At some point in our careers, almost everyone has had to manage a project, whether we liked it or not. If you’re one of those lucky people, you know that a project’s success hinges on many factors. I’m going to walk you through some of those common factors and try answering the question, “How Long Does it take, to implement a franchise CRM system, a question that I am asked daily.
I don’t mean to be redundant, but here comes an answer that is very much like the first words uttered in my last blog post, when I described what a franchise CRM should cost. As was the case with cost, the same is true for time to implement. The answer to how long it should take is, IT DEPENDS! The reality is that your system’s implementation timeline depends on many things. Some of those are internal and within your control. Others though will depend on the quality of communication coming from your provider.
During my many years in franchise sales and consulting and now as President of FRM, I’ve gained a clear understanding of how projects like the adoption and implementation of new tools can be affected.
Time, Scope, Budget
These three pillars are cornerstones that determine the outcome and success of any project. If at any point any of these become more important than the others, then the whole project runs the risk of being thrown askew. Let me explain:
Time – simply put this is the number of hours, days, weeks, or months budgeted, to complete all, or a portion of a project
Scope – this describes the involvement of the project, or how large a portion of the project is, in relation to the overall finished product
Budget – everyone understands this one
Changing Variables
All projects have the capacity and propensity to change. Changes are completely normal and sometimes necessary, but along with those changes come shifts in budget, scope, and time, all of which could have an impact on quality. Every change in a project poses consequences to the quality, whether good or bad.
If a milestone for a task is missed, it may not seem like a big deal at that moment. But, downstream dependencies against that milestone could also be impacted, beginning a cascading effect that could cause strife. With projects that involve people as resources, to guide, train, and implement – time is money and should be respected accordingly.
Team Communication
In our experience, the number one reason projects become difficult to manage is because of poor communication or miscommunication between teams. Always “Begin with the End in Mind.” Having clarity of purpose and alignment internally and with your implementation team, will go a long way toward keeping timelines, deadlines and budgets intact.
So, Exactly How Long Does a Franchise Tool Implementation Take?
Well, back to that nagging question… it still just depends. In addition to all the above, it could depend too, on the complexity of your processes, on your requirements and any necessary customizations. It could also depend on the quality of data being migrated from previous sources, it all just depends. I can tell you this though, with certainty: A great partner will advise you of all this well in advance. A great partner will properly manage your expectations along the way. Sound familiar? It’s really no different than what you do when you guide and direct prospective franchisees through the maze of implementing your systems into their lives, as they become oriented into your franchised systems. How long does that take? The answer I’ll bet, IT JUST DEPENDS!
If you’re interested in learning and understanding what implementing a tool like FRM may look like, we’d be happy to walk you through the process. It’s based on your brand’s current needs and options for additions as you grow in the future. Email us at marketing@frmsolutions.com.
