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Change Management

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Championing Change: Mike Fank on cutting implementation time by 83%
Project Management 5 min read

Championing Change: Mike Fank on cutting implementation time by 83%

We’re back with another installment of our Championing Change series, where we learn how real Wrike customers are using our platform in their daily work to reach their goals. Getting Wrike tips and tricks directly from customers is one of the best ways to get the most out of our platform.  This time, we’re hearing from Mike Fank, Operational Excellence, Quality, and Safety Manager at Wisconsin Metal Parts (WMP). In operation for over 30 years, WMP is a one-stop shop for metal production. As Mike put it, “We make everything.” The company manufactures the metal parts in bike racks, medical devices, HVAC systems, orthodontics —  and just about everything in between. “If it’s made of metal, we’ll gladly work on it,” he said.  Recently, Mike became our latest Wrike Black Belt holder, marking his work toward becoming a true Wrike champion. Today, Mike gives us insight into how the company continues to strive for improvement, increase efficiency, and embrace change using Wrike. Using Wrike to implement a continual improvement process “Continual improvement is core to what we do at WMP,” Mike explained. To reach its continuous improvement goals, the company created an employee improvement submission system to “track how many ideas are submitted and how many are implemented”. Starting with one small piece, WMP has grown its continual improvement process using Wrike as the foundation. “Wrike helped automate the approval and routing of ideas. After our initial use case was adopted, we continued to grow what can be put in Wrike,” Mike added.  But WMP didn’t just use Wrike to effectively collate employee-submitted ideas, it also integrated its corrective action process by building a custom template in Wrike that ensures each step is completed. Then it added required reviews and approvals at key steps, so management could regularly monitor each submission’s progress. Try Wrike for free In the process of implementing this system, WMP landed on one of our favorite bonuses of using Wrike: the elimination of spreadsheets and emails. As a manufacturing company, WMP can’t keep every element in Wrike but the key initiatives are there, according to Mike. And that alone has allowed the company to drastically cut down on status update emails and cumbersome spreadsheets for its continual improvement program.  Anticipating change management issues When we hear about our customers introducing entirely new processes, we know that adjustment can be tricky. Change can be hard! That’s why we’re particularly interested in spreading the word when we hear our customers tout the successful introduction of new Wrike features.  Mike explained that WMP’s strategy for change management was to get initial buy-in for building its continual improvement program using Wrike, build said program, and then follow up with those who needed extra assistance. “The key has been follow-ups and one-on-one training for the people who are either skeptical or didn’t understand,” Mike said. The icing on the cake? Being able to show that the program works. “We’ve also been able to show the dramatic improvement Wrike has had on implementing ideas.” As adjustments have been needed to tweak the continual improvement system, Mike said the process has been to “get the team together to understand the problems we’re facing with the current system, and then pilot a revised system in Wrike”. He added that it doesn’t take long for those adjustments to take hold: “So far, when people start using it, they immediately see the improvement.” Being a Wrike go-getter helps implementation  While a lot of what Wrike can do is intuitive, there’s so much more the platform can provide when you look a little deeper, take a tutorial, or attend our webinars. Mike really dove in head first, aiming to make sure WMP was getting the absolute maximum from Wrike.  “When first launching Wrike, I consumed everything I could. I read everything I could find, asked questions on the How To forum in the Help Center, and looked at all the other use cases,” he said. “I wanted to learn all the things Wrike could do to better help WMP implement it effectively.” And Mike’s diligence on the front end has paid off, both in a smooth Wrike rollout and impressive improvements in efficiency.  Leveraging Wrike to augment manufacturing technology Manufacturing organizations have priorities that can be a bit different from other Wrike customers, such as marketing agencies or IT companies. But WMP is a prime example of a manufacturing company using Wrike effectively.  Mike explained that WMP began by using Wrike for key initiatives while keeping scheduling, planning, and reporting on physical processes in its ERP system. However, WMP is striving to ensure all possible work moves into Wrike eventually. Mike admitted: “Not all our work is in Wrike. I know the saying is, ‘If it’s not in Wrike, it doesn’t exist’ — we’re not there.” With such effective change management strategies, however, it looks like WMP will be soon.  Wrike features boost WMP’s efficiency Thanks to WMP’s employee submission system, the company has been able to cut its backlog by more than half, from 300+ items to 128. Even more impressive? The company was also able to cut its implementation time from more than 30 days to just over five.  We just love hearing stories of Wrike significantly saving our customers time and energy.  If you’ve been on the fence about introducing Wrike’s work management platform to your company, let Wisconsin Metal Parts serve as an example: change really is worth it. Why not try Wrike for free for two weeks and get a taste of how your processes could improve and evolve with Wrike?  Try Wrike for free

Wrike in Action: How Wrike Lightspeed Powers Our Professional Services Team
Project Management 7 min read

Wrike in Action: How Wrike Lightspeed Powers Our Professional Services Team

Learn how Wrike Lightspeed powers Wrike’s professional services, helping the team deliver game-changing results to teams, departments, and organizations around the world.

