Don’t let new software become shelfware

Delivering new software to users isn’t the finish line—it’s actually the starting point. Once a solution is successfully deployed many IT teams walk away, believing the job is finished. That’s why projects often stall after go-live; user adoption is left to the users.

When users aren’t clear on the goal or benefits of adopting new software, they may resent the way it forces them to change their day-to-day work. This can lead to workarounds or refusal to use it. When that happens, innovative features of the new software are never explored, the promise of business benefits disappear, and return on investment (ROI) becomes a non-starter.

The benefits of focusing on user adoption

To get the most out of new software, organizations should focus on boosting user adoption to deliver the maximum value of their software investment.

Increasing user adoption can help organizations:

• Accelerate ROI through faster time to value.
• Reduce IT support tickets with targeted, relevant training.
• Increase employee productivity and ensure sure key features are taken advantage of to drive business benefits.

How to improve user adoption

There are a few key elements to a successful user adoption program:

Measurable technical indicators – Organizations need these indicators to replace guesswork with meaningful data. Hard facts will help you tie software investments to business outcomes and better predict ROI. And you can drive continuous improvement by tracking the impact the software has on workflows over time.   

Identification of the No. 1 adoption constraint – You can’t fix the problem if you don’t know where it is. Whether it’s a technical glitch, lack of user training, or misaligned workflow, spotting that one issue standing in the way of adoption most can help you address it quickly. That way you can offer highly targeted training for underused features so users better understand how to take advantage them, which maximizes the software’s benefits.
 
Clear technical and enablement actions – Once gaps are identified, they need to be addressed. Technical actions can help solve adoption issues by ensuring the software is well integrated into established processes, addresses the correct workflow, and upholds organizational standards for security, privacy, compliance, etc.  User enablement actions can help build trust, drive changes, and boost proficiency.
 
Alignment of platform capabilities to business outcomes – Regardless of user adoption, if the new software doesn’t deliver the desired business outcomes it won’t be considered a success. Be sure the expected benefits are understood by the business, the IT team, and the users, and that users are specifically trained on how to use the software’s features that drive these results. And ensure the software has access to the necessary data that is clean, governed, and well managed to deliver the desired output.

A Success Program Manager – Incorporating a Success Program Manager to support adoption ensures accountability and sustained momentum beyond deployment. This dedicated role bridges the gap between IT and the business by continuously monitoring adoption metrics, aligning stakeholders on desired outcomes, and proactively addressing barriers to usage. By orchestrating communication, tracking progress against KPIs, and driving ongoing optimization of the adoption framework, a Success Program Manager helps ensure the software delivers measurable business value and that adoption becomes a long-term success rather than a one-time effort.

Software only delivers value when it’s actually used. Leveraging a structured framework for adoption can turn promised capabilities into measurable impact. By focusing on the right constraints and aligning to outcomes, you ensure every implementation drives real results.
 
Learn more about OpenText™ Client Success Services and the OpenText Solution Adoption Planning Framework.