This article was originally published on BusinessObjects Expert

Organizations upgrading to BusinessObjects BI 4.0 are focused on meeting project goals and aiming for the all-important go-live date. However, they often forget about one critical component that has the potential to torpedo their efforts: user adoption.

“You’ve got a big problem on your hands if you successfully add new software, and no one is willing to use it,” says David Hudgins, senior solutions engineer and SAP Authorized Education Partner, BusinessObjects-certified trainer with Consultancy by Kingfisher, Inc. and Kingfisher Academy.

User resistance to new software or any type of change is common. A 2010 Neochange Adoption Insight Report revealed that among organizations surveyed, only an average of 55 percent of staff members are willing to adopt new software. That can mean lost productivity — as much as one lost work day per week, according to a subsequent 2012 Neochange survey.

Fostering user adoption is critical to the success of your project. “A highly effective change management strategy will accomplish this goal by implementing training plans that allow users to adopt BI 4.0 on their terms,” says Hudgins.

Resistance to Change

It is often easier to train first-time users on an entirely new program than it is to get existing users to adopt an upgraded version of existing software. “If your staff is already familiar with an earlier version of BusinessObjects, and you’re changing over to BI 4.0, you may have more work to do, not less,” says Hudgins.

People don’t like change. Even if you offer them new software with added features and enhanced efficiency, people inevitably still pine for the system you’re trying to leave behind. This resistance can sometimes be extreme. Hudgins saw this in action recently while training an existing BusinessObjects 3.1 customer on version 4.0.

The client didn’t agree with SAP’s decision to force users to migrate or create Information Design Tool-based universes in order to use applications such as BusinessObjects Explorer in 4.0. Generally, new versions of software are usually compatible with previous editions. However, with BusinessObjects BI 4.0, this is not the case. The client didn’t want to use the new Information Design Tool regardless of the new features. Rather, he just wanted the new software to work like it did in the previous version known as Universe Designer, says Hudgins.

“He went so far as to find a song on YouTube and played it every time he found something about the new software he didn’t like,” Hudgins says. The YouTube clip is a spoof of a popular Webcam video that went wildly viral in 2004.

The client continued playing the YouTube video for two days. Finally, as the second day came to a close, the complaints stopped. “This person, who was most resistant at the initiation of the program, looked at me and said, ‘I take it all back. This is actually a really cool tool!’” Hudgins says.

The person found that 4.0’s Data Foundation views and the ability to query objects immediately were strong points compared to older features in the Universe Designer, he adds.

Paving the Way to Adoption

Hudgins offers seven suggestions to speed user adoption.

1. Empower Your Users

Requiring your staff members to use new software might backfire and actually boost their resolve to resist change, unless they understand the benefits of the changes you are introducing.  Include end users in the upgrade process from the start. This gives them ownership over the process and can set the stage for a smoother transition.

2. Get Ahead of Things

Show people how to navigate the system by making training a priority. “Don’t discount the importance of training, and don’t toss it in last minute,” says Hudgins. “Training has to be part of the plan from day one.”

Allow end users to help design the training program and start training as early as possible. Focus first on the people who will become power users. These people can help fine-tune the training program, targeting the most important aspects of the software and helping you avoid wasting time on irrelevant topics. 

3. Develop Individualized Training

A training plan should be flexible and “people-centric, not tool- or process-centric,” says Hudgins. Sometimes organizations make the mistake of offering one-time training before the program goes live, instead of extending it over a period of time.

Organizers also need to tailor lessons to individual groups. Each client is unique, so the training has to be as well. For example, Kingfisher Academy offers a variety of training options, including on-site, off-site, computer-based training, and remote training. Being flexible allows clients to learn at their own pace, says Hudgins. “Users prefer to take training courses on their own and as they need it “versus a cookie-cutter-prescribed program that is the same for everyone.”

4. Provide a Trickle of Information, Not a Deluge

A successful BusinessObjects BI 4.0 roll-out introduces the front-end tools in stages. Hudgins recommends starting with BusinessObjects Explorer. “Explorer is such a powerful tool, and it’s really easy to use,” he says. “Then introduce them to the WebI report and relate it back to Explorer.”

Continue to teach new aspects slowly. “Never introduce the whole suite at once; that’s the worst thing you can do to your user group,” he says. That’s because there is too much to take in at once, and users can get lost in all the new tools.

Ultimately, you want to introduce the software in a way that gets users asking questions that naturally lead them to the next set of tools. Set reasonable expectations for how long this training process will take. “A BI implementation can be a year-long process, if not longer,” says Hudgins.

5. Promote the Advantages

BusinessObjects BI 4.0 has some notable differences from previous incarnations. For example, the latest version:

• Is capable of reusing charts, tables, queries, variables, and other features across documents
• Offers new chart types
• Can access SAP Business Explorer queries via a BICS layer
• Can use analysis views (created in BusinessObjects Analysis) in Web Intelligence
• Can use Web Intelligence to view Explorer data

Use these features to demonstrate to users how the software can produce more with less effort. This, in turn, can make users more willing to adopt the upgrade without a fight.

6. Provide a Mix of Experiences

Training shouldn’t be all classroom learning or all hands on — it should provide a combination of the two. You want formal and structured components, but training should also give employees the opportunity to test drive the new tools.

“You want to give them the ability to play with the software,” says Hudgins. But keep these opportunities focused. Give trainees a series of specific 15-minute exercises, or a set number of tasks to accomplish. This allows them to use the system without becoming overwhelmed.

7. Recruit Allies

When your training sessions have been completed, and your users are carrying out what they’ve learned, it is up to your business team to provide needed support to ensure user adoption continues. One strategy that can help bolster internal support is to engage your power users. Train them to understand and advocate for the software. Talk to managers and find out who the power users are in each department, and pull them into the first training group.

If you have those individuals learn the software up front, they can help guide others. People are more comfortable asking a peer within their own department questions than an official trainer. Power users can field questions and advocate the new features of the upgrade to those who are hesitant to use them.

You Can Thwart Resistance

There is going to be at least some resistance to change as part of a BusinessObjects BI 4.0 upgrade. This is an expected part of any initiative. 

However, if you engage your users, make them part of the implementation, and allow them to take some leadership during the adoption, you can overcome a great degree of resistance. Collaborate with users to help develop a flexible training approach, which can be delivered at a comfortable pace for those involved. This helps you avoid overwhelming those users who are fearful of technical change.