How to Define Processes for Your Team (and Actually Get Things Done)
Leadership 10 min read

How to Define Processes for Your Team (and Actually Get Things Done)

Here’s the thing about your processes: they shouldn't be "set and forget.” You need to be consistently evaluating them to identify what’s not working, and then use that information to build more ideal systems for your team.

Switching to Wrike: Implementing Change Management Across Distributed Teams
Leadership 7 min read

Switching to Wrike: Implementing Change Management Across Distributed Teams

Meryl Johnston, Founder & CEO, Bean Ninjas Bean Ninjas is an online bookkeeping firm that caters to online businesses. They’re not your traditional bookkeepers. Bean Ninjas were named Xero Bookkeeping Partner of the Year (QLD) in 2017 and were finalists in the Bookkeeping Firm of the Year at the 2018 Australian Accounting Awards. Meryl is a Chartered Accountant and entrepreneur. Prior to Bean Ninjas she ran a cloud accounting consulting firm, worked in both commercial accounting roles, as an auditor (BDO), and as a lecturer in accounting and audit. Process is the backbone of productivity. Teams thrive on routines and processes to keep work organized and goals on track. However, sometimes poor processes are detrimental to productivity. If processes are inefficient or ignored, things fall through the cracks and people start pointing fingers. When it came time for us to evaluate our processes, we found a lot of room for improvement. As a team of 12 distributed across six countries, it was extremely important for us to establish an efficient process for getting work done. As the number of managers grew across teams, so did the need for automatic reporting. Since Trello wasn’t able to provide that level for reporting, we decided to look into changing our processes and tools altogether. Coordinating across time zones is a project in and of itself. Requests, approvals, and revisions can take weeks just corresponding back and forth. The three biggest challenges for our distributed team when we considered why work from home pros and cons were: Uniting on communication and culture Finding and accessing important information Rolling out and learning a new tool We needed to figure out a way to streamline our processes so our distributed team could function like a well-oiled machine. Embracing change management It can be a difficult and time-consuming project to change the software that underpins your business. Giving your team the option of using a new tool can result in a less than 30% adoption rate—at which point, there really is no point in having it at all. So it’s very important to get the right buy-in upfront from everyone who will be using the new software. We found there are three distinct phases of change management and key steps to successfully get your team on board with a new software: 1. We involved the team in the buy-in If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. Have an open discussion with your team from the start and involving them in the process of evaluating a new tool will increase your chances of adoption and usage. Here are the steps I recommend: Obtain feedback: We had everyone in the loop from the start. We discussed why we planned on changing tools and how we thought everyone would benefit from it. Conduct a survey: We created a survey that asked our team what their biggest pain points are with the current software. What do they like? What would they like the change? Agree on qualifications: We decided what capabilities are a must-have in our new software and aligned on how this tool was going to help us achieve our goals. Rank contenders: We listed out the softwares we were vetting and ranked them based on which ones met the most qualifications. Test software: We chose a couple to test out. Then had a team member check out the areas of the software that were most important to our team. Select software: Once our team came to a consensus on which tool is best, they were motivated and excited to start using their new tool. Our Wrike implementation was easier because we received upfront buy-in on why we needed to change systems. We also understood the pain points of different team members and were able to explain how the new software would solve them. 2. We prioritized implementation Implementation is such a crucial process when changing work management tools. Wrike is a flexible tool and we wanted to ensure we set it up so that we could map it to our goals in the best way possible. Here’s how we onboarded with Wrike Identified our internal Wrike Champion: Scheduled an initial kickoff call with our Wrike Champion and managers to go over goals and expectations. Tested Wrike: Identified an accountant who would be the lead in rolling out the first test. After two months of testing, we rolled it out to the team. Set up training: We set deadlines for everyone on the team to complete the training and created our own training videos on how we want our team to use the software. Once training ended, we had different team members present a screenshare in Wrike so we could make sure they understood the new workflow. Obtain feedback: We frequently touched base with our team and asked for their input on the new setup. They’re much more likely to follow a new process when they’re involved in creating it. 3. We continually monitor & optimize Be patient and don’t expect everyone to learn and adopt the new software in a week. We continue to monitoring our team’s usage and feedback so we’re open to new ways of using the tool. We’re constantly asking ourselves: How can we optimize new features? What existing integrations would be useful for our team? We want to ensure we make the most of our powerful new project management software. This means seeking to review the way we are working and to make incremental small improvements. Key lessons learned Change management doesn’t have to be hard. Here are some key lessons we learned when implementing a new tool. Devote time for trainings. We significantly underestimated how many hours it would take us for implementation which created internal resourcing issues. Diversify trainings. Schedule group training, but also host one-on-one sessions to ensure that each team member is understanding the nuances of the new system. Motivate teams to use the tool. Encourage managers to lead their team with the adoption of the new software or set up some reward for their first completed project to incentivize them. Be patient. Understand that adopting a new tool takes time, but continue to monitor and make sure usage is improving. Be open to feedback. Where there is push-back from the team about the new software listen to their concerns and look into whether there is a better way to organize work by automating repeatable tasks.

