Making a purchase choice, or choices in general, can be very stressful and may cause decision fatigue. Do not let your guard down and make hasty decisions out of exhaustion, it can lead to poor decisions and real consequences for the company.
In this article, we’re going to look at ideas on how to make and take the steps necessary to avoid making hasty and costly decisions out of fatigue before and during your MIS or W2P implementation.
Choosing new software to run an important part of your business is a decision that should not be taken lightly, or rushed through without proper thought and evaluation. It’s easy to be overwhelmed with options, choices and questions. Ultimately, it is a decision that must be weighed, and analyzed carefully.
Software and Data Runs A Business
We work with a lot of Printers and Mailers, and a common thread we see is the importance of having good data. This leads to better decision making, since these companies have a clear view of all the important aspects of their business. This is all possible due to their modern, and updated MIS systems. Software runs on data, and data runs your business. Your operators are making valuable decisions every moment, and for that, they need good data. If data isn’t entirely clear to understand or is hard to access or gather, then a software upgrade might be in order. It is crucial to have a system in place which allows decision making to be a lot easier and faster process. Being able to quickly assign tickets, automatically send out order updates and calculate order costs to customers will drastically cut down overall production time, giving the operator more time to focus on more tasks during the day. Having a cluttered program slowing down business operations has long term consequences, and may give the competition the upper hand.
Stay Focused On Implementation
Should the decision be made to implement a new MIS or W2P system, or upgrade an existing one, focus on possible what-if scenarios to prepare your business for possible delays in getting your new system up and running. Most important of all, uninterrupted time must be dedicated in order to fully focus on the implementation process without any distractions. Hasty decisions made out of decision fatigue significantly raises the risk of breaking a piece of workflow by making it incompatible with the new system. Always make sure your data and workflow is able to be upgraded or compatible with a new system. This is why a clear and focused mind overseeing the implementation process can spot potential problems. Remove outdated workflows that don’t serve the business anymore, and don’t start other projects that distract work required for the implementation.
Avoid Decision Fatigue
Assign a team to the implementation process, schedule deadlines and stick to them. It can make the process easier and less stressful if you break it down into multiple steps. Those who are implementing the new system are making important long term decisions every step of the way. By overloading them with options, or cramming too much information in at once, hasty decisions can be made which may hinder the implementation process.
Create an environment where choices can be made without having to worry about decision fatigue. Take things one step at a time. Only then will the implementation process go smoothly and according to the needs of the company.
Build a Team
By creating a small committee, and assigning a clear product champion for the implementation process, you can gather valuable advice from different perspectives. Some key points which may have never been thought up before can be brought forward and looked at from all angles.
This helps break up a large project into smaller bite-sized pieces for your team to digest.
How to Handle Decision Fatigue
If you start to feel decision fatigue coming on, stop, take a step back, and think things through slowly. Ask a team member for a second opinion, and get their opinion. A small team can easily remove the risk of decision fatigue. By having a group of people voice their opinions, you gather valuable intel and can break up the entire implementation process into small chunks – rather than taking it all upon yourself. Overall, it is important to remain focused on the goal: improving an outdated workflow or system. With great effort comes great rewards, and always think things through to their fullest.
Some companies may be unable to form a team to work on the implementation process. If this is the case, feel free to ask the software provider for any assistance. Most companies offer professional services that can ease the burden of implementing a new MIS or W2P system.
