Preparing Your Creative Agency For New Workflow Management Software

You knew that the day would finally come – the day when your agency decided to move away from using an Excel spreadsheet to manage its workflow, and purchased a workflow management software solution.  Now, you’re trying to get all your staff on board with the new software.  Where do you start?

(image by jscreationzs)

There are a few things you can do in advance to make the transition smoother:

1. Get a demo version of the new software, if at all possible, and get in there and play around with it.  Enter some fictitious data so you get used to using a new interface.  Use it for a week or so and become comfortable with the navigation.

2. Utilize the training materials provided by the software company.  Read any applicable documents you can prior to your initial consultation with the company’s trainer.

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Why are these two things important?  The more educated you are prior to participating in training sessions or webinars will mean that a) you’ll be able to review the new processes rather than trying to learn them on the fly and b) you can focus on specific questions about how your workflow will now operate in the new system.

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3. Do it as a team.  Make sure your employees know the transition is happening and provide them with any documentation you can in advance.  Give them a short demo of how the basics work (ie. logging in, tracking time) so the interface isn’t unfamiliar when you go live.

4. Finally, give yourself and your business some overlap time between the old and the new system – a few weeks to a month.  Be sure to schedule in extra time to learn how your new software will perform and how you’ll be using it.

Switching to a new software shouldn’t be scary – it should be exciting.  Being prepared will make the transition easy and painless, and will allow you to get back to doing what you do best.