6 Questions You Should Be Asking Before a Technology Change

It can be exciting to onboard new technology for your business. It is undoubtedly important to find the right technology change to help your team members become more successful. However, before you get carried away with quickly implementing your new solution, there are a few things to keep in mind.

When introducing new IT infrastructure, know that change can be difficult for individuals. It can be hard to understand whether end-users will accept or resist technology changes. Before implementing new technology, you need a well-planned change management strategy to help you achieve success and get the best ROI.

Change management is an approach that deals with changes or transformations in organizational processes, objectives, and technology. Change management aims to devise strategies to implement and govern transformation while helping people adjust to it.

There are a few factors to consider before beginning your change management journey.

Questions to ask before making a technology change:

1. What is being changed?

It is important to review the workplace environment first to identify critical areas that require a technological refresh.

Assume you are looking into switching backup solutions from “A” to “B.” Before implementation, spend some time assessing what solution “A” lacks, why it needs an update, and how crucial it is.

2. What will this change mean for Employees, processes and technology?

Communication is vital for correctly using a technological change. Make certain you broaden techniques to assist your personnel in adapting to any changes.

Examine technology mapping and dependencies to make sure you recognize the consequences of pulling systems offline for updates. Also, decide the processes that need to be changed and the those who oversee them.

3. Who will manage the change?

Identify change leaders and encompass their contact information in all change communications. It might be worth it to have an executive sponsor guide your project forward to keep your objective on track.

4. When is the best time to implement this change?

Consider the timeliness of change. A lot of care must go into deciding when to introduce a transformation.

If you are about to implement changes, consider the right time for your team; otherwise, hold off on the changes until the time is right. How deep will this change have if implemented now or later? 

5. How long will the change take?

The ultimate goal of any change in a business setting is to increase productivity and ease workflow. Your team might need time to prep if the change will take a long time and disrupt workflow. In Contrast, if the change is sudden and easy to comprehend, your team might only need a small brief or email.

6. Who will reach out to support if something goes wrong?

No change is immune to unexpected setbacks. Being prepared for Murphy’s Law is how you keep work flowing. Obviously, no one will foresee every setback that could happen. That’s why it’s important to set up a line of communication and assign roles and responsibilities among leaders, managers, and executives.

Collaboration with a managed IT service provider who can support you in emergency and non-emergency situations can be a good idea.

Find the right partner

Change is a challenging experience. You risk damaging key processes and losing valuable team members to burnout if you don’t have a good change management strategy in place. Contigo Technology is the partner that has helped hundreds of businesses with technology changes. From Network Management to large migration projects, Contigo Technology is a trusted partner to handle your company’s needs. Want to know about our services? Check out our support page or Contact us!