Recently a large organization that was looking at deploying a unified communication solution for 43,000 people asked me to share some key lessons we have learned through other UC deployments.
I thought I would share a quick version of the lessons with you as well.
The 8 UC lessons are:
Lesson 1: Unified communications is really just a communication solution.
Lesson 2: If you don't know the business objectives then you will never achieve them
Lesson 3: Unified Communications can be confusing and it can be complicated.
Lesson 4: While UC can save organizations money and improve productivity, it might not do so for your organization.
Lesson 5: Not everything integrates with everything else.
Lesson 6: If you don't know the tradeoffs you are making you likely don't understand your solution.
Lesson 7: Piloting technology is good. Piloting user adoption is mandatory.
Lesson 8: In the end, a UC project is just a big project. Do all the standard project management stuff.
Lesson 1: Unified communications is really just a communication solution.
Far too much time has been spent worrying about the exact definition of UC. Let's face it, every vendor has been trying to define UC in a way that favors their products. Mobile companies make UC all about mobile devices; software companies make it all about software (and treat phones as obsolete); network companies make the foundation for everything UC built on the network.
The exact definition is irrelevant and shifts focus from the key important issue. Time should instead be spent figuring out how a UC (or communication solution) will improve your business.
Lesson 2: If you don't know the business objectives then you will never achieve them
Too many UC projects (and too many projects in general) have no defined objectives or "objectives" that are so vaguely defined they provide no value.
To be valuable, objectives need to be measurable and achievable.
If you plan to improve productivity, you need to be able to quantify and measure current productivity, quantify and measure future productivity and define the amount of improvement you plan to achieve.
If you plan for a UC solution to reduce travel costs, you need to identify by how much and over what time line.
Lesson 3: Unified Communications can be confusing and it can be complicated.
If you are not a little bit confused or if you see UC as straightforward then you probably a) have never been involved in a UC project or b ) are under-estimating the time, resources and budget you will require.
Lesson 4: While UC can save organizations money and improve productivity, it might not do so for your organization.
Unified communications can definitely save organizations money. UC can save hard dollars related to travel, real estate, audio conferencing and others. UC can improve productivity and collaboration.
However, just because you found a case study online doesn't mean your organization will achieve the same savings or any savings.
If you are implementing UC to achieve specific objectives, you need to build a detailed business case that includes assumptions and variables relevant for your organization.
Let's face it, the posted case studies are self-selecting. No one posts a case study from a project that increased costs or decreased productivity but there are many mis-managed UC projects that did exactly that.
Lesson 5: Not everything integrates with everything else.
Vendors want to vend (aka sell). To do this they are happy to tell you that their round peg will fit into your existing square hole.
Often, even if they are trying to be truthful they do not know the truth. How many vendors have actually integrated their products with another vendors? This is why there are systems integrators.
If you are relying on multiple pieces fitting together nicely, don't talk to the vendors. Talk to actual customers who have implemented the exact same integration or talk to a systems integrator who has completed the exact same integration (and then talk to the customer they did it for.)
Lesson 6: If you don't know the tradeoffs you are making you likely don't understand your solution.
Every existing UC solution has issues and each possible option requires you to make tradeoffs. If you don't know what tradeoffs you are making by choosing a particular solution then you haven't done your homework.
Lesson 7: Piloting technology is good. Piloting user adoption is mandatory.
Almost every UC business case relies on your users actually using the new features. What if you invest in capabilities that your users find too difficult to use or simply choose not to use? The business case will tank.
Think about older video conferencing solutions that gather dust in the corner of meeting rooms.
When you pilot a solution, choose non IT pilot participants, capture usage and adoption metrics and survey the pilot users for feedback after the pilot. Use this data to adjust your business case as appropriate.
Lesson 8: In the end, a UC project is just a big project. Do all the standard project management stuff.
I do not believe that there is some special UC implementation methodology. A UC implementation project is simply a big, relatively complex project. A big project with lots of moving pieces that often involves many disparate groups in your organization.
Well defined objectives, a detailed project plan, clear roles and responsibilities, strong leadership, weekly status reports/meetings and all the normal and important project management tools become critical for success.
I would welcome your thoughts and feedback on these lessons.
Have additional lessons to add to the list? Please let me know.
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