Technology_&_Implementation

Technology Implementation Introduction This paper will describe in detail and give recommendations on how an organization should go about introducing a new technology. A technology plan will help to make the transition of change smoother for the workers who will be utilizing it. This paper will also describe the technology plan, which is a perfect tool for this kind of change within an organization. Change within an organization, whether it may be a new copier, new fax machine or a new computer program, will cause stress within the ranks. Change may affect employee morale and emotion and managers will, undoubtedly, be left with an unmotivated department and they will waste much time and effort trying to fix the situation. Change may be good if planned out well but may cost more than expected because of these issues. Users who want to reach out, to make people feel informed and involved, who are committed to quality and timeliness, and who are ready to try something even at the risk of making a mistake are the people who flourish using technology. People who hate change, do not like sharing information freely and continually, and do not like involving others in their work are those that struggle with technology. (Cravens, 2009, para. 3) Strategy should be involved when introducing new technology into an organization. If a strategy for implementing a new plan is not well thought out, the time, effort and cost of purchasing this new technology would be a waste of time. Strategies to motivate the workers are important along with education and continual support. Technology needs should be established and strategies for implementing those needs should be considered. A technology plan should include a project plan, an implementation plan, a training plan and finally, support strategies. If an organization, for example, decides that, in order for a particular department to move forward and to eliminate unnecessary tasks to create a more free-flowing environment, it must study its current database system and software to determine the needs of this department. Involving the potential users of the system in the research of a new system will help to motivate its users and give them ownership of that system. “change must be supported by those affected by them and the users must be motivated to make the change happen and achieve the intended objectives” (Chapter 11, p. 363). It will review tasks done by all employees and managers to come up with discrepancies that may exist in the current functions of the database management system. It will research the options that fit this need and review the systems to come up with one that will cover all areas of discrepancy that exist. A field trip to a site in which the software is already in place will help the users envision the benefits of using the new software and will instill excitement of the thought that their job will become easier and more efficient. The implementation of the chosen database management system should be, in the author’s opinion, introduced by a consultant or a change agent. A consultant or change agent should be an outsider such as a training or organizational development specialist or systems analyst. “it is often difficult for someone who is familiar with existing operations (an insider) to break out of the bounds of an organization’s culture, politics and traditions” (Chapter 11, p. 364).This consultant will be knowledgeable of the new system in which the workers of the organization are not. This consultant will come up with and present an implementation plan, which would be a step-by-step plan for attaining the organization’s goals. The implementation plan will help to make a smooth transition, hopefully, with little stress to its workers. Because the implementation plan will cause stress within itself, eliminating any other distractions will be beneficial to the users. The implementation plan will include the presentation of the system to its workers along with the education and training associated with the system. The change agent will present a plan to train the user group with slide show presentations or by interacting with a live trainer. Training from each individual’s desktop while watching a presentation or a trainer sitting next to the user will be beneficial. Regular meetings of the user group will enable the users to collaborate with each other and the trainer to help get questions answered and a phone hotline for immediate answers will be coordinated. It may also be possible to find one user in the department who is very computer knowledgeable. This individual may be trained initially to be some sort of advocate to the every day users. This individual may be the person who users within the department go to for quick questions or with problems he or she runs into using the new software. The users are familiar with this individual and will find it easier to communicate to him or her if they feel some hesitancy in communicating with the IT department. Training and support alone may not provide success in the implementation of the new system without changing the communication and work behavior of the users. Some users will embrace the new technology and others will be resistant. “The reality is that no amount of training and support materials is guaranteed to compel staff to change their communication and work behavior that might defeat the introduction of technology tools” (Cravens, 2009, p. 6). Peer pressure, messages, incentives and penalties will be part of the training plan. Peer pressure would involve the users themselves. The users who see success in the new system will eventually pressure the non-users into using something that will make their tasks easier. Communication by the managers in the department about the system with links to newspaper articles or blogs that shows the benefits of the system will also convince users to fit in. An incentive in using the system may be in holding regular staff meetings and discussing the new system. At these meetings, managers will make a point to recognize those users reveling in the new processes and recognized for their good work in implementing the new technology. When reports are to be turned in to the corporate department, it should be a requirement that the users submit their reports using the new system, no exceptions. A support strategy should be implemented so the users will have the support they need daily . The support strategy will maintain the knowledge and the skills of the users that have already been trained as well as the training of personnel, either newly hired, or existing personnel who have changed roles. A help-desk will be created to support, and assist all users of the new system. When requested, a help-desk employee, who is highly trained using the system, should be able to help the user quickly and efficiently to alleviate any frustration for the newly trained user. The help-desk will also provide training to its users when the software is updated and major changes are seen as well as training for users who have no knowledge of the new software. Conclusion In conclusion, new technology implementation is a process that must be planned carefully, from the choosing and creation of the plan to the implementation of the plan, the training involved, and support after the implementation. It must be realized that a change of system software can very much seem to be much more work than it is worth. Training the users will take time and energy. Workers will spend more time completing their tasks while learning the new software and it may seem that this software has made things orse. The reality of the great cost in the beginning will be eliminated as the users get used to the new software. “It is very important to evaluate your technology needs and create strategies to meet those needs. How your organization will access and use the new technology will affect just about every function of your organization” (Cravens, 2009, p. 6). References Cravens, J. (2009). Joyce Cravens and coyote communications. Coyote Communications. Retrieved from http://www.coyotecommunications.com/tech/techbuy.html Regan, E., & O'Connor, B. (2002). End-user information systems: implementing individual and work group technologies, 2e. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-Text]. : Prentice Hall, Inc.. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, TEC401 - Human Factors in Technology website.