Implementing a company-wide change, particularly with a large team, can be quite a challenging task. And when that change is a whole new project management tool, the struggle might get real.
We’re creatures of habit, so we always resist to change. Although starting using Outplanr should be easy, getting all your team on board might take a while. Nothing that can’t be overcome with some planning, patience and persistence.
That’s why we’ve put together a set of tips to help you onboarding your team into Outplanr and successfully implement your new project management tool.
Turn your managers into influencers
If your team leaders are onboard from the start, is much likely that they will become change advocates. To get your management team onboard, let them know how their existing workflows can be improved by the new tool.
Every team has one or two members who are eager to try out new things. Have them at the lead when rolling out the new tool. They can be the go-to person in case of queries or issues from the rest of the team.
Make sure you choose the good communicators who can demonstrate and describe the tool’s simplicity and benefits to their teammates. They’ll act as cheerleaders, encouraging the whole team. The more influencers you have on board, the easier it is to roll out the change company-wide.
Demonstrate the benefits for your team
Does your team struggle with not having a place to see where the project stands? Do you note down your to-do list on a whiteboard? Do you have to email your teammates to know the latest status of their tasks? Is your team missing deadlines? Are there times when no one knows who’s doing what?
Outplanr was designed to solve some of these pain points teams are have to face everyday and to streamline their workflows.
Here’s an idea. You can have a kickoff meeting to introduce them to Outplanr and set expectations. In that meeting you can make clear which pain points you’re trying to overcome and how Outplanr can help.
Imagine one of the problems your team is facing is unclear responsibilities, which is leading to missed deadlines and repeated work. Explain your teammates that with Outplanr, when you create a new task you can assign it to a specific person of your team. You can also set a start date and a deadline.
You should also give a clear idea of how your team will specifically use Outplanr. Establish your workflows, which processes you’ll run in it, the projects you’ll work on, and so on.
To get all team members on board you need to let them know what’s in for them. Let them know the new software will help them work smarter, not harder. Outplanr brings all your work together on one single platform and streamlines collaboration, all with real-time insights.
Provide training and software tutorials
Outplanr is quite an easy-to-use tool but people in your team will have different ways of coping with change and different openness to learn something new. On one hand, you might find a couple of holdouts, resistors who will grumble and avoid learning how the new tool works. On the other, those who will rush to embrace it.
To make things easier for everyone on your team, allow them to take some time to get acquainted and practice for a while. It’s always a good idea to provide some basic training so why not setting up a workshop, for example?
The main goal is that everyone knows how to get the most out of the new software. It’s important that they feel confident about their skills with Outplanr before starting to use it on a daily basis.
Resources that can help your team:
- Outplanr Guide: A complete guide covering every aspect of the tool that will help everyone who’s just getting started with Outplanr.
- How-to videos: Quick tutorials to help you and your team with some of the basic functionalities.
- Plan, Track and Relax - The Outplanr Blog : A blog with tips, how-to’s and articles on productivity, project management and more.
- #OutplanrTip 🚀: Every day a new tip on how to make the most out of Outplanr. Just join us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
👋 Get in touch If you have any doubt on how to use Outplanr reach out to us. We’re happy to help.
Start with bite-sized tasks
Even after training it’s only natural that some of your teammates, particularly those less technically savvy or change resistants, might still find the new tool confusing. To make the process easier, get them started with baby steps. Start with small tasks within Outplanr that are useful and demonstrate its benefits and functionality. Create and assign tasks is a good place to start.
In most cases, people are afraid of change because they’re afraid of making a mistake. Luckily most changes in Outplanr are easy to undo. Reinforce the idea that they don’t have to be afraid to try things even if they’re not sure how they might work.
It’s important that you give your team enough time to learn it and to fit Outplanr into their workflow.
Getting your team up and running with Outplanr might be a bit challenging, but once they get on board they’ll boost productivity and collaboration will get much easier. 🤩
Share your experience with us! What other methods have you tried? Did your team find Outplanr easy to use? We would love to hear how everyone on your team started using Outplanr. 🤗
