One of the biggest reasons software implementations fail is the lack of user adoption. Confusion over the purpose or scope of a project creates barriers, including user resistance, reluctant leadership or sponsorship, and an inability to envision (and embrace) the potential of the new system.

If, however, the users involved understand the purpose of the change and how it will benefit them, the project is more likely to succeed. In fact, according to Prosci (widely considered the global leader in change management methodology), projects are six times more likely to meet their objectives and budget when they manage the people side of change effectively.

Organizational change management (OCM) addresses the people side of change. It is a defined and repeatable framework for managing new business systems and processes within an organization, and it should be a component of every one of your IT projects.

To get the benefits of OCM on your project, engage an OCM team early, and have them work alongside the implementation team for the entire project. Key steps should include:

• Assessing initial stakeholder engagement and organizational readiness for the change.

• Creating an OCM plan that lays out key user engagements to build adoption throughout the implementation.

• Reevaluating the plan throughout the implementation to ensure the people side of change is still on track (tracking OCM the same way the implementation team tracks development and testing).

• Continuing OCM after system rollout (through an adoption period) to ensure project benefits are realized and the system is used as envisioned.

OCM is the tool to help your IT project win the user and stakeholder support it needs to ensure a successful system deployment. Be sure to make it a core component of your implementation plans.