Plan who does whaPlan who does what,t, HHavave a re a roadmap foadmap for or when.when. ongoing opongoing optimizatimization.tion. It may seem like a small thing, but the part of the implementation With such a large and important piece of software as a CDP, that can be the most difficult is including the right people. Here are you cannot just “set it and forget it.” You need to continually some tips to help you know who to include on your implementation monitor performance, usage, and adoption. Platforms with a team: good analytics suite will provide operational and functional metrics. Analyzing this data will help you identify issues and • Who would benefit the most from a CDP? You want each of make improvements as needed. your end-user and key stakeholder groups to be represented. That could include marketing, sales, IT, legal, or communications Having a partner with the expertise to provide technical teams. solutions, keep you apprised of upcoming enhancements, • Talk to each of them. If you are unsure who would best represent and help you implement those changes is crucial in evaluating each of those groups, it is a good idea to ask the team leader. any new functionality and how it will impact your usage of This connection not only brings them into the conversation and the platform. They can also help you gather and assess user assures their buy-in, but they may know of upcoming work or feedback. Even your “internal” customers want to feel special. personality traits that would make one person a better choice for Asking for their feedback will help with user adoption. your implementation team. • Get people excited. Your implementation team members are The most effective way to manage the ongoing usage and also your best advocates. Make them feel like they are a part adoption of any piece of software is to assign an administrator. of something special. Make sure they understand that their This is a person who is primarily responsible for the ongoing involvement is a developmental opportunity. health and well-being of the software. Ideally, this person • Communication is critical with your implementation team understands both the day-to-day usage and challenges as members and their leaders. Everyone needs to understand the well as the long-term goals and opportunities of the software. expectations and responsibilities of being on the team. A RACI plan is critical for implementation success. RACI stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. You may also use another format to determine the different roles on the team. Whatever format you use, each team member must understand their role and the roles of all team members and stakeholders. You don’t want someone who is only an informed party to think they have responsibilities for any parts of the process. s stittitch.cch.cx x || 18 18