No one can completely control their destiny. When I find myself implementing a system I didn’t choose, my initial reaction might be to find every little error as a launching point for complaint. As the representative of this system for my clients, they’ll feed off that influence, making both of our jobs that much more difficult.
That said, a blindly optimistic approach could possibly be more damaging, both for myself as the shill and for my relationships with those that once put their trust in my judgment.
I’ve found toeing that line of optimistic honesty starts with me:
- Getting involved in the setup process and understanding why decisions were made
- Being honest with my clients about expectations and not overselling
- Allowing myself and my clients take an appropriate amount of ownership of the project
I spoke on this topic specifically relating to the implementation of PeopleSoft at Pepperdine University at the 2007 Conference for Law School Computing.
