Top 10 mistakes to avoid during software installation

by Bob Boyles

Picking and installing a new computer system is one of those tasks where there is no shame in asking a consultant for help. If you insist on going it alone, however, here are some of the most common mistakes I have seen as a software installation consultant over the past 15 years.

1) Schedule the conversion on a holiday weekend. You wouldn’t schedule a dentist appointment on Christmas Eve, so why schedule your conversion then? Pick a weekend where you will have guaranteed access to outside resources. A similar mistake is trying to do the conversion a week or month prior to the start of your busy season. Always allow yourself to go through at least one month-end before the busy season hits. This will give you time to smooth the waters before the phone starts ringing with rush orders.

2) Build the new system to look like the old system. Failing to take advantage of new technology to improve operational methods results in making the same mistakes faster. You’re not just buying a computer, you are buying a business system. Make sure you understand the software vendor’s philosophy about how distributors should operate. You may be surprised in the installation process if you don’t do your due diligence in the selection process.

3) Assume the impossible can be done overnight. Do not assume that faster is cheaper. The opposite is often true. There are no awards for first place in the installation process. The success of the installation depends not on how fast the project is completed but on how successful the software and business procedures operate during the months and years that follow.

4) Make decisions based on “cool” hardware or software rather than what provides the best results. Remember, you are buying a solution to your business processes, not just technology. Some companies try to “out-smart” the market and go for technology they think will be hot for the next several years. Smart companies buy the solution that offers the best features for running their business.

5) Don’t put a fully dedicated person in charge of the project. Important projects need a person in charge whose primary responsibility is completing the project. If you want positive results, the project leader and other team members will need time in a 40-hour work week to get the project done.

The chief executive officer should take a hands-on approach. If the CEO is not involved, he or she risks losing grip of the reins and the project may go out of control.

Consider the case of a distributor that spent a considerable sum of money to purchase and install a business system from a recommended vendor that specialized in the company’s vertical. The problems began even before the sale was completed when the software vendor quoted and sold a configuration different from 99 percent of its other customers.

More problems cropped up shortly after signing the contract. The vendor changed project managers on the account three times. Each project manager had his own style and agenda.

After the go-live, the customer faced not only a crippled system that the software vendor’s technical staff couldn’t support, but a half-baked implementation. The accountants were frustrated with a general ledger system that was out of balance. Management was frustrated with the sales reporting system. Several modules that the vendor said were used by other customers turned out to be vaporware.

CEO involvement is no guarantee that these types of errors won’t happen but can bring about a quicker correction when the project strays from the charted course.

6) Decide that training is the best place to cut costs. Installing a system and then not training anyone how to use it produces the worst possible results. View training as an investment rather than an expense. Some companies cut back on training or try to do it themselves. Although training can be an expensive line item, it is the single most critical part of the installation.

7) Run “parallel” with the old system. No employees like to double their daily workload. This approach never works because no one has spare time to do duplicate work. The distractions of daily business are just too great. Proper investment in testing is a much more solid approach than attempting to do double work for a week or a month. With proper testing, it is possible to eliminate the “gotchas” that can crop up after go-live.

8) Ignore employee turnover during the installation process. When an employee leaves, many distributors make the mistake of assigning them one final task — to train their replacements. The result: deterioration in the knowledge of how to properly operate the business system. Employees that go through the full system training and experience the go-live carry a deeper understanding of how the pieces fit together. That knowledge is invaluable to you and makes them key players down the road.

9) Stop at go-live. This is one of the most common mistakes and results in achieving only half of the possible system benefits. Often, distributors go live on their new software system and do very little with the system from that point on. It’s like they are frozen in time. It’s not that the company doesn’t want to do more, but day-to-day business pressures gradually take the focus off the software and process improvement.

10) Set unrealistic goals. Another common mistake is expecting the new system to operate seamlessly from day one. Expect the unexpected. Set time frames that promote diligence but don’t push so hard that sloppiness results. Insist on documenting the company’s business processes before the installation and after to make sure there are no paperwork loopholes. Test each part of the paperwork flow to ensure that each part of the business system fits. Provide each employee with the training needed to be successful.

Avoid these 10 common software installation mistakes and you’ll be off to a good start.

This article originally appeared in the March 2003 issue of Progressive Distributor. Copyright 2003.

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