The Ultimate Guide To the Change Management Process
Project Management 10 min read

The Ultimate Guide To the Change Management Process

Improve your change management process and increase organizational success using these proven change management tools and techniques.

Why You Should Use Neuroscience to Master Change Management
Project Management 5 min read

Why You Should Use Neuroscience to Master Change Management

Managing a project for the first time can be overwhelming. First, there's the technical side to learn: project management methods and tools, organizational techniques, etc. Then, there's the really important part: the people side of things. Most project managers and team leaders learn the hard way that appropriately managing people and change is the key to a smooth and sustainable execution. Here's the good news: just as you can learn the basic techniques to survive any project, you can also learn a few fundamentals about human nature that will help you effectively manage your colleagues and stakeholders without being the bad guy. Heck, they might even like your style! SCARF: Your New Management Framework With so many books and articles on people and change management, it's easy to get confused. Especially when encountering contradictory points of view. I propose a management technique based on an understanding of how our brains are wired to react to change. The framework I suggest is David Rock's SCARF: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness. These factors activate our brains either positively or negatively, depending on whether we feel threatened or secure. By considering these 5 domains, you can help your team be more positive, focused, productive, and collaborative. Here's what you need to know about SCARF and how to apply it to your team: 1. Status Status reflects how much a person feels respected and valued. How to boost:  Make them shine! Provide team members with public praise, especially in front of their managers. And make sure you don't give the impression of trying to take credit for others' work. Ask for opinions or help. Involve them in a significant project, and/or remind them how their current project helps the company achieve a strategic objective. Applaud them for showing improvement, or for working to develop their skills. 2. Certainty Did you know the brain has 5 times more neural networks to detect threats than rewards or opportunities? The brain likes certainty, and without it, people speculate and become anxious. How to boost: Provide open and consistent information about what will be changed, why, and what the effects will be. When there is no information to be shared, or if decisions are still in the works, communicate that fact as well. 3. Autonomy Autonomy is our need to have control over our own lives. (It's one reason we don't like being micromanaged.) How to boost: Ask, don't tell. Instead of just assigning someone a task and imposing a due date, make a request and allow the assignee to commit to an action and due date that satisfies both parties. Allow negotiation. Give the performer the opportunity to negotiate the delivery date. 4. Relatedness This is about our social nature and our sense of belonging to a group. It enhances trust, engagement, and performance. How to boost: Give team members time with leaders. Have team meetings to share best practices and lessons. Host informal social gatherings and team-building activities. 5. Fairness Our brains are great at detecting when a change will impact us unfairly. Just think of how quickly kids detect unfairness, and how they immediately resist it. In times of change, our brains need to know that an outcome (and the process for reaching that outcome) will be fair. How to boost: Focus on transparency with the process and the results. Encourage people to come forward if they perceive unfairness. How to Get Started with SCARF Tip when implementing SCARF: It's extremely important to consider these domains for your project team members, but don't forget the other stakeholders! Your project can screech to a halt because of imposed barriers by coworkers, top management, shareholders, trade unions, suppliers, and even your customers. Ask yourself these questions: Who is being impacted by this project? Who could perceive a threat to any of their SCARF domains? To start practicing, observe your colleagues, family, and friends. When someone gets upset or annoyed, try to identify the cause. Which of their SCARF domains have been triggered? Project Managers and Change Management Project managers grapple with change management every day. How have you helped your team through a big transition? Share your tips and help out your fellow project managers! Sources: Neuroscience: Helping Employees Through Change

How to Improve the Change Management Process for 7 Key Personality Types
Leadership 7 min read

How to Improve the Change Management Process for 7 Key Personality Types

We’ve identified the seven most common personality types you’ll encounter when switching to Wrike or any other tool, and best practices to successfully guide them through change.

