How Long Does It Take To Implement iOFFICE’s Facility Management Software?

by Angela Burkett on December 2, 2019
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You’ve made the decision to invest in iOFFICE’s facility management software—a smart move that will benefit your workplace for years to come.

While you’re eager to see a return on your investment, you might be wondering how long it will take to implement our software, especially if you’ve been through another software implementation before.

Although the implementation timeline may vary depending on the extent of the project and the size of your organization, here’s a realistic look at what you can expect.

How Long Does It Take To Implement Our Facility Management Software?

In our most recent TechValidate survey, 52% of customers said it took less than five months to implement iOFFICE.

Within the past year, we’ve made some significant changes to our software implementation process to make it even more efficient, including adding new data migration technology, as well as data integration specialists and a project manager for larger implementations.

While every organization’s needs are unique, our scalable implementation process is built to ensure success for companies of all sizes and complexities.

A standard facility management software implementation is often completed within three months, while one that requires more customization may take a few more months.

And if your organization is very large, with 4 million square feet or more or multiple data sources, you should plan for your facility management software implementation to take at least six months.

In a typical iOFFICE implementation, there are three phases:

  • Gather
  • Build
  • Review

The first part of the project, the data-gathering phase, is what will likely take the most time for your organization. Once you’ve gathered all your data, the iOFFICE team is responsible for the majority of the build-out. Your team will also need time to review workflows. Because iOFFICE is so easy to use, administrator training is minimal—about an hour. However, you’ll need to make sure key people and users receive the training they need.

What Can We Do To Ensure Smooth Facility Management Implementation?

While our team has taken many steps to make the facility management software implementation process as painless as possible, there are a few things your team can do as well.

Here are nine quick tips for ensuring a smooth implementation:

1. Get Buy-In From The Right People

You’ll need support from several crucial people within your organization, including leaders in facilities management team, HR and IT. For instance, you will need to gather employee data from your HR department, who may be reluctant to share it if they don’t understand how it will be used. It’s also critical to have buy-in from your leadership team, who can help the rest of your organization understand how it fits into the larger business objectives.

2. Gather Your Floor Plans

Before you can start loading information into iOFFICE, you’ll need the most recent versions of your floor plans. If you use a computer-aided design system, such as AutoCAD or Revit, you’ll need to export your drawings from there.

3. Get Your Data In Order

You’ll also need some critical workplace data, including:

  • The names and location of every employee
  • The name and location of every building and number of floors
  • The names of every type of space (meeting room, private office, etc.)

As you gather this information, you might notice some of it isn’t uniformly labeled. For instance, private offices in one location might be called executive suites somewhere else. Before you move forward, take the time to clean up your data and make sure everything has consistent labels. This will make it much easier to find information later.

Discover how Adobe improved space utilization, starting with re-classifying its spaces.

4. Assign A Project Manager

Your team will need an implementation manager to work directly with our implementation manager, overseeing the technical details of the project. If your project is larger, you should also assign a project manager who can track down key information and individuals, ensuring everything stays on track.

5. Have a Strategy For Communicating With Your Implementation Manager

Depending on the size of your project, you may have several team members involved, all joining the weekly meetings and communicating with your implementation manager. To avoid confusion or conflicting information, designate one primary contact who will be responsible for communicating with the IM. If other team members have questions, they should check in with that person, who can consult with the IM if needed.

6. Set SMART Implementation Goals

You may already have expectations about your project timeline, based on a big upcoming initiative or goals your leadership team has discussed. To avoid setting an arbitrary launch date and missing it, talk about what’s realistic given your team’s time and resources. Then work backwards to determine what milestones you need to meet to stay on schedule. Your iOFFICE implementation manager can help with this.

7. Schedule Time On Your Calendar Each Week For Implementation Tasks

In addition to setting aside time for weekly meetings, make sure you also allow time to prepare for and follow up after each meeting. Blocking out the time on your calendar in advance will ensure you leave enough time to get everything done without overextending yourself.

8. Involve Your Team

Even if you have a relatively small project, there’s a lot of data that will need to be collected and reviewed. Trying to tackle it all yourself can slow things down—so get help! Interns can collect data. Someone from another department can review it. Delegating some of these responsibilities will keep your implementation moving forward.

9. Let Us Guide You

Not sure which options to give users when they select move tasks or how to configure other modules? Let us help! Our team has completed hundreds of facility management software implementations and can offer guidance on best practices.

And keep in mind, you can always make changes later, after your software is live and you’ve had some experience using it.

How To Ensure Success After Implementation

Implementing any facility management software is a big undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be painful or stressful. With the right people, the right data and proper planning, you’ll be able to reach your targets and achieve a return on your investment in no time.

After your software is live, our team can provide resources to help you train your team and manage the transition. We’ll share more advice on change management in an upcoming post—so stay tuned!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Angela Burkett

As the Director of Product Engagement, Angela Burkett is dedicated to one thing: ensuring that every iOFFICE customer has a rewarding experience with the platform.

Capterra Ratings: ★★★★★ 4.5/5