Tips for the Effective Implementation of New Technologies

The world of IT is growing with each passing year. Each time we get to hear and see numerous innovations being delivered by innovators around the world. Many sectors of the economy are now getting to be automated in terms of their how they conduct their business. The security, health, agriculture, financial, transport, and communication sectors have been treated to a wide range of state of the art IT innovations that have served to solve some of the basic problems that we have been facing.

The IT education and expansion have been at the center of many governments and companies around the world. IT is being seen as a game changer in our today’s world. It is being tipped as the tool that will help eradicate and make things easier for us. With this in mind, it now calls for the development of proper IT policies and frameworks and ensures they are properly implemented.

For the technology to be successful, it takes many aspects, including proper implementation. It can fail if it is not implemented in the right way. IT technologies are the essential tools to help us take our world forward. Everything we do revolves around the IT development and innovations and we need to implement these technologies in the right way so as to achieve the right impact. An implementation means rolling out programs or technologies in a systematic manner so that the end result can be achieved. It encompasses several factors and it is a process that has a starting point and a finishing point. It is important to note that for any new technology roll-out to succeed, there needs to be proper planning, good management team, involvement of the target group, and continuous monitoring and evaluation.

    Planning

This is the first phase of implementing technologies or process. It is a very crucial phase and it will determine if this implementation will be a success or not. At this point, all the relevant stakeholders should come together and share possible ideas on how the rollout will be done.

All involved parties should answer several essential questions, including what is the IT technology being implemented? Why is it important, who are the target population? What will be the responsibilities of the involved parties? Will it be beneficial to invest in this new technology and what the resources needed? These questions will set the pace into giving the implementation of the IT technology a good direction.

All the parties involved should be able to give out their ideas freely and each idea should be looked into critically to determine their pros and cons. Finally, an agreement should be reached to pick the best possible ideas that have the ability to deliver the best results in the end.

With every technology roll out it is important to have a definitive timescale that will guide the program. Every aspect of the rollout should have time allocated to it so that the rollout period can be seamless. Working on well-established time phase will be a good place to start from. Proper time management will also go a long way in preventing wastage of resources.

    Engage the target population

For any implementation program to go as planned and be a success, the target population should be identified and consulted to get their views. After the target, group has been identified and proper planning is undertaken then they can be trained on the how the technology works. A good way to start is by being open with them as to what the new technology is and what they stand to benefit from it. If the new technology relates well will them, then they will be able to adopt it very easily. It should be noted that for the proper adoption of a new technology, it is best to tell more of the benefits and less of the features.

At this point of training, different gaps can be identified and dealt with swiftly to ensure the Technology implementation goes as planned. But before you can reach out to your target group, the group tasked with rolling out this IT technology implementation should also be trained fully. They should be able to know the inside and outside of the technology so that they can transfer the right knowledge to the target group. It will be a mission in futility if the people implementing the project are not conversant with the technology they are rolling out. So, proper training of the staff should be paramount.

For a new technology to roll out successful it will require a properly constructed team who will manage the roll out from start to finish. There needs to be a project leader who guides the rest of the team and is called in to make some key decisions. A good project team will determine whether the rollout will be a success or not.

    Pilot phase

This is where everything that was happening in the background is now being put into reality test. This stage is crucial too as it will show the true potential of the technology being implemented.

One good way to make this roll out a success is by ensuring that all stakeholders, including the target groups are conversant with the technology and that they are aware of the impact and the expectations. If the target group does not still understand or appreciate the technology being rolled out, then it will pose hindrance to the programs.

To ensure massive adoption of the technology, a good way will be to form good adoption incentives that will encourage the target to appreciate and adopt the IT technology. Working with the target group representatives can be a good way to also push for adoption since they have a good strength to encourage their group to adopt the IT technology being rolled out.

Rolling out the project by first starting with a pilot phase program will be a good way to be able to identify the gaps that still exist with the technology. The pilot phase is a good window to rectify the various issues on the IT technology before full implementation can be undertaken.

    The full rollout of the IT technology

After the pilot, a phase has been done and assessed and all the gaps rectified the full rollout of the technology can now be done. At this point, also you will need the target group representatives to assist in rolling out the programs to other areas.

With full rollout it means that the IT technology has passed the entire test that shows that it is the right technology to be embraced.

    Monitoring and evaluation

This aspect is very crucial in all project implementations and rollouts. It is these two that show how the program is fairing and whether or not it is achieving its intended objectives. Proper monitoring and evaluation will enable the technology implementers to know how to further improve the IT technology through various adjustments. It further gives rooms for people to share their concerns about the technology and if the target group is benefiting or not.

In addition, to help you conduct a good monitoring and evaluation phase you need to develop a good channel that will allow the target groups of the new technology to give feedback. It is from this feedback that you will be able to know what is working and what is not working.

    Closing phase

This is the last stage of the rollout program. Once you have successfully rolled out the program and it is now able to stand on its own, then you wrap it up and allow the users to continue using the technology. At this point, you now serve to offer support services to the users both new and current users of the technology. The main end result should be the community having a positive attitude towards the new technology.

    Conclusion

Information Technology is very crucial to our lives today more than ever. We need to continue embracing IT and take advantage of the opportunities it is offering us. There lots of good technologies that have a great potential of changing the world but most of them never see the light of day and this is due to poor implementation. Proper IT rollout is key to ensuring that the IT technology is successful. Furthermore, a new technology rollout will be successful if you fully involve the target group and show them that the technology is developed to help them and that it’s not just another money making avenue for the company. The target group should feel that they own the process or the technology and this serves to let them have an open heart and mind towards a new technology.