Ten killers of implementation

From HMCwiki

Most change efforts don’t die on the drawing boards, but in the face of an ill-prepared implementation strategy understanding the ten killers of implementation will help:

Make the transition through change as smooth as possible.
Become a think-through piece in developing a change strategy
Prepare the implementation team to outlast the resistance to implementation.

The ten ‘killers’ of implementation below are not hard to overcome, just easy to overlook.

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Utilizing the 'ten killers of implementation'

Have the team read the ten ‘killers’, then envision their implementation as a battle against the old way of doing things. As the team develops its implementation strategy, dialogue how each of these might apply and is addressed. They must overcome these ten oversights which have killed many a great solutions before their time.

Be unclear why this change must be endured. The best way to rip the heart out of a change effort is to not be clear on the reason why this change must take place. If the staff cannot personally understand its benefit to them and the ones they serve, they will defend the old way and not fight for the new.
Go into battle with a victim mentality. If management and the implementation team can’t see success, those carrying it out won’t. There needs to be a bulldog mentality that we will do everything it takes to make this effort successful. Treat it like a war, not just a battle. It’s not a matter of if we will win, but when we will win. A good saying from TV preacher Joyce Meyers, “You can be pitiful or you can be powerful, but you can’t be both!”
Assume the rest will take care of itself. Assumptions can either save you and they can slay you. The worst thing to happen is to assume there will be no resistance to change, people will understand what to do and everything will unknown will take care of itself. If you don’t know, then YOU DON’T KNOW. Pretend there is an underground war against the change that you are introducing (psst…there is) and you need to know where all pockets of resistance are before charging into uncharted territory.
Under-resource the effort. Change takes extra thought, effort, manpower, stress, and supplies. If ample resources are not evident to the troops, they will feel at risk to failure. If leadership is supporting the change, then they need to supply what is needed to make it successful. Example: During the early stages of engagement, leadership may need to beef-up staffing until the new way burn-in.
Send the troops in ill-prepared. Poor training, incomplete resources, instructions not available at the time of need. Instructionalize the workplace where possible (use Visual Controls). At the point of action, place instructions of what to do, what is needed, who is to do it and what happens next. Expecting everyone to keep all this in their head and do it right. Communications are vital signs of the every time is begging error.
Go into battle without communications. This includes feedback from the staff (what is not going as planned) and feed-forward (what needs to change because of what is not going according to plan. It sends encouragement from the leadership. A communications system needs to be well thought through in content and in frequency. There is an assurance of ‘caring’ relayed as you hustle to support information need.
Promise smooth sailing. If you don’t promise chaos, the unexpected, boo-boos in the proposed process; you are doing your implementation and those deploying it a disservice. People will fight for cause, but they will quickly back down from a poor strategy.
Forget to hand-hold during the early stages of change. Promise and provide support in the early stages of engagement. Validate their output. Listen to their concerns…then answer their need or if at minimum promise quick/partial fixes the next day. Until the troops get comfortable with the new way, then change ‘support’ should be there until they are.
Fight the war it all at once. Wars are won one battle at a time. If possible, stage the implementation into coordinated a natural sequence that match the staffs’ ability to absorb change. If possible, create a ‘beachhead’ of success by piloting the change in a small area before total implementation. Quick-wins are better than overwhelms.
Expect the old way to not go down without a fight. Old patterns drift in, enthusiasm and the cause for change drift out. Take ‘change’ temperature readings from the staff. Ask what’s NOT working according to plan. Measure the implementation’s change on the workforce output. Purposely dismantle the old way so they cannot return to it. Incentivize the people to do it right. How you follow-up determines whether the staff will believe you that change was necessary in the first place.