, you won't be using all the bells and whistles yet, but after implementation you can learn how to use all those handy extra options.
- Optimize the use of reports and analyzes: When it comes to reports, business intelligence and analyzes, “the sky is the limit”. After the go-live, you will start to benefits more from insights from data and information.
- Finetune your documents: You can manage, adjust and create internal and outgoing documents mostly yourself in many systems.
Implement additional functionalities and solutions
Modern business software is perfectly capable of communicating and integrating with other applications and solutions. For example, think of:
- Extra modules and applications: Does the supplier of your system offer additional modules for specific processes and departments? These may be of added value to you. Or additional solutions such as a mobile application or web portal.
- External tools: You may benefit by connecting other programs and tools within your organization with the new business system or by starting to use new applications that communicate with the business system.
In short, don't see the go-live as the end of the project, but as the start of a new phase.
