User Adoption & Sharks with Laser Beams

This blog entry was originally published on the Tri Tuns blog.

Dr. Evil teaches us about defining Success

How do you define Success?

In the clip below, Dr. Evil defines “Success” in terms of one, simple request: to have sharks with frickin laser beams on their heads. When he learns that this goal has not been met, he turns to his team to learn how close they came to hitting it – Sea Bass!

Having trouble viewing this video clip? See the full clip here.

Apply What You Learned: Define Success in terms of User Adoption & Benefits Realization

Many IT projects make the mistake of defining success in terms of on-time & on-budge delivery of the IT system, rather than defining it in the terms of the desired impact and outcome. For IT projects, you should define success in terms of system usage and the measurable business benefits it delivers.

If you want sharks with laser beams, ask for them! If you want people to use the system and achieve a specific business result, ask for it!

Best Practices & Key Questions

• Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Bound) User Adoption goals for each stakeholder group. Measure them over time to make sure you are hitting or missing them.
  • • Did Dr. Evil set SMART goals when he asked for sharks with frickin laser beams?
    • Do you set SMART User Adoption goals for your IT systems?

• Acknowledge when you encounter an “It’s a start” moment with user adoption, but still hold people accountable for achieving results.
  • • Did Dr. Evil hold people accountable when they only delivered sea bass when the requirement was sharks with laser beams? What would you do?
    • Do you hold people accountable for hitting User Adoption goals, or are you OK with sea bass?

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