Test requirements

Enga ge earl y–good communication is two way

With a vision in mind, an ethos of openness, and a readiness to ask ‘how’, rather than tell ‘what’, it’s at least possible to get everyone in the room. Do this early in the process and have the conversations on how best to get where you are going. As Richard from Impact says, “always consult more widely than you think you need to”.

This message is amplified by Louise Marshall, infrastructure and shared services director at Brother UK, who explains how “kinetic team working” in the early stages of a project can really help. “When you have a large group working together, from different areas of the business, you get a wide range of personalities and opinions at all levels,” she says.

“A line manager will be looking for technology to make their life easier. When you get someone at the coal face, for example, they will be more interested in the detail. Those two people will have different views on how the project needs to be managed and what the result needs to be.

“Getting them together early on will deliver a much better result. If it’s done piecemeal, then people don’t always appreciate the challenges that others will have, and will only ever think about how it affects them.”

Test requirements

But this is about more than integrating a group of people from across a business. It’s about drawing out different ideas and encouraging a true exploration of what’s needed.

Daren Carpenter, group IT systems and service director at chemicals company Synthomer, believes it’s an essential way to test a proposal, gather feedback and communicate a response.

“It always comes back to requirements for me; I don’t want to talk about brand or solution, I want people to tell me what they want to do,” he says.

“We are currently gathering key stakeholders from different parts of the business, and from various global locations for monthly meetings.

“What they are doing is testing requirements across the group, together in a room. If we can get that engagement right, their role is to go back into the business and communicate what we are up to.”

I don ’t want t o ta lk ab out b ran d or s oluti on , I want people t o te ll me wh at t h ey want t o do.

Make it clear

It also pays to communicate clearly in these groups, and right through the business, to harness the potential of everyone involved. If your user group and stakeholders understand how they will benefit, there is less scope for confusion, uncertainty and anxiety.

Daren from Synthomer explains: “This is about knowing your audience and using simple language. If I communicate well, they will ask me the right questions, and people at the top will be fully engaged.”

He adds: “We also have a change director looking at the impact on people, who sits with the board, selling the vision of where we are, where we are going to have obstacles and keeping them engaged.”

At Brother, Louise says consistent language plays an important role in helping people feel more comfortable. She says there is a tendency with IT projects for people to slip into bad habits.

“They are trying to communicate something quickly and succinctly, but in doing so they lose people’s interests because they get a bit overwhelmed. Don’t use jargon, don’t use techno-speak.”