I’d like to share another example of a successful system that was used in my previous organization. The system, called Integra, is a real-time project management tool that integrates operations and program activities such as budgeting, supply chain management, human resources, and administration. The main purpose of Integra is to provide transparency to donors and stakeholders through real-time reporting. For example, showing budgets versus deliverables, as well as outcomes.
From my perspective, the system worked well because the organization managed the change process effectively as follows:
• Awareness for change: The senior management team (SMT) began by raising awareness among end users/staff. They introduced the system, explained its purpose, and emphasized the benefits of using it.
• Desire to support change: At first, end users/staff were reluctant to move away from traditional methods, fearing that the system would be complicated, time-consuming, and add to their workload. However, SMT provided proper training through simulation exercises, which increased both awareness and knowledge. They also gathered feedback from users and made system adjustments based on that feedback, which helped reduce resistance.
• Knowledge of how to change: Training was tailored to staff roles and responsibilities. For example, program staff were trained on program-related modules, while finance staff received training on the budget system. At the end of the process, all staff members participated in a collective training session to better understand how the entire system worked.
• Ability to use knowledge for change: At the beginning of system implementation, end users/staff faced unfamiliar and time-consuming using the system. However, SMT and IT staff were always on-board to coach end-users depending on their barriers of using the system. This allowed the end-users to be familiar and comfortable with the system.
• Reinforcement to make the change stick: Organization leaders and SMT continued to monitor the system’s use via regular communication with the staff/users, and collect feedback from staff across departments to ensure the system was being effectively adopted and improved over time.