Whether you are setting up yourself or engaging an implementation expert, you’ll want to make sure these steps are all complete before you go live.
You’ll need the support of your team to help run things smoothly. From pulling together your business records, to confirming your processes and testing out the new system, you’ll want your front line and admin staff onboard for change.
Make sure to keep them updated as you get set up so they can know what to expect and how they can help. You will want to make sure your team understands what’s going to change, what they will need to do (such as accepting platform invitations), and how they can help.
It doesn’t matter if it’s your first project management tool or your upgrading your existing tools, a powerful business operations solution will require some changes and training. Once you’ve picked the right tool, take the time to think about what you will need to do before you can go live. Think about your team’s workflows and test them in the system – you might find some issues that you can fix before you go live!
Make sure that the “back-end” of your new system is working the way you want it to before you push it out to your team. If there are instructions to help you set up, make sure you follow them step by step to make sure you are done. Here are WorkGuru.io’s set-up steps to give you an idea of what you (or your implementation specialist) will need to do to get your project management system up and running.
You will want to make sure that everyone has access to the tools they need to do their job – and no more! Features like stock control and payroll in particular should be limited to only team members that need it. You will want to make sure that your business information is secure before you roll out the tools to all your staff.
While your new tool should help you keep accurate, up-to-date records, you will want to make sure that you have accurate information to start with. It can take time but is crucial to keep running smoothly.
Making sure you have accurate pricing means better profitability forecasts. Doing a stock take before switching to your new system will mean that you start with real-time information that your team can immediately use. Setting up templates for common products will save you hours in the future. Take the time and get your solution set up with as much accurate information as you can. This will help you get the best return on your project management system right away.