Thanks to the seamless online experiences that private sector banking, shopping, and entertainment companies provide, now more than ever, users in both the private and public sectors have high expectations for efficient user experiences and reliable workplace productivity.
And yet Federal agencies have relied on a patchwork approach to their systems and data, cobbling together numerous decades-old, disconnected systems that are difficult to maintain and pose security risks to the agencies and the people they serve. To address these concerns, organizations are engaging software development and integration companies to launch development, modernization, and enhancement (DME) initiatives.
Acquisition.gov defines DME as "the portion of an IT investment/project which deals with developing and implementing new or enhanced technology in support of an agency's mission." Together, these companies and organizations are working to build robust systems that are scalable, easier to maintain, and secure. These efforts are in addition to the ongoing operations and maintenance (O&M) required to keep existing legacy systems afloat until they can be decommissioned.
For companies assisting an organization to move from a failing legacy system to a modernized, streamlined system, their sole focus is on developing the required technology and ensuring it works as anticipated. Rarely, if ever, do these companies consider the people who will use this technology after deployment and beyond. In fact, how people will be affected is often an afterthought.
But people will be impacted by this new technology:
- Do they find the legacy system frustrating? Possibly. But do they know about this new system the agency is developing and how it will change their day-to-day processes?
- Do they know why the organization is embarking on this DME initiative?
- Do they even want this new system?
- Are they involved in the development process to provide insight on how this system will be used in real life?
- Do plans exist to help ensure that they get the training they need so that they are ready to use this new system on the deployment date?
- And after the system is deployed, what plans are in place to reinforce training, keep training current, and keep them abreast of system enhancements in the future?
The success of an organization’s DME initiatives hinges on these three factors:
- Speed: How quickly people are up and running on new systems, processes, and job roles.
- Buy-in: How many people demonstrate buy-in by using the new system.
- Proficiency: How proficient people are at using the system.
Often, after solidifying resources to develop the technology, project managers and sponsors will look to engage a single communications specialist who will be responsible for communicating about and promoting the technology to users and other stakeholders. Usually, the communications specialist is engaged too late in the development process. And the fact is communications alone will not address the three factors above adequately.
