Software Implementation Success: Creating a Roadmap for Your Kitchen & Bath Design Business

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Welcome back to Elevated! I'm Brandy Lawson, and today we're talking about something that separates the software winners from the software victims in the kitchen and bath industry – implementation planning.

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Episode Transcript

(00:05):
Welcome back to Elevated.
I'm Brandy Lawson, and todaywe're talking about something
that separates the softwarewinners from the software
victims in the kitchen and bathindustry implementation
planning.
You know, that thing that mostpeople just skip entirely when
they're excited about their newshiny software.
I've seen this story play outacross time and industries.

(00:25):
A business invests in amazingnew project management software,
gets super excited during thedemo, signs the contract, and
six months later it's barelybeing used.
The team has reverted to theirold habits and the owner is
frustrated about wasted moneyand everyone's blaming the
software when the real culpritwas the lack of implementation.
It is like ordering all thematerials for a kitchen

(00:47):
renovation, but not having aconstruction schedule.
You end up with boxes ofbeautiful fixtures sitting in
the garage while everyone usesthe old broken kitchen because
no one mapped out the steps toactually complete the project.
Today we're fixing that bycreating your implementation
roadmap, the step-by-step planthat transform software from an
expense into an asset.

(01:08):
Implementation success comesdown to planning across five
critical dimensions.
Let's walk through them.
First.
There's the technical setup.
This includes the nuts and boltsof getting your software
configured correctly from dayone.
If a design firm skips mappingout their existing data
structure to a new system, theymight potentially end up with
disorganized client records.

(01:29):
That could take considerabletime to sort through your
roadmap might benefit fromconsidering specific action
steps.
For initial setup, datamigration and system
configuration.
And don't just write set upsoftware, break it down to the
concrete tasks.
Export client database formataccording to import template.

(01:51):
Validate data integrity, importto new system, verify successful
transfer.
Being this specific preventsthe, I thought you were handling
that syndrome that derails somany implementations.
Second, integration planning.
How will this new softwareconnect with your existing

(02:11):
tools?
You don't wanna discover thatthe new rendering software can't
easily share data with thespecification system.
Your roadmap could potentiallybenefit from mapping out what
systems need to communicate witheach other, who might be
responsible for establishingthose connections and how you
might validate that data flowscorrectly between systems.
Third training, sequencing.

(02:33):
Not everyone needs to learneverything at once.
The most successfulimplementations I've seen use a
phased approach.
Start with your power users whowill champion the system, then
expand to the core team, andfinally bring in occasional
users.
Your roadmap should specify wholearns what features and when.
To prevent overwhelm, try aphased training approach.

(02:56):
Perhaps designers could learnclient presentation features
first, then specification toolsthe following week, and
potentially master advancedrendering capabilities a couple
weeks later.
A gradual approach eases theinformation fire hose that can
sometimes cause people to resistadopting new systems.
Fourth process adaptation.

(03:17):
Your existing workflows willneed to change to leverage the
new software document, both yourcurrent processes and your
target future state.
Your roadmap must includespecific transition steps for
each workflow that's changing.
For example, if you're movingfrom email approvals to an
in-app approval system, yourroadmap might include week one

(03:37):
through two.
Both systems run in parallel.
Week three, new clients use onlythe new system.
Week four, all approvalstransition to new system.
This clear staging prevents thechaos of a abrupt cutover.
Finally, success measurement.
How will you know if theimplementation is working?
Define specific metrics tied toyour original reason for

(04:00):
purchasing the software.
If you bought it to speed updesign time, measure that if it
was to reduce errors.
Track those.
Your roadmap should includecheckpoints for measuring
adoption and impact.
Let's imagine how a kitchendesign firm might approach
adopting new project managementsoftware.
Here's what a potential 90 dayimplementation plan could look

(04:21):
like.
Preparation phase, this is weeksone and two, you're gonna
designate an implementationowner, perhaps operations
manager, then map out existingworkflows and identify pain
points.
Next sketch, potential newworkflow diagrams and plan for a
data export and cleanup.
Finally, start brainstormingcustom fields and templates.

(04:46):
Next step is the setup phase.
So this could be weeks threethrough four.
You're gonna work through systemsettings and user permission
structures, then begin your dataimport process.
You wanna consider accountingsoftware integration options.
And design role specificdashboards.
Finally, test projects, run themthrough the system.

(05:07):
Next up is the training phase.
So weeks five through eight.
Think about dedicating two daysfor core team training, then
letting power users test drivereal projects with support.
Also create quick referencematerials.
Next, set up regular check-inrhythms.
And record training content forfuture team members.

(05:30):
All right, then we get into thetransition phase, weeks nine
through 12.
So in week nine you can launchthe new projects in new, the new
system.
Week 10, you'll start movingover active projects from the
old system.
Week 11, aim to complete theactive project migration.
And then week 12, you keep theold system accessible, but it's
archived.

(05:51):
Then let's talk about apotential measurement plan.
So weekly you're gonna belooking at percentage of
projects in the new system,monthly look at efficiency
comparisons against the oldbaseline, and then quarterly
your team and clientsatisfaction levels.
With this kind of structuredapproach, a team could
potentially achieve strongadoption within 90 days.

(06:13):
They might even see significantimprovements like reducing
project coordination time by 30%by the end of their transition
phase.
Remember, this is just onepossible way to tackle this kind
of change.
Every firm's journey will lookdifferent based on their
specific needs and challenges.
This week, you can start tobuild your own implementation
roadmap.
Head to fiery effects.com/chooseand download the worksheet.

(06:36):
Pick your next software projectand fill it out.
Focus on these key elements.
Who owns the implementation?
Name, a specific person.
What are the distinct phaseswith clear timeframes?
Who needs trading on what andwhen?
How will workflows change andhow will you transition them?

(06:57):
What metrics will indicatesuccess?
Remember, the best software inthe world will fail without a
solid implementation plan, buteven average software can
transform your business whenimplemented With intention and
clarity, next week we'll tackleone of the most challenging
aspects of softwareimplementation.
Getting your team on boardwithout triggering a mutiny.

(07:19):
We'll discuss change managementstrategies that actually work in
a creative environment likekitchen and bath design.
If this episode helps clarifyyour implementation approach,
share it with another designprofessional who's experiencing
a software transition.