How to effectively transition and adapt to new technologies as a software engineer
This question was asked in a Google Developers Group (GDG) Aba community group chat, How do software engineers and developers handle transition of new technologies. Sometimes getting on board with new technologies can be difficult and scary for Developers. There are so many things Developers do in the projects that the thought of changing something could tumble the entire house of cards. It’s easy to think that implementing a new technology tool is only about making the technology work, but it is so much more.
Here are some change tips for each stage of the technology adoption curve. The five stages that describe the timing of technology adoption: Innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. Ready to implement new technologies in your projects? The transition strategy itself plays a big part in getting that return on investment.
How to create an effective transition plan
By the time you’ve decided on a new tool, Assuming you’ve already read through the documentation and chosen a tool that aligns well with your project’s needs, you are ready to start planning your transition in detail. These steps aren’t necessarily in order, and not every step applies equally to every project and implementation, but you may find some value in thinking over these points with your team or project manager.
Articulate an explanation for the change and share it with your Team /organization
Even beneficial change is sometimes stressful and isn’t always received positively at first. With this in mind, you should develop an explanation for why this transition is occurring and why it’s happening right now.
Show your reasoning: Articulate your argument in support of the new tool. What are the benefits from your perspective?
Explain “why now”: Talk about why this is the perfect time to make the switch, if applicable, or explain how you’ll smooth out the timing of the transition to minimize disruption.
Be prepared for a variety of responses: Some people may immediately recognize the value of the new system. Others may express concern or disappointment. Your team may also need more information or more time to adjust.
Plan time for adjustment: Implementation represents an adjustment for your entire team. By being understanding and giving your team opportunities to acclimate, you’re encouraging successful adoption.
Figure out what your transition needs
Think about past experiences: What went well with the last implementation your team experienced? What didn’t go well? What did you learn from it?
Ask your Other Developers: Some Devs may have tips and tricks to share from their experience while implementing. They may even be willing to share best practices. Remember that process change can be a significant factor, too, in planning your implementation and transition. Consider process changes Successfully managing change to processes requires careful planning.
Look over your workflows: What you did before will probably change. What’s new? What can you keep? Document and plan for any process improvements generated by your new software. If there are dependencies on your existing processes, you should plan for these adjustments, too. Avoid workflow surprises, if possible.
Plan for reporting changes: How will the new reporting process look after implementation? Forecast disruptions and changes to technical functionality Find out what functionality will change, be disrupted, or be added during the transition.
Dependencies: Anything that relies on the prior system, such as other software, should be replaced, migrated, or modified.
Downtime: Plan for continuity of service or for continuing projects that depend on the software, as applicable. If unplanned downtime is a possibility, decide how you will reduce the impact on your internal team and on users or customers.
New functionality: Will new features or functionality be available during implementation or after implementation is complete?
Changes to costs and resource use: Are the transition and/or the new system going to use resources differently? Will operations cost more or less after implementation?
Data transitions: If you are migrating data, is a new format needed? How will you preserve data integrity? Do you need to clean up or streamline your existing data during the migration?
Set realistic deadlines: Ensure enough time is set aside for you to be comfortable with the tool. monitor the transition and iterate as necessary As you start your implementation, be prepared to iterate.
Set benchmarks: As you plan your transition and begin the implementation process itself, you should be prepared to appropriately track your progress and measure how well you’re doing.
Develop a timeline: An approximate timeline can help you stay on track and estimate when you can expect implementation to be completed successfully.
Conclusion
Successful implementation of a new technology transitions tool never stops; it just scales back. There are always new features to talk about, product updates, and the occasional issue that has to be dealt with. A well-executed transition to new software tools will result in:
More buy-in: Fair or not, your teammates will probably judge the tool by how well this transition process goes.
Increased potential of your software : Give your plans a better chance of successfully reaching their potential for your project ideas.
Better user experience: For both internal stakeholders and customers, an effective implementation often means a much better UX and creates a better impression of your entire organization. But great transitions don’t happen accidentally—they’re planned. Once you have your end result in view, your organization is ready to start charting a route to get there.