‘In your experience, how long does it take to bed in new technology and / or processes?’ was an interesting question posed recently by a client.

We live in a world of constant change, particularly over the past two years, but a recent trip to the Tower of London, courtesy of Octo Members, demonstrated how their long-standing traditions and ceremonies have been maintained through many centuries.  What interested me was how this has been achieved. For example, the Ceremony of the Keys to lock up the Tower has been performed each night at the same time without fail for over 700 years, through changes of Monarchs, Governments and potential threats to the Tower. 

Quite simply the process has been consistently owned, is largely unchanged and new recruits undergo extensive training until it becomes second nature.  This approach also applies to the Yeoman warders, who, after careful selection, must learn off by heart the scripted tour story within 6 months of passing their probation period.  Even once that’s been completed its recognised it can take up to 2 years to be fully fluent in all the aspects of the Tower’s very long history for the numerous visitors.

In contrast, the corporate world is fast paced with constantly evolving technology and services and processes that are frequently changed or replaced, so keeping these up to date is a very different challenge. 

To help estimate how long it’s likely take to fully adopt the change the framework needs to be in place as part of any project for this to happen, for example:

• Clear ownership of the new technology and / or service at both Management and operational level
• Documented processes
• Training plans both for live and ongoing
• Feedback mechanism from clients and employees
• Project Success Measures

Agreeing ownership early on at both senior level and day to day operational level is beneficial to success once live and it can derail a project if not addressed early on.  The importance of ownership and the formal need for constant monitoring and improvement through documented processes is reflected in the Operational Resilience requirements for Enhanced SMCR Firms which will be in the transitional period from April this year. 

Another way to help speed up adoption rates is to include a Pilot or soft launch ahead of the full implementation.  They are a great way to iron out key issues in advance and check processes will work as expected, an approach most of my clients decide to take when working through the requirements phase. 

Once a new service or technology has been implemented it’s very common for productivity to dip for a period as employees learn the new processes off by heart and this needs to be factored into the bedding in time.  Many companies now add Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for team members to help track and incentivise the change to meet the overall success measures.  In larger projects it might be decided to phase the implementation or have a follow-on project to support employees further.  Phasing the project in this way is a good way to control the activity and check everything is working as required before going out to market. 

So, back to the original question, ‘how long does it take to bed in new technology and / or processes?’

Success Measures are typically based on when the financial benefits and the operational processes will be achieved, so anywhere between 3 – 12 months is usual, depending on the company size, the service being implemented and when the change will impact.  Some key changes can take up to a year to realise the benefits if this is linked to an annual event such as a DFM annual rebalancing or significant technology changes, so understanding this at the start will help everyone involved.  

The timeframe will be what works for your business, but taking a leaf out of the Tower of London approach, clear ownership, processes and supporting training are a winning formula to make the adoption as easy and quick as possible.

Helen runs operational projects for firms to support growing and / or changing businesses, tailored to requirements.  For more information please contact [email protected].