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 THINK
PIECES
7 Steps
to a Successful Implementation ©
by
George Matyjewicz
George Matyjewicz is a multi-faceted Senior Executive
with expertise in business development, management,
marketing, World Wide Web, sales, operations,
finance/accounting, and information systems. He is
Managing Partner at GAP
Enterprises, Ltd, a manage-
ment and marketing consulting firm based in New Jersey.
I originally wrote
7 Steps to a Successful Implementation©
in 1992, after using the process for more than 20 years
in implementing computer systems. Folks suggested it
be called 7 Steps to a Successful Computer
Implementation© but I disagreed.
Whether you are trying to implement an information system,
a new advertising or marketing campaign, a new production
line, office procedures, or anything else, you need
to organize your process in order to be successful.
It is my belief that a standardized implementation process
can be, and should be used.
With any process,
there are at least two parties involved - those designing
the process and those who must carry out the process.
A successful implementation must assure that all parties
have a clear cut path to follow, so priorities and responsibilities
can be assigned and monitored.
Let's assume
we are implementing a marketing or advertising campaign.
The agency just completed a research program and is
developing a new campaign to include marketing collateral,
trade journal advertisements, radio and television advertisements,
direct mail and World Wide Web promotions. Let's
identify the implementation and the scope of participation
of each party.
A. SCOPE OF
THE AGENCY'S PARTICIPATION:
Using a workbook, like our copyrighted
7 Steps to a Successful Implementation©
workbook, the agency, together with their business
partners will work with the client's management
and staff throughout all phases of the project. The
seven steps include:
1. Needs Analysis:
Meet with the client's
management and staff to determine exactly what is needed to
implement a new campaign. A lot of questions should be asked,
and the client should be challenged as to why they are doing
a particular function, if it doesn't make sense (or cents).
The client's management and staff participation is critical
to ensure the success of the project.
2. System Design
Review:
Here you review what has
been done in the past, and how the new campaign will be used,
when, and by whom. Procedures and presentations now in use
may need to be changed, or you may need to design an interface
from the new campaign to an existing process.
With any of these alternatives,
it is important for management to understand what the campaign
consists of and how it will function within the client's
organization. Therefore the systems design review phase is
considered to be the most critical part of the project. It
must be thorough and complete, providing an extensive understanding
by the client of what the package provides, and by the agency
of how it is to be used in the organization..
3. Implementation
Meeting:
In an implementation meeting,
the agency meets with the client's management and staff
to determine what has to be done, by whom and when. Present
at the implementation meeting should be anybody who has a
part in implementing the new campaign, i.e., sales management
and staff, administrative folks responsible for controlling
the campaign, marketing staff, product or service managers,
and anybody else who will benefit from the campaign.
The meeting should be 2
- 4 hours in length. The goal of the meeting is to get a buy-in
from all parties, and to be able to prepare an implementation
plan which outlines all the steps necessary to successfully
implement the program. This plan becomes the guide for project
management of the campaign. Management and staff participation
is critical to the success of the project.
4. Implementation:
Next comes the physical
implementation, i.e., collateral pieces, advertisements, direct
mail, etc. and the testing to be certain the campaign will
fit in the client's organization.
5. Testing Procedures:
The agency and the client
must establish suitable test data which will test for all
possible conditions and for the detection of all possible
errors in the campaign. Our recommended testing procedures
includes:
- Obtain data from the sales force as
to who they approach, how, and what results are expected.
You must account for as many different combinations as possible.
Ten to twelve cases should suffice.
- Record the existing procedure and
expected results in a step-by-step format, and the left
side of a page.
- On the right side of the pad, record
the new campaign and how it replaces, supplements or does
not affect the existing process.
- Test the new campaign on either an
existing account, or a similar account as one that was visited
with the old process.
- Record the results of the new campaign,
and adjust the procedures and campaign as necessary.
It is important to record
the results in order to obtain a visual impact and to determine
a measurement to be used to judge the effectiveness of the
campaign. Once the testing procedures have been satisfied,
the campaign is deemed accepted and you can begin using the
campaign, and measuring results.
This testing procedure
would allow you to get your campaign up and running in the
shortest time possible, while maintaining process integrity
and guaranteeing adequate results.
6. Implementation
Assistance:
During the implementation
of the project, and the project roll outs at the various locations,
the client needs assistance in preparing for the conversion
to the new campaign, as follows:
a. Data Conversion:
If there are data files
presently in use, will they work with this new campaign? Are
new files or programs required? Will the client need special
tools, computer programs, peripheral equipment, or anything
else to implement this campaign effectively?
b. Forms and Supplies:
What will the sales force
carry with them? What will the administrator need to record
results? What kind of reporting will management receive to
measure results?
Identify the forms and
supplies that may be required in addition to the collateral
being created. Who is going to create and maintain these forms?
c. Education:
Without education
as to the intent of the campaign, and how it should be used,
any campaign or project will fail!
To be successful, we recommend
that management and key staff attend classroom education sessions,
preferably at a location out of the client's office, in
order to facilitate the implementation with minimum disruption.
The education should include:
1) Executive or Management
Overview:
A brief (less than 1 hour)
Executive Overview of the total campaign, and the expected
results. This course should be given separately to management
in order to effectuate an uninhibited discourse among the
participants.
2) Sales Managers/Campaign
Coordinator:
- The Executive Overview course from
above (given separately to this group).
- A 1-2 hour features and benefits
course of how to use the campaign and what to expect if
used properly.
3) Sales Staff:
A full day course designed
to show the staff how to use the material, and what to expect
from the campaign. Role playing is critical here, whereby
the sales staff act as prospects and others use the campaign
to pitch the prospect.
