“The [State Retirement System’s] Senior Management team worried about the general morale in the office. Physical and budgetary constraints had forced an early decision not to increase staff for the project. The Executive Director feared he would not be able to keep up with daily operations, and a growing sense of frustration threatened the retention of capable staff members. The two programmers who had created SRS’ legacy system were only able to participate on a part-time basis. The project goal the SRS had worked so hard to achieve seemed at risk. It was clear something had to be done.” -Sagitec Case Study on Change Management in IT Projects
Sound familiar? You’ve reached the end of a long road of project planning, RFP design, and vendor choosing. You’re finally ready to start your new IT project. It’s an exciting time and you feel the momentum. Your staff members are excited about the prospect of new software that will help them to work faster, more accurately, and provide better customer service. Your entire organization feels confident about the project’s success.
Then the project starts. Your organization begins to feel the effects of a large-scale change effort. Your staff shows signs of fatigue. Eagerness and excitement are replaced by a cloying sense of doubt and frustration. Employees begin asking themselves, Will this new system really provide us with the benefits as promised? Is it worth the extra effort? Will I be able to adjust to the new ways of doing business? Will I still have a job?
Your Executive Team begins to worry about the general morale in the office. Will you be able to keep up with current operations? Will the negative remarks and rumors overwhelm your positive momentum? Will you be able to hang on to your most capable employees? Can you acknowledge your staff members’ frustration and support them through the project and to a successful launch?
In this case study, we walk through a change management strategy for a major state retirement system implementing a new pension administration system from Sagitec. Discover how this client was able to not only mitigate risks related to the “human component” of their IT system modernization project but also position their organization and employees to take full advantage of their new system.
About Sagitec Solutions:
Sagitec Solutions, LLC designs and delivers tailor-made pension, provident fund, and unemployment insurance software solutions to clients of all sizes. Sagitec has the expertise necessary to help their clients achieve strategic business objectives, enhance service offerings, and lower operating costs. Find further information by visiting http://www.sagitec.com. For more information, contact Rick Deshler at (651) 335-3406 or at rick.deshler@Sagitec.com.