A successful implementation involves a plan to address the people business issues that result. Through process redesigns and technology applications, technical people, often consultants from outside the organization, have control over decisions and actions that shape the organization. Employees may feel a loss of control. New technology implementation, perhaps more so than any other type of change, demands that employees develop specialized skills. Employees will typically face a steep learning curve to keep up with the new technology.
People have to be able and willing to climb both curves at the same time.
If technical training is not conducted and changes in processes, work, jobs, etc. are not coordinated, productivity can grind to a halt. Once new skills have been developed, these employees become key to the organization. At the same time, retaining them becomes a challenge, as they may be sought after by other organizations involved in similar technology implementations. New technology implementations are distinctive in the breadth of change they cause in the organization even the culture of the organization is changed. Care must be taken to coordinate and communicate all the elements, recognizing that addressing the people business issues is critical to the long-term effectiveness of the new technology.