Your client exists on two levels. They are first the individual or team who want to adopt your technology. For your technology to be a success at the client’s business, the tech has to integrate into the whole business and enhance its activities. Therefore as a whole, the business will change in some way as a result of your tech implementation; and the tech implementation is just a step on a path of wider integration between people, processes, systems and data (see right).

Along the way people who have no stake in your technology will be impacted in some way. People do not generally welcome externally imposed change, so the delivery team need to demonstrate in a positive way what good the change will make to stakeholders and the wider environment.

1. You’re selling them a product. They’re buying an outcome
2. You will change the way they work
3. New tech = resistance by people
4. Culture change = discomfort for clients/stakeholders
5. Vendor internal growing pains
6. Translation of understanding between vendor and client
7. Expectation setting – understanding from one party to another
8. Patience and problem solving beyond core client function required

The final outcome is what is most important. To ensure it is successful, successful testing is required – see the next page.