Any IT leader will tell you: Implementing a new technology is like moving mountains. You need to find the budget, justify the spend and get the leadership team on board. All that's before they interview vendors or begin building the tool internally. And once a product is purchased or developed, the rollout can make or break whether it meets leadership expectations. 

For CIOs and other managers, following a few rules for an employee-centered enterprise IT rollout can mean the difference between helping teams embrace the new tool and ensuring they ignore it. 

Keep the following three tips top of mind: 

Adapt to workflows, not the other way around.

There's no way around it: Frontline workers set in their workflows will likely respond to a new IT implementation with skepticism. It's not because of the new tool itself — it's because of the change inherent in adoption. 

Consider my industry, the supply chain. Teams know the specific routes they must navigate to pick from specific shelves and deliver products to specific packing stations. That consistency allows pickers to maximize efficiency metrics. Any tool that requires workers to alter their approach will significantly affect short-term output, even if there's no pushback to adoption. 

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In addition, IT teams must consider that not every tool is the right fit for every building. Each facility has different operational demands, unique layouts and specific customer needs that affect how new IT tools should be implemented. Blanketing the business with "one-size-fits-all" technology will offset the efficiency gains at some facilities and the losses at others.

No matter the industry, IT should consider which technology is worth a short-term disruption for long-term gains, and what should be highly tailored to existing workflows. The aim should be a seamless integration that reduces the steps necessary to complete a task without introducing upfront complexity.

Don't neglect the last 20% of change management.

When companies launch an IT tool, 80% of the internal communications plan involves top-down strategies such as a town hall with the CIO, a letter from the CEO or an FAQ distributed to employees via the intranet. Such efforts are usually designed to answer the broadest possible questions and don't stray far from precise messaging.

But the most important work comes in the final 20%: one-on-one communications between executives and frontline staff, out in the facilities during and after an IT implementation. This might be a little messier, because it's an opportunity for employees to express any roadblocks or frustrations they've encountered. It's harder to offer a polished message in that moment.

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IT should embrace these conversations rather than avoid them. Leadership should go directly to frontline employees a few months after launch to see how the technology has or hasn't changed in how they approach work. The company might not have the resources to fix every hiccup, but demonstrating real empathy can go a long way in helping employees adjust to change. 

The conversations are beneficial for both sides. IT leaders might find new ways to leverage the technology as they see how employees interact with it in real time.

Accept failure, don't run from it.

IT leaders are pressured to account for every dollar they spend. With a wealth of new AI-driven technologies entering the market, choosing the right product and defending the purchase decision can be stressful. 

There's a push and pull between spending to ensure existing operations run smoothly and spending to innovate new tools. When there are signs an IT implementation isn't going well, teams might be tempted to turn a blind eye to issues when they justify their investment.

But while some investments are so large it's important they work, IT shouldn't be afraid to admit a smaller project has gone south before it eats up unnecessary budget. The longer it takes to reverse course, the more distrust leadership will create among frontline workers, and the more time it will take to find another IT tool or get operations back to the status quo.

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Instead of considering the project a failure, IT should take a deep dive into what went wrong and use those lessons to propel further innovation. The money isn't a loss if the process led the team to far greater efficiency on the second run. The key is being honest about what worked, what didn't and what steps should be taken to avoid making the same mistakes.

It's about honesty and transparency

Whenever IT announces a new tool rollout, there are often high expectations for how it might simplify work or improve throughput. But leadership should be careful not to let big-picture hopes cloud the realities of how technology rolls out across facilities. 

By making tools as easy to adopt as possible, speaking with employees firsthand about what can be improved and being honest with the company about a new tool's successes and failures, IT can foster a workforce that embraces innovation and works together to ensure rollouts succeed.

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