Rolling With the Punches: How Managers Overcome Their Anxieties of Change
Leadership 10 min read

Rolling With the Punches: How Managers Overcome Their Anxieties of Change

If you find yourself huffing and puffing into a paper bag every time you need to switch up a process, this advice is for you. Let’s dive into why you feel hesitant about those changes—and how you can overcome those nerves.

Embracing Chaos: Future-Proofing Your Processes for Resiliency & Growth
Leadership 10 min read

Embracing Chaos: Future-Proofing Your Processes for Resiliency & Growth

While change might lead to failure, the greatest failure of all would be to remain stagnant. Learn how embracing creative chaos can future proof your work processes for resiliency and growth.

Why Change Management Sucks (And How to Fix It)
Leadership 7 min read

Why Change Management Sucks (And How to Fix It)

Rolling out a new tool across a team is not a one-and-done process. Implementing a new tool takes a lot of work and careful planning. Forcing your team to use a new tool will result in instant resistance and failure.

Wrike Adoption Tip of the Month: The Basics of Building a New Habit
Wrike Tips 3 min read

Wrike Adoption Tip of the Month: The Basics of Building a New Habit

It is true that people are naturally resistant to changes in the workplace. But often times, a project management software is more than just a tool - it's a new habit people must learn. And when consciously building any new habit, there is always some time when it is difficult to fully embrace the change. Making a new habit stick requires an average of 66 days, or roughly 2 months. For those who are not tech-savvy, the idea of learning the ins-and-outs of a new software might seem even more unpalatable. If your team has strong opposition to anything new, there are efficient ways to make Wrike easy to adopt. As you try to get your team onboard the pro-Wrike train, you need to be firm in the stance that nothing is "real" unless it's in Wrike. This is one of the most common successful adoption strategies we found with our interviewed customers. Unless you are unwavering in your determination to get everyone onboard, some projects will be put into Wrike while others will stay scattered throughout email exchanges, excel spreadsheets, and personal desktop folders. Lead by example and rely on Wrike completely for all of your project comments, work at home policy, and updates. Your model will let your team know that from here on out all projects should reside in one place - and that place is Wrike. If one of your team members sends you an email asking about a task, this is the perfect opportunity for a gentle reminder. Prompt them to put their questions into Wrike before you respond. One of our interviewed customers went as far as letting a contractor know that he simply couldn't respond to the contractor's comments because the email "didn't exist." The contractor got the hint and turned to Wrike to continue the conversation. Now, I'm not advocating that you also start "overlooking" task-related emails, but it does make a point. Taken a hard stance and still facing adoption troubles? If your team members are committed to working out of their email client, they can continue this practice. In fact, that's why our easy-to-use email integrations exist! For one of our customers, most of their users don't even log into Wrike directly - they work from within their inbox. The key to this method is using our smart email integrations, including our Gmail widget or interactive add-ins for Outlook and Apple Mail. Team members can simply reply to an email when they want to comment on a task they follow, or even turn their emails into tasks for project discussion and updates. Management can check into Wrike to get progress reports and receive real-time updates, while team members can work where they are most comfortable. Remember: using new software means forming new habits. Stay strong through the process and give your team the time and support they need to fully make the switch. Have you had a successful experience implementing Wrike with your teams? Did you use a similar method, or something completely different? Let us know in the comments below! And stay tuned for the next two success trends we found: finding power users and creating clear usage goals.

A Guide to Matrix Organizational Structures
Project Management 5 min read

A Guide to Matrix Organizational Structures

Learn everything you need to know about implementing a matrix organizational structure and how it can improve efficiency and overall project outcomes.

Managing the Never-Ending Change in Your Services Delivery Business in 2020
Project Management 7 min read

Managing the Never-Ending Change in Your Services Delivery Business in 2020

Last year, we launched Wrike for Professional Services to optimize project delivery, automate workflows, and manage team utilization. This year, we’re taking it to the next level with Wrike for Professional Services Performance. Read more to learn about how the Performance package can help you further improve decision-making, action planning, project execution, and more.