M-Files IMPACT Global Conference 2024 – Last Day

The last day of the conference

The last day of the M-Files IMPACT Global Conference 2024 was full of customer presentations and the closing notes of course.
One topic was really interesting to me, and I guess it will be very interesting in upcoming M-Files projects. It is about how to train the user community to work with M-Files and how to convince them.

Accelerating business impact by user adaption

In the digram above you get an idea how a new software application like M-Files is implemented in regards with time to get the target audience up-to-speed to work with it.
Most of the business stakeholders expect a very fast and smooth implementation. As it is shown in the red dotted line. Steep learning and implementation phase. This is in most of the projects not the case, a drop of performance instead is reality just after the start.
There are some possible actions which can help to influence and improve the performance. Look at the green dotted line in the middle of the digram. With a great project managment and a deep understanding of the target audience, we are able to improve the performance of the user community.

In every company you have diverse persons, differently in doing their work and reacting to changes. A new software product can be a big change for some employees and might triggers emotions. Let us have a look to the different type of humans, later we can then identify who are champions in the different phases of the roll-out project.

Human behaviours and types

Tech Enthuisasts (Innovators, population 2.5%)
On this group of employees you can trust and count in the beginning of the project. They are interested in the new technology and they like to work with new modern systems.

Visonaries (Early Adapters, population 13.5%)
This group will also be happy to quickly join the implementation project, they are interested to what can be achieved with the new solution.

Pragmatists (early Majority, population 34%)
They will help to lift the new technology stick in the company. Becuase, what they want is to get implementation done to further focus on the main job and to profit from the new software application.

Conservatives (Late Majority, population 34%)
This group, will jump on board when they see that their colleagues are working with the new product and hear from them the great experience they have. On another side, we have the coffee break discussion or elevator chats. If a lot of people just talking about the phantastic experience they have with the new product, they will also quickly be on board. 🙂

Skeptics (Laggards, population 16%)
In the end also the skeptics will hopefully join and adapt the new software. Usually they need some more support and time to embrace the change.

The chasm is between the visionaries and the pragmatists, as long as you address and manage it, the project will go smoothly. With a strong change leadership it is possible to undergo this endeavours.
Define the right support organisation and assign the roles to the correct persons. Like the roles of 1st Line Support, Super User or Business User and so on.

User adaption

User adaption is a journey the users undergo when they are learning a new business application and embrace how it will help to do their job.
A proper adapting planning is the key to success and engage the target community. Keep in mind to openly communicate about the change, nominate support users, provide education and continuous assistance and also remove barriers.

Include the training packages into the project plan of the application roll-out

Have look to this fantastic picture from the session. It explains how to plan trainigs during the implementation project.

If you have an questions or need support in this topic feel free to get in contact with me by mail or on LinkedIn.

One of my key take aways of this day was really the session of Accelerating business impact by user adaption, many thanks to Hanna Tahvonen & Sanna Lukkari from M-Files for this great session.

Time to say good bye to M-Files Global Conferences 2024 in Madrid

After four very heavy and long days with a lot of interactions with people attending the conference it is time to move to the Airport the catch the flight back to Basel, Switzerland.