Note: The times
stated may be more or less, depending on the extent of the
campaign, the logistics of the client's offices, the capabilities
of the client's staff, and other such factors.
d. Parallel Run:
Have some of the sales
force use the new campaign, while others use the existing
procedures. The old process should continue to be run for
a sufficient period of time after implementation of the new
campaign, to give management a basis of comparison to verify
results. Should any problems arise, the agency should be prepared
to adjust the campaign, or the client should implement procedures
to resolve the problems.
Plan for a follow up meeting
where those using the new campaign will tell their successes
and offer comments for improvements. Be prepared to implement
change to the program if warranted.
e. Go "Live":
Once you are satisfied
that the parallel run works, go "live", which means eliminate
the old process and use the new campaign.
7. Structured On-Going
Support (S.O.S.):
To be effective, a new
campaign must include a Structured On-Going Support
program to assist those folks who are using the new campaign
and who may have questions or need assistance. Part of a structured
program should include at least the following:
... Campaign performance
review
... In-the-field implementation
assistance and review
... Structured, pro-active
telephone support follow up
B. CLIENT'S PARTICIPATION
AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Identify Management
and Staff:
You must determine who
is going to physically implement this campaign - from the
manager down to the administration person. You also need to
determine whether or not temporary help or assistance from
the agency is necessary.
To be successful, ANY
implementation must include MANAGEMENT INVOLVEMENT
as well as staff involvement, duties and responsibility to
include:
a. Executive Level
Manager:
The executive chosen as
manager of your new marketing campaign should be familiar
with the company's principles and practices. The executive
should be respected in the company, able to enforce the disciplines
required by, and know what to expect from, the campaign. The
goal is to pick an individual who can get the campaign to
work for the company and not vice versa. Typical candidates
for this position include the V.P. of Marketing, V.P. of Sales,
Practice Development Partner, and possibly a retired family
member executive who may be called in to oversee this new
campaign.
Time Requirements.
During the implementation of the campaign, the executive should
expect to spend 15 to 40 percent of his/her time involved
in campaign management. After the first 60-90 days, this time
should gradually decrease to roughly ten percent. Changes
to the campaign will, of course, require extra time.
Management Requirements.
The executive level manager must be able to communicate
effectively, understand the nature and interrelationships
of the campaign, enforce the discipline on the staff, supervise
the implementation and use of control procedures, ensure smooth
and predictable data flow and ensure that proper campaign
processes are enforced. The executive level manager is responsible
for making decisions regarding costs or changes to the initial
campaign.
In addition, the executive
should confer regularly with the agency and report to company
management on the progress of the implementation. In short,
management at the executive level is responsible for overall
control of the campaign.
b. Project Coordinator/Facilitator:
The project coordinator/facilitator
is responsible for the day-to-day implementation and control
of the campaign. This position does not require advertising
or marketing skills, rather it requires logical, orderly work
habits. Typical candidates for this position would include
the sales administration manager, marketing coordinator, sales
assistant, or a knowledgeable administrative assistant.
Time Requirements. During
the implementation of the system, the project coordinator/facilitator
should expect to spend 50 to 75 percent of his/her time involved
in implementing and controlling a major campaign. After the
first 60-90 days, this time should gradually decrease to roughly
twenty-five percent. Changes to the campaign will, of course,
require extra time.
Management Requirements.
The project coordinator/facilitator must be able to communicate
effectively, supervise daily and routine operations of the
campaign, i.e., coordinating resources, managing the sequence
and distribution of reports, answering questions about daily
operations, consulting with the executive manager about operational
or mechanical malfunctions and other such duties. Along with
the executive level manager, the project coordinator/facilitator
is responsible for controlling daily functions of the campaign.
2. Physical Planning:
a. Office:
Will this new campaign
require any special office equipment, furniture, resource
allocation, office changes, people changes, etc.? Be certain
the requirements are identified and plans are included in
the implementation schedule.
b. Location Rollout
Schedule:
When, and how, will you
roll out the new campaign to other locations? Who is responsible
for the overall roll out and who is responsible at each location?
A time table should be established, as follows:
Location |
Planned
Date |
Responsible
Mgr |
Assn.
to |
Rev.
Date |
| _________________
|
_______ |
___________
|
_______
|
_______
|
3. Process
Operation:
Once the new campaigns
and processes are operational, it will be the client's
responsibility to operate them in accordance with their
established schedules and to assure that all programs
and processes are working properly.
4. Training:
The client assumes
responsibility that their management and staff will
attend training sessions as outlined in the implementation
plan. Those attending the training sessions will include
sales staff, sales managers, sales assistance, marketing
staff and anybody else involved with this campaign.
5. Staffing
and Discipline:
The successful implementation
of any project requires discipline within the client's
organization. Turnover of staff prior to, and during
the implementation, will cause the transition period
from the old to the new system to be more difficult
and costly. It could also result in additional fees,
should it become necessary for members of the agency
to familiarize the new individuals with the campaign
or to make changes.
As a result, the
client should make every effort to guarantee a smooth
and continuous implementation by assigning qualified
staff to the project who are knowledgeable in the in
the operations of the client's business, and who
will be involved throughout the scope of the project.
6. Extra Work
Load and Overtime:
The implementation
of a new system may require an extra work load on your
staff and could result in overtime and extra staff costs.
It may pay to hire
a temporary employee to process some of the functions,
i.e., computer processing, administration functions,
etc. Your staff should understand the process necessary
to implement this new program, but there may not be
any learning experience in the details of the implementation.
7. Internal
Controls:
It is the client's
responsibility to exercise all the internal control
procedures required to ascertain that the new program
is implemented and controlled properly. Internal control
procedures must be exercised over such areas as market
assessment, sales follow up, ad effectiveness, prospect
database, etc.
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