When implementing a new system, you are bound to have numerous questions. How long will the implementation process take? What should the customer do or know? What happens after implementation, is the customer left all alone? To these and many other questions we will answer in this blog post.
Kokemus pohjana sujuvissa käyttöönotoissa
It is very important for us at Granite that implementation projects are as smooth as possible and the customers’ requirements are met. On average Granite’s implementation projects are quite short, because we are working with a finished product’s implementation and configuration, not a software development project. We have managed to do an implementation in one day, but typically we recommend reserving about a month for the work, depending on the scope.
We have plenty of experience in implementation projects and we utilize several best practices in the field of risk management and safety to further streamline the process. In addition, our principle is always to adapt to customers’ needs. We support our customers in all stages of the process and if needed, also guide you in the right direction. Pretty much no technical skills are required from the customer. We also value taking care of our customers even after the implementation project and offering support whenever it is needed.
The implementation project’s phases
When an implementation is started, the customer is given information on who is the Project Manager responsible for the project. The Project Manager will contact the customer without delay to agree on the date for the kickoff meeting. In the kickoff meeting the customer’s needs are discussed on a higher level. Before the kickoff an internal handover is done from sales to the project team in which the Project Manager is given all necessary information about discussion with the customer and their needs. This way the discussion in the kickoff meeting is off to a smooth start.
In the beginning, a project plan is checked, and the customer can give comments and modification requests without having to worry about extra costs. The agreed configurations and modifications are done in two iteration rounds. First we make one version that the customer will test and give comments based on their tests. Any changes needed according to the comments are implemented in the second round. After the implementation, the primary contact for the customer is changed from project team to the customer success team.
We have plenty of experience with a wide range of customers. This means we are good at picking up on the needs of new customers. Even based on the preliminary information given by the customer, we are able to do a technical implementation and configure the system. The matters we will have to discuss are related to questions of how wide is the implementation scope, how to navigate the implementation in the organisation and what is the target group of the admin user training. In addition, we can do configuration as the customer wishes, for example customising risk charts and classifications.
The customer should think of the following matters:
- What is the item structure of the risk evaluation?
- Users: the whole organisation or only certain users?
- What kind of user privileges are needed?
Keskimäärin käyttöönottoprojektit saadaan vietyä loppuun aloituspalaverin, välipalaverin ja pääkäyttäjäkoulutuksen voimin. Typically, an implementation project is done with just a kickoff meeting, intermediate meeting and admin user training. If the customer is a larger, say a listed corporation, we may need additional meetings too to discuss user rights, item structure and configurations in detail and come up with the best solutions for the customer’s needs together.
A flexible system and project will enable an efficient start
Typical worries the customers have in the implementation phase is that any decisions made are final and will affect the end result in a restricting way. However, the system is very flexible and changes can be made even after the implementation if needed. We at Granite really hope our customers will contact us if they notice something that isn’t working or doesn’t match their needs. All costs of the implementation are specified beforehand, so the customer does not need to worry about any hidden costs during implementation – or even after that, for that matter.
A common worry is also the size of the group at the implementation phase. If implementation is started with a smaller group, it is easy to expand the user base afterwards, which is a very typical way of working among our customers.
After the implementation is finished, our customer success team will take good care of the customer and offer support and information on new updates for example when needed. Our customers are never left alone, even if the implementation in itself would be finished. If needed, we will give useful tips on how to motivate the users to start using the new system. If the customer so wishes, after implementation we can organise an introduction to the software and its functionalities for the whole personnel.
If you still have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us!