Looking across a lot of experience from project management institutes, Six Sigma level projects and business change endeavors such as software, accounting, changing product lines, merging companies or even changing corporate culture, there are some common mistakes, and common solutions. Here are 10 things to know and plan for so you avoid these mistakes.

1)     While the US is all too familiar with super delegates, for any project, one must have allies. When leadership calls for business change, it is important to have internal champions. Regardless of the product, or service you are rolling out, or the new direction of the company, you need champions, even if they are not directly impacted immediately. That might be the accounting department, human resources, IT, or even the mail room.  Change is always easier if you can predisposition a group to be like minded.  Lobby for your allied force early on in the process.

2)     What resources do you really need?  Probably more than you think.  While you may think you are an exemplary leader, and your staff follows blindly, most projects require more time, and frequently, more internal people allocated to it, than you think.  The reason is type A personalities, so often in place in any business change, many times think they can do more, do it faster, and maybe even circumvent some of the standard methodologies incorporated by experts, or even communicated by, the company offering the new product or service.

3)     Lead don’t push. A great leader is someone who takes you where you would not go alone.  Great leaders lead, empower, motivate, encourage, train and more.  Typically they don’t push.  Business leaders demanding change within the company sometimes don’t lead, and in fact, when the project goes wrong, astray, takes longer, etc. it is the leader who did not adequately plan, communicate in advance, or figure out how they would get the people on board. There has to be a benefit to the actual worker bees involved in the change.  Communicate or show it in advance.

4)     Road Block.  Similar to these others, but different, the person at the top tries to implement change for their department heads, workers, company, and maybe even the C level of the company, but they themselves feel somehow untouchable. When this happens, the person at the top, with the “do as I say, not as I do” mentality ends up being the stumbling block. Take in to consideration if your business change is going to impact you personally on a daily basis, and make sure you are okay with it, or find a solution around it, or reconsider the business change. A common mistake is the leader does not recognize themselves as part of the “change” team.  You are. To think otherwise is planning for failure.

5)     Training, and more training, planned for and in the budget.  Not putting enough training dollars in the budget is almost commonplace. To get to that budget item, one must plan diligently for how many people will be impacted during training, in what format do they learn, and what is the realistic timeframe for something new to become routine. Further, businesses don’t take in to careful consideration, when, where and how is this training going to take place when presumably, your staff is busy doing their day jobs. This is usually a lack of planning, with some ego thrown in.  Keep in mind it isn’t just about training during implementation, there is an ongoing need as well, even if more minor. Plan more thoroughly.  If you can’t find the time to do it right the first time, when are you going to find the time to do it again?

6)     What’s the need?  If you are implementing a business change, ultimately the benefit comes down to money.  But each human involved in the change may not relate or equate it to money. There is a reason they don’t run the company or a department.  Many times their needs are never adequately considered, or even acquired.  Part of getting them on board early in the process, and usually part of coming up with the right corporate decision, is to involve them in both obtaining what their needs are, professionally, but also personally. Will you be forcing them to stand at a kiosk for some process?  Will they have to work different hours, even for training, and can they do that? Have they been experiencing something in their day to day business life that you don’t even know about? Are the current processes you think are happening, really happening? Are your trade partners impacted by the change and if so, will there be a problem with it, or is some contingency plan needed? It is about communication. If you are not a great communicator, hire or allocate someone who is. Communication is critical to the success of the business change.

7)     Panacea. From the top down, many would like to see the new solution, process, product, software, or whatever business change that is occurring as some panacea. Don’t make the mistake of positioning it as such.  It is not. It is usually a tool, or a process or something that people will use. Usually you have to combine a great tool, with a great team.  A panacea is elusive, if it exists at all. Recognizing that, and communicating it effectively, is critical.  Unless your automation is eliminating a position altogether, you need that person as part of the team, using this great new tool.

8)     Pop Quiz.  Is the point the new product, or new software, or is it the problem that is solves? Many times business change project managers concentrate on the new thing, instead of what it solves. Users don’t care what you paid for it, or your total set of goals. They care about their section.  Concentrate on the solution locally, which will resonate upward, and allow you to roll up benefit from various components, staff, departments etc.  Managing the solution at the local lower level will help you meet your top-down vision.

9)     Quick fixes or enterprise solutions? Usually quick fixes don’t require too much change management. Be careful not to confuse the two. They are very different. A quick fix can be as simple as a great idea from anyone and immediately incorporated. Sometimes business change project managers, regardless of their position in the company, would like to espouse an enterprise wide effort as a quick fix.  Often they find themselves in a position with a lack of planning. Recognizing not only the benefit, but the effort to get to a total return on investment, takes honest evaluation along with qualified planning.

10)  Don’t discount the provider.  While you and your internal constituents may know your company intimately, and your true points of pain, the provider of the software, service or product should know, and be able to communicate, what it takes, how you will get there and what that road to success looks like.  While you may think they are just a sales organization, wanting more of your money and trying to “get” you for the most they can, most of these solution providers don’t stay in business by inadequately communicating the true expected effort. A common mistake to avoid is not accepting the provider’s recommendations. 

Erik Cofield, CGA has leveraged technology and provided business management consulting for all sizes and types of builders, developers and Remodelers since 2000, including volume, multi-family and custom, to help them improve their business. He is the National Accounts Manager with BuildTopia (www.buildtopia.com), a widely used international construction management software company. He is the Houston Sales and Marketing Council 2008 Associate of the Year. He is an author, educator, consultant and speaker.  He can be reached via ecofield@buildtopia.com.