Although there might be thousands of reasons why people don’t use your IWMS, categorizing them would lead to six basic reasons why nobody is using it. Most likely you have made one of the six capital mistakes below.
Mistake #1: The IWMS is not user-friendly
The most important capital mistake, but made too often: user-friendliness. Although I acknowledge the importance of training, your IWMS should be intuitive and user-friendly. Even with minimal training end users should be able to master the application. The more intuitive the use is, the more your IWMS will be used.
Mistake #2: The IWMS is not task-oriented
IWMS Software vendors and implementation consultants tend to forget IWMS software is used to support facility and real estate processes. Within each of those processes there are quite a few stakeholders. These stakeholders need to complete tasks. The IWMS needs to support the easy completion of these tasks.
If the stakeholder is a Help Desk employee, it needs to be easy to enter trouble tickets. If the stakeholder is a senior manager, it needs to be easy to run a report. If your IWMS isn’t task-oriented, people won’t use it.
Mistake #3: The IWMS is not consistent
Easter eggs and other surprises might seem like a great idea for software, but they are not. In fact, they are devastating for the usage of your IWMS. The more consistent and predictable the IWMS is the better.
Although it might seem boring for all designers out there, consistency has a very positive effect on the systems’ usage. When screen layouts are constructed in the same way, it supports end users in learning to use the application and builds their confidence.
Mistake #4: The IWMS is not configurable
After completion of the IWMS implementation project customers need to be able to manage the IWMS without the software vendor. Organizational dynamics drive constant changes to the business environment and also to the IWMS.
The IWMS therefore needs to be adaptable to changed requirements either through bespoke development or configuration. If the IWMS can’t be adapted to changes it won’t be used in the near future.
Mistake #5: The IWMS is not scalable
The integrated approach of managing facilities and real estate processes in one central database supports organizations reducing the numbers of applications, vendors, and integrations associated with managing their premises.
However, implementing an Integrated Workplace Management System to solve business problems alone is just not enough. The IWMS needs to implemented flexible and scalable right from the start of the project.
If you don’t anticipate significant changes in your organization such as mergers, acquisitions, additional countries, additional processes, etc., you are preparing yourself for misery both in terms of costs and frustration.
Mistake #6: The IWMS is not upgradeable
IWMS Software Vendors re-invest a substantial amount of their gross annual revenue in Research & Development of their products. Your new IWMS will become legacy software within 3-5 years due to the enormous development velocity. Patches and bug fixes will provide some relief however upgrading your IWMS is an absolute must.
Final Thoughts
Although there are many aspects about IWMS that influence IWMS usage, I would love to hear which other capital mistakes you’ve encountered. Please use the comment feature below.
IWMS