The successful adoption of a new solution is primarily influenced by the management of its implementation. Pinnacle Rehab, an organisation that works with injured workers across New South Wales to help them return to work, had an incredibly successful implementation of Microsoft Power BI alongside Professional Advantage. Whilst discussing their story for a Case Study and Client Story, Kevin Garvey, Director, and Frosina Jovanovska, Business Improvement Manager, shared how they made sure their new system was embraced by their team.
Thoughts from our clients: Pinnacle Rehab.
How to ensure successful user adoption of a new solution.
- Plan your implementation.
“There will be resistance in a change management exercise. There will be resistance to a new solution that changes the daily processes of an organisation.” Kevin discusses how it is vital to plan the implementation. “We didn’t want to launch too early and present a solution that wasn’t ready, subsequently fuelling any opposition. We waited, we developed, we debugged, and we completed a lot of testing. You have to get it right: if you launch too early and the solution isn’t right, people will have a particular view of that application which will be hard to change.”
“We planned the implementation and completed it sensitively, and now the solution is accepted within the business and seen as something valuable. You know you have it right when people come forward and ask for more and more from the solution.”
- Launch the solution.
“When we officially launched the system to the wider organisation, we created an event for it. We publicised it to the team with flyers and invitations. It was an official launch for Power BI to the whole organisation.”
Frosina highlights the importance of showcasing a new solution to the team.
“We were changing the way that the team worked, we were altering the software that everyone used on a daily basis. There are emotions tied to what people do every day. We didn’t want people to feel like we were breaking down everything that they did on an emotional level to a bunch of numbers. We wanted to create an event and show that Power BI was not just another tool to analyse and report from, it was a new way of working, a new way of thinking, and a complete change to the culture of the organisation.”
Kevin identified that there could be resistance to change, and a lack of commitment and engagement with a solution if it was not introduced in the right way. By holding an event, from the beginning the change management team could create excitement and anticipation about their new solution.
- Be, and stay, committed.
“It took time to roll out the solution, to debug any issues, to work with the different teams who would be using it, and for them to see the benefits. It was paramount that we stayed committed.” Kevin points out how important it is to stay consistently dedicated. This starts with the top management and decision makers staying passionate about the project, and transferring that passion to every person that was introduced to Power BI, and ultimately throughout the organisation.
“This obviously took time: we needed to teach people how to use the application, then how to drill down, how to see information on different levels, how to showcase this information for others, and how to utilise this information to improve their work. 18 months on, Power BI is part of every single day.”
- It’s not about just the solution.
For Pinnacle Rehab, Power BI was more than just a software solution to add to their portfolio. It was more than reaping financial or efficiency benefits.
“There is a financial benefit, but it is more than that. It is about Power BI ultimately allowing us to deliver better care for the injured and unwell people that we manage, and being able to give our staff a better sense of how they are performing in their job.” Kevin is passionate about Power BI and this change management process. He emphasises that a new solution needs to be seen for what it can deliver to the wider organisation, not just numbers or figures.
- Engage the right partner.
“Professional Advantage made the change management exercise that much easier for us because their team is highly competent and experienced at what they do, not just technically but in business as well.” Kevin Garvey, Director.
Learn more from those with experience:
Kevin and Frosina from Pinnacle Rehab have discussed their journey with both Professional Advantage and Power BI as part of a case study and client story. You can read more about their journey below:
- Pinnacle Rehab case study.
- Client story: Pinnacle Rehab highlight the importance of their partnership with Professional Advantage.
