Digital White Papers

I L T A W H I T E P A P E R | K N O W L E D G E M A N A G E M E N T & M A R K E T I N G T E C H N O L O G Y 35 Identify the problem Whenever considering a new technology, it's helpful to take a step back to identify the user problem that needs to be solved. Any product should have a clear value proposition that's attached to end user problems. These value propositions can be thought of as 1) jobs to be done, 2) gains to be created and 3) pains to be solved. First, you need to understand what activities are undertaken by users and the kinds of work product that result from those activities. From there you can look at potential gains that can be created, such as making workflows better, faster or cheaper. But likely the most important factor for driving adoption is identifying pain points or major frustrations in a user's workflow. Change is hard, but users are most willing to alter their approach if a solution relieves a major pain they're experiencing. With these principles in mind, it's important to go to end users to understand their problems and workflows in detail. Interview end users and watch how they work. Dig into data on what is creating successful outcomes. Be sure to listen to those users describe their problems but also dig deeper by asking them why they have those problems to try to get to the underlying root cause rather than running with solutions users think they may need. As the apocryphal quote from Henry Ford says: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." The goal here is to establish foundational user requirements before focusing on potential solutions. Engage stakeholders The next step in the process is to identify appropriate stakeholders within the firm. This includes technical, user and economic stakeholders. Likely, you have already identified your end user stakeholders as they assisted you in establishing the problem and necessary requirements for the solution in the first place. Technical stakeholders will be important to help you understand how potential solutions could fit into existing firm systems and implemented effectively with end users. Technical stakeholders can also help to make sure technologies meet firm standards with regard to security and usability. Economic stakeholders are important not only because they hold the budget for technology but also because they can aid in defining how investments in technology align with firm and department goals. This is key to prioritizing technology investments. T E C H N O L O G Y A D O P T I O N K E Y S • Explicitly state the problem to be solved. • Engage technical, security and economic stakeholders at the firm to understand constraints for the project. • Identify appropriate potential champions who know the problem and are motivated to find a solution. • Focus POC structure around helping potential champions validate the solution. • Use a number of internal marketing strategies to make sure end users at the firm are aware of the solution and its value propositions. • Establish metrics that tie back to user problems and firm objectives. • Develop a rollout strategy to help champions evangelize to colleagues. • Channel feedback to vendor for future product development.

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