Logistics and freight companies are making strenuous efforts to enhance productivity, save costs and gain better control over their organization to keep customers happy and enjoy higher returns. Many companies are investing heavily in upgrading software believing it will help increase efficiency and margins but in reality the result falls short of expectations.
When we look back on why software upgrades fail to deliver the desired results, it points to the absence of a strategic implementation process. Complications also arise for such reasons as companies trying to map their process to the software; the users not getting adequate hands-on training; end users’ fear of change; no responsible person to drive the implementation; and the management not getting fully involved in the project.
Behind every successful software upgrade there is a strategic implementation process. Implementation is crucial for the success of any software upgrade. In the absence of a strategic implementation process or a botched-up implementation, companies face a drastic setback that could have a lasting impact.
Right from laying the groundwork for implementation to executing the implementation roadmap, every minute detail needs to be planned. The software vendor should have a solid implementation strategy in place to help companies reach their goals. The implementation process should be flexible and take into consideration the needs of the end user.
Companies need to map their process to the software they acquire instead of the other way around. The service providers or vendors play an important role in this. The management should define its own goals and expectations from the upgrade and ensure its achievement by appointing a responsible person from their team to overlook the process. It is essential for the management to take an active part in the implementation process.
There are vendors who offer just implementation guidelines and tutorials but do not provide hands-on implementation. This is where the problem begins as logistics and freight companies left to rely on tutorials and guidelines struggle to work with the software in the absence of guided hands-on implementation.
Hands-on implementation—a strategically structured one—is very much essential for the success of software upgrade. If a solid hands-on implementation process is not followed, the software upgrade is bound to fail and the management may eventually have to abandon the software or look for alternatives which would be a waste of time, resources and money.
