Technology Implementation Kübler-Ross Model, Step 2 /Stage 2

This is the third entry in a six-part blog series. In my last blog entry in this series, I revisited the YouTube clip outlining the five stages and focused on Step 1 Assess Needs/Stage 1 Denial.  Now, it’s time to talk about: Step 2: Determining Process and Business Rules; or, Stage 2: Anger The relation to the five stages of grief is simple.  When technology doesn’t meet the needs of your team, someone (or maybe everyone) is going to get angry.  There are one too many videos on YouTube of people smashing up a piece of technology to deny there is a lot of anger out there towards technology. So, how do you avoid that anger?  Typically, when a technology implementation occurs and then goes on track post-launch, it’s been lack of agreement on the driving business process and rules behind the system at the root.  Even the most expensive CRM in the world can’t help you if everyone in the organization is using the data fields differently (garbage in - garbage out). Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) sets an example of how to avoid anger through collaboration and consensus – they make IT policy, procedures and standards decisions by committee.  The NVCC  Information Technology Committee “serves as an oversight committee on matters of Information Technology and is responsible for setting the information technology strategic direction of the college. The Committee recommends college-wide information technology policies, procedures and standards; reviews and recommends priorities for the development of applications and for capital requests; and serves as in information-sharing forum.” They are not the first or last organization or agency to get input from multiple groups within the organization to develop systems that can be embraced and used by all.  Some organizations are using online collaboration and social media tools to gather even more input to help successfully shape IT projects.  Check out the Collaboration Project, led by the National Academy of Public Administration, which among other things highlights examples of agencies using open collaboration like the GSA’s Government by Collaboration newsletter. What’s important is not how you gain consensus on the business drivers and policies behind how the technology will be used.  It’s that you do it.  Implementing the technology and then determining the policies on how it will be used afterwards is a recipe for Anger among your constituents. In my next blog, I’ll cover Step 3: Training and Discipline; or Stage 3: Bargaining