Converting 300 staff across 30 different sites from Microsoft Outlook to Lotus Notes was never going to be an easy project.  Our client was moving to Lotus Notes because it is the international standard for their organisation.  Going into this project, we knew some staff would perceive the change in functionality negatively, making our task even more complex, especially when our key objectives were:

• Gain user acceptance and ‘buy in’ to the change
• Maintaining business continuity on ‘Go Live’
• Minimise the impact on all stakeholders

Because of the number and diversity of our client’s sites across New Zealand (some sites have one or two users and others upwards of 50) delivering the change using a “traditional classroom approach” would have been cost prohibitive and would not have enabled us to meet the project goals.  We felt that if we took that route we would have failed the client.

The Solution We Proposed to the Client

We believed we could minimise the “face time” on Lotus Notes functionality required by each user, by using the good exposure staff had had to Outlook.  However, we knew that many users in the organisation were not proficient with Outlook, so we needed to assist the client in their perception of the end user skill level, and ensure that all involved in the project understood it was not about increasing currently skill level but the objectives listed above.

Our solution meant the majority of users did not receive face to face training at all.  Instead, they worked through a series of carefully structured exercises.  We divided the exercises into four levels and allocated each staff member a level (which corresponded to their existing skills in Outlook).   Staff had to complete the interactive exercises and their department had to sign them off as competent, before Go Live.  This positioned the ownership of employee skill within the appropriate department.

In addition, we ran group and electronic presentations that reinforced the reason for the change and how this change would happen.  At Ripped Orange, we place a strong focus on communication.  In this project, this focus meant that although many staff initially preferred the existing product, they understood and accepted the reasons for the transition and supported the project.

The Outcomes

A surprising outcome of the project was an increase in skill level for a number of staff – they enjoyed the process so much they had elected to complete higher-level exercises.  The project objectives were met and staff were well positioned at Go Live.  Staff feedback indicated they felt supported through the transition period.  The positive outcomes of the project were for a fraction of the cost of delivering group training to every employee.