Critical Points of Failure

1. 15/10/2010 21:10
blog.mintek.com
Why Asset Management System
Software Implementations Fail
Part II - Why Asset Management System having the right tools or resources for the
Software Implementations Fail task at hand.
2. The low hanging fruit is not being col-
I
n our prior post, Why Asset Management System lected. Recognize that 80% of the benefits
Implementations Fail - Part I, we described the come from 20% of the system; therefore it
roles of the key players for implementing asset makes sense to give the 20% a higher prio-
management system software. Each party brings rity.
a different skill set to the table which great facili- 3. Unresponsive technical support or ope-
tators strive to recognize. These skill sets are used rational staffs. Staff can be unresponsive
to provide the expertise and buy-in from others. for any number of reasons ranging from a
personality conflict to just having a really
bad day. Once the trust is gone, almost no-
thing can bring it back (Something Deloitte
and SAP should have recognized early on).
All vendor staff or consultants should know
basic problem resolution techniques.
4. Benchmarks are not set. We live in a show
me the money business world. To avoid
show stopping surprises from the customer,
it is important to be able to measure the
success of the implementation at given time
frames. My guess is this was not adequately
done with Marin County.
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5. Training is ineffective, delayed or pus-
hed aside. Asset system training is the
most underestimated value of implemen-
Critical Points of Failure tation. Ineffective or non-existent training
will result in lower system adoption rates,
At the same time, organizational leaders must be end user resistance to using the system,
wary of as many crucial failure points as possible. fewer people having a strong working
Some of the more notable points of failure for an knowledge of the system, and far less of the
implementation are: system being utilized.
joliprint
1. The scope of the project is not adequa- Because training is very labor intensive, it is often
tely defined. This occurs when the objec- front loaded and intense. This brings out other issues
tives of the customer and the vendor do not such as the staff’s ability able to retain more than
match up. For example, the vendor brings 10-20% of what has been taught and a significant
Printed with
in an energy efficiency expert to map out dependence on vendor technical support. If tur-
a plan, but the client really wants an auto- nover is a problem for the customer it is possible
mated work order system. The result is not that within a year or two, no facility employee will
http://blog.mintek.com/Enterprise_Asset_Management/bid/52196/Part-II-Why-Asset-Management-System-Software-Implementations-
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2. 15/10/2010 21:10
blog.mintek.com
Why Asset Management System Software Implementations Fail
have sufficient system knowledge to accomplish the they bring in unwanted negativity that can
desired objectives. derail an implementation by encouraging
others not to buy-into the program. Dragons
• Running out of time and/or money to can normally be stopped by including them
collect asset detail set-up. System output is in the implementation or selling them on
only as good as the information fed into it how the change will help them do their job
(garbage in=garbage out). Collecting asset better.
detail is a time consuming process and often • The operations team is not empowered
requires that manpower be taken offline to to make the necessary changes to processes.
gather the needed information. The operations implementation team has to
have the ability to draw upon whatever re-
For example, a facilities manager might be expected sources they need to execute change. When
to use their maintenance teams to collect asset detail. cooperation with the implementation team
But if they do this they may not have the resources is optional, the plan will unravel.
to perform maintenance and repairs when needed.
Without careful planning, resistance to the new asset Why Setting Expectations are
management system software will grow. Important
• The emergence of Dragons. A dragon is a Many of the points of failure can be addressed by
p the vendor making sure they have a clear unders-
tanding of the customer’s expectations for bet-
ter asset management and measuring results.
Other issues, such as unresponsive support, are
an opportunity for vendors to exceed customer
expectations. My experience leads me to firmly
believe that clients are more likely to leave be-
cause of how a problem was handled then over
the problem itself.
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As mentioned previously, the setting of expecta-
tions begins with the vendor salesperson and the
executive or decision makers for the customer.
The process does not stop once the implementa-
tion has started. This is because of things rarely
go according to plan. Parties should be willing to
adjust their expectations should unanticipated
events occur.
joliprint
Many of the actual customer expectations are
going to be handled with the sales contract. It is
not possible for me to list all the items that could
be in a contract but it is possible to identify a few
Printed with
of the major expectations.
erson who is either resistant to change or
feels threatened by change. Left unchecked,
http://blog.mintek.com/Enterprise_Asset_Management/bid/52196/Part-II-Why-Asset-Management-System-Software-Implementations-
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3. 15/10/2010 21:10
blog.mintek.com
Why Asset Management System Software Implementations Fail
Expectations that Should be Addressed If you liked this article you may also enjoy reading:
• The overall scope of the implementation in-
cluding who will be involved and what they
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• A listing of customer objectives such as
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• How much customization will be required suite. Contest includes a 1-year site license, 10 web/
and what are the costs. mobile licenses and support, as well as, training
• Who will perform the set-up of the asset and implementation.
detail (customer staff, vendor, 3rd party)
• The amount of training and the realistic re-
sults of proposed asset management system
training.
• Who will be trained, how and where will
this occur.
• How often will they be retrained.
• Roll out schedule for large organizations or
multiple properties.
• Benchmarks of success, how will the client
know the system is working as sold?
Click here to send your feedback
The purpose of these items is simply to make sure
that the vendor understands the clients expectations
and that the client is fully aware of the changes
being implemented and what is required on their
part to make this occur.
By understanding the roles of the players, critical
points of failure and expectations, clients and ven-
dors can now review their resources to see if a third
party is needed. The final post of this series will
joliprint
take a look at some of the reasons a 3rd party may
be needed to ensure a successful implementation.
Share with us the problems with implementations
Printed with
that you have witnessed. How many of the issues
could have been resolved with better communi-
cation?
http://blog.mintek.com/Enterprise_Asset_Management/bid/52196/Part-II-Why-Asset-Management-System-Software-Implementations-
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