Historically, the core focus of many IT Transformation teams has been on getting the technology, device, and software right. QA's Director of Digital Adoption, Tessa Swithenby, points to a real shift in customers' priorities to now focus on the user: "While the technology element remains paramount, the focus has moved to a far more 'user-centric' approach to transformations."

"As a result, communications, business engagement, learning, and support solutions have become as important as the new technology being implemented. For a successful and smooth transformation, we know we must manage the user expectations from the beginning to the end of the change process," adds Swithenby.

Ensuring users are fully informed and understand the "what, when, and how" and, furthermore, that they are ready to embrace change is a fundamental component of success. Through various training and support methods, QA ensures they understand and use the new technology to the best advantage, by creating interest, understanding, and capability in the user base.

QA's MACRO© Adoption model is outcome based, so conversations during early scoping are about understanding business needs. Such needs, for example, could be reducing travel costs and overcoming meeting-room problems. In this case, the "Adoption goal" would be to get users to work in new ways and ensure there is a change in their behaviours. The desired outcome is that they start to Skype when possible and suitable. This will result in reduced travel costs and more productive staff, with more effective and timely meetings.

Another important part of Adoption is not only to ensure we understand the adoption goals and possible targets, but also to discuss with our customers how we are going to measure adoption. We have a number of ways and normally involve system measurement activity with the likes of PowerBI, as well as through surveys and questionnaires to the business. The use of specific tools and when to measure is all discussed in early scoping. The important part of measurement is not only to understand whether the change of behaviour is taking place, but - if it isn't - to illuminate the need to deliver further learning interventions and measure again.

So wrap that up with some good communications to the users and strong engagement with the business to understand the goals of the different business areas and their user personas; some outcome-based, targeted training and support, and ongoing measurement, and it will be seen that the behavioural change and adoption to the new ways of working are really taking place.