A solution can be delivered but the true measure of its success is the extent to which it is used.
A lot of Business Analysts rejoice when the solution is implemented. But that is just the beginning, nothing is achieved until the employees stop using spreadsheets in place of ERP or customers get to a landing page and leave after their first visit to your mobile application.
Among your tasks as a Business Analyst (BA) is to confirm that the business solution is meeting its Goals. How do you recognize if the solution being adopted is making a positive contribution to the business, is tracking and measuring it.
Here is a stepwise approach of how to measure user adoption as Business Analyst.
Step 1: Define What “User Adoption” Means
First, you need to determine what success will look like before you can measure anything.
User adoption doesn’t only mean users is currently accessing the system. It means users is using the solution every day to be productive and have stopped doing their job the old way.
Ask stakeholders questions like:
- What behaviors indicate successful adoption?
- Which business processes should users perform in the new system?
Never delay defining adoption metrics until after deployment. Make them a part of your success criteria during requirements gathering.
Step 2: Identify Who Should Adopt the Solution
Given that no two users use the system equally.
Create user groups or personas such as:
- Managers
- Employees
- Customers
- Vendors
- Support Teams
- For each group, identify:
- Expected tasks
- Frequency of use
- Business objectives
This ensures you are measuring the appropriate behaviors for the appropriate audience.
Step 3: Define Key Adoption Metrics
Adoption can be measured by different KPIs such as
1. User Activation:
It requires measuring Users enrollments, Accounts activation, First login
for example 500 users intensioned, 480 accounts joined, Activation Rate = 96%
Active Users
Monitor the number of users accessing the system on a daily basis by keeping track of Daily Active Users (DAU), Weekly Active Users (WAU), Monthly Active Users (MAU) for example 480 activated users, 420 users that use the system weekly etc.
Feature Adoption
Check if users are trying to use core features. Low features usage can often point to problems of usability or of inadequate training.
Task Completion
Determine how many users are completing certain business processes e.g Expense claims submitted, Purchase requests approved, Customer tickets resolved. The point is not launching the app-it’s doing the work.
Step 4: Measure Business Process Adoption
Business Analysts should focus on process adoption and not system adoption
For example:
- Prior to Purchase:95% of invoices approved by e-mail
- Post implementation: 90% through workflow automation approved
What we’ve got from the example is true adoption.
Step 5: Gather User Feedback
Why users will behave like they will is as important as how they will behave. User interviews, Surveys, Focus groups, Observation sessions, Feedback forms etc.
Questions to ask:
- Which tasks are easiest?
- Which tasks take too long?
- What features do you avoid?
- What would improve your experience?
Provides qualitative data accounting for the quantitative measures.
Step 6: Compare Adoption Against Business Objectives
Always link your adoption metrics to the reasons for the investment in the first place.
Example:
- Business Goal: Take the purchase approval time from 5 days to 2 days.
- Result: 1.8 days for approval was achieved on average.
Here it showcase both adoption and business impact.
Step 7: Recommend Continuous Improvements
User adoption is not a one-time metric. The Business Analyst should keep track of the adoption and recommend enhancements. The goal is ongoing improvement rather than the implementation of a system.
Conclusion
Your role as a Business Analyst is much more than gathering requirements and assisting in deployment; it is to prove that the solution delivers business value-and that only occurs when it isused.
If this stepwise approach followed, the scenerio moves from simply asking ‘Did we deliver the system?’ to answering the more important question:
Are users adopting the solution, adopting their usage behavior and helping the business meet it’s objective?
By regularly measuring adoption and improving it, you are a strategic Business Analysta change agent, not only a project implementer.
