When It Comes to Implementations, Why All the Pain?

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Posted by Garrett O'Brien+ on 8-Aug-2011 in needs assessment | 0 comments

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Every project has its pain points – some more so than others, yet none are without pain… As pain is an emotional experience, let’s remove the systems and machines and look at just the human factor. For the scope of this articles we will look at pain as experienced from two human factors — knowledge and beliefs. From these two human factors, all other aspects of the project evolve. If you believe there are others, please respectfully share in the comments below – that is why we have comments, yes?

Many of us know that our skills only account for 30% of our actual work while human interaction fills the 70%. How accurate are these numbers? Not sure, but many professionals I know and many articles I have read mention they spend twice as much time in human interaction than they do in my actual work, so the 70-30 ration appears to be reasonable.

The first human factor – knowledge — comes in four forms…

• Things that we know we know…
• Things that we do know that we don’t know…
• Things that we don’t know we know…
• Things that we don’t know we don’t know…

If your head hurts right about now, I can empathize, mine did too. Stay with me, I’m about to explain all this…

First, there are the things we know that we know – example, except for those that suffer from color blindness, we all know what the color red looks like… we know what milk tastes like, or a beer… you know the preference of your spouse’s coffee or how they like their meat cooked (ok, maybe some of you don’t).

Next, there are the things we know that we don’t know – you know a trillion dollars is a lot, but you don’t know what a trillion dollars looks like… You don’t know how long will it take one person to spend one trillion dollars if he or she spent one million dollars an hour (no cheating with a calculator, you know you don’t know)… You know you don’t know what it is like to spend a million dollars in one hour… And neither do I…. So, we know we don’t know…

OK, the third form of knowledge is the one that usually gives everyone a headache — there are things we don’t know that we know… what?? Allow me repeat it… There are things we DON’T know — that we DO know… OK, like? These would usually be things we forgot we already knew… something we learned a long time ago, but only now realizing we have learned this a long time ago… Or something we do out of tradition, and are reminded why we have this tradition… Have you ever been congratulated for a great job and you had no clue what they were talking about? That would be in this form of knowledge as well…

Finally, there is the fourth form of knowledge — the things you don’t know, that you don’t know… Everyone is usually fairly certain about this… This is where we usually discover something new about anything. The knowledge becomes evident after much research through our own efforts or after someone who has the knowledge shares their knowledge — and their experience — with us… Sometimes – correction, most of the times – there is a lot of pain involved with this form of knowledge, or lack of knowledge. What you don’t know that you don’t know is something many avoid; it is also something many explore, either out of curiosity or to gain knowledge of what is needed or required for something…

Now, lets focus on the second human factor — beliefs. First, am going to define beliefs as this:

• Beliefs are the concepts and / or thoughts that have been repeatedly placed in front of us until we “buy-in” to the concept(s) or thought(s)
• Along with repetition, belief is also a result of who we have chosen to listen to
• Beliefs are the result of our experiences, our traditions, our habits. Anyone that has tried to kill a habit knows just how deep rooted a habit can be and how much resistance there is to change a habit – which leads why beliefs are usually very difficult to change until the person is ready to change that belief…

Truth will not facilitate a change in belief, otherwise we would change the moment we recognize what we believe is truth. What do we usually do instead? We question it, we test it, then perhaps we accept it – eventually…

If truth will not change a belief, what does? Usually, change starts with repetition – marketers are very keen to this concept, it is how they sell an inferior product or service over a superior product or service. This is also evident with peer pressure – your friends encouraging you to do something you don’t want to do, even if they are wrong about it. Eventually, this repetition will eventually create a persuasion. And once someone is persuaded, they have a choice – hold onto their current beliefs or form a new belief; they go through a decision process.

And how come not all good or great decisions are effective? Some decisions are “before their time” while other decisions have never made it beyond our craniums… Every decision has the right moment , the right season, for it to be introduced – just ask Galileo…

Any belief that is being challenged, or is going through a process of change, one element is constant – pain… not to mention your self-confidence if the belief being challenged is big. This challenge is compounded because you are in the fourth form of knowledge – you don’t know what you don’t know…

When our beliefs are being challenged and our lack of knowledge becomes evident simultaneously, we become vulnerable. Many will react very defensively by invalidating what is being presented. Others will be curious and question everything that is happening — either with confidence or in fear. There are a host of reactions when challenged beliefs and lack of knowledge coincide.

In the moment where the two coincide, this is where both leadership and innovation evolve. Not necessarily together, but one or the other, or both. This is also where the pain point for many is highest – especially when there are a FEW beliefs being challenged and there is a LOT of unknowns that need to be known.

This is the first of a series of articles that will be focusing on some concepts that many believe are not necessary – and what happens when belief refuses to change and the unknowns start building enough weight that a project takes too long to complete, and the budget increases dramatically. And how an incomplete or poorly executed needs assessment on the front end of a project can be the death of the project before it even starts…

   

Needs Assessment and Project Planning (image not available)

Garrett O’Brien

With 20+ years in roles as a client executive sponsor, project management, as well as functional / technical lead, Garrett is sought for his expertise in the USA, Europe, and Brazil.

He has an extensive background in implementing multi-product, multi-line HRIS environments that provides a smoother transition from legacy to new systems.

Garrett’s previous clients include ADP, Case New Holland, Cushman & Wakefield, Honeywell International, Lubrizol, MAHLE, Sodexho USA, and many others ranging from SMB’s to the Fortune 50.

Currently, Garrett works from his home office near São Paulo, Brazil as the publisher and editor for The HRIS World publications. Also, he contributes articles for their various blogs as well as provides guest posts to several IT, Cloud, and HRIS blogs.

Garrett’s current roles involve…

• Publisher, writer, and owner of 4 leading HRIS system and career blogs which are read in 50+ countries

• HR.com Advisory Board for the ERP/HRIS Community

• CEO for CGServices USA — focusing on multi-provider, multi-line system for HRIS systems

• Registered partner with Microsoft, providing the latest developments on the newest technologies from Microsoft

• Council and Education Member of Gerson Lehrman Group Council, which helps institutions of the world leaders meet, engage and manage experts across a wide range of sectors and disciplines.

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In the news…

HR and the Cloud

Isabella Chan of HR Matters talks to Garrett O’Brien about the growth of cloud computing and building a technology strategy around HR.

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More articles by Garrett O'Brien...

• Cloud is Dominating Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions - 22-May-2013
• Fearful Leadership Can Become Courageous Leadership - 22-May-2013
• Josh Bersin Speaks of “Glocalization” for HR: Fad or Direction? - 13-May-2013
• Why Multi-Tasking and Being Plugged-In All the Time Isn't - 9-May-2013
• Have You Adopted Your Job Search to the New Ways of Recruiting? - 6-May-2013
• Why the Impact of PPACA on Your Business Is So Huge - 4-May-2013
• Employee Satisfaction: The Key to Successful Business? - 23-April-2013
• Boston - 15-April-2013
• Mobile ESS? Mobile MSS? Why the Wait? - 12-April-2013
• Forrester Research : Are You Prepared for the Mobile Mind Shift? - 26-March-2013

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