VEST-Ware Store (Value Extraction from Systems and Technology)

(read the good stuff below or go straight to the demo)

Companies have literally spent billions on software designed to make their organizations more productive. But many of these technology investments have never been "Vested." That is, the organization has never "received full value from their investment."

Think about your pension plan … you want it vested so that you may receive full value. So must organizations vest their software. VEST (value extraction from systems and technology) is now a critical imperative for organizations attempting to become more productive through information systems and technology.

Many efforts to make productive changes in the way organizations do business have failed at the individual worker level. Despite noble efforts to communicate the essence of the change, to training workers on any software associated with the change, many workers are left without clear guidance about their specific tasks in the new, changed way of doing business. The problem is particularly acute when a new computer application is at the heart of the change.

In short, workers are given an idea of the direction of change, operating instructions for the software that accompanies the change but are left to “sort out their specific tasks and roles on their own. Some workers figure it out quickly, others take time and others never figure it out at all. And worker and company productivity suffer during the “figuring it out period” while worker anxiety increases and morale plummets.

We have found that a specific work process guide, customized for individual workers, can be an invaluable tool as the last step in Change Management. The guide (i.e., what we call VEST-Ware) is an organized combination of specific work tasks in order, roles and responsibilities, and precise computer steps.

The Problem When Change Efforts Involve the Computer

Figure 1 shows the net result of many change efforts at the worker level; the worker is left with only a vague idea about exactly what his new task will be after the change along with considerable uncertainty about how the new computer application fits in.

Figure 2 shows what we call VEST-Ware, a tangible Work Process Guide, that makes a solid connection between the computer application and the work to be done by the worker.

VEST-Ware becomes:

• the guide to doing work
• the ultimate control on computer use with regard to the work process, and
• the final training tool that enables employees to use the computer in day-to-day work.
  

It is a primary tool for keeping the workers’ attention focused on the work, not the computer, which is simply one of many useful tools. (See Figure 3.) VEST-Ware:

• defines the work process or problem,
• describes the action steps necessary to complete the entire work process or problem, and
• incorporates operating instructions (i.e., computer/software terminology) in those action steps.

Our VEST-Ware Method for Developing Work Process Guides

The VEST-Ware development process has four main thrusts:

• analysis of work processes and selection of computer resources,
• implementation and writing of VEST-Ware procedures,
• training, and
• evaluation.

(click here for a detailed VEST-Ware Method)

Our VEST-Ware Services

Our services are available in three formats:

1. VEST-Ware Workshops to Teach and Develop Work Process Guides

	a.		Our VEST-Ware Workshop provides comprehensive coverage of all the key tools and concepts you will need to start producing Work Process Guides for your organization.
	b.		Our Workshop can be conducted in your organization and be focused on any change initiative you specify. You can determine the length of the workshop (two to five days) to include the development of multiple Work Process Guides that can be put to immediate use in your organization.
	c.		Our Workshops will be led by a VEST-Ware expert who has worked in the field for more that 15 years, creating Work Process Guides for Fortune 50 companies.

2. VEST-Ware Planning Services for Change Management

	a.		We can work with your organization’s change leadership team to identify the best places for use of Work Process Guides and to identify the specific requirements for those Guides.
	b.		We will then work with your organization to develop a project and resources plan for completing VEST-Ware development and testing to align with the master schedule of your change initiative.
	c.		Based on the project plan, we will help your change leaders develop a financial requirements and rationale document for use with the sponsors of your company’s change initiative.

3. VEST-Ware Development for Key Positions/Tasks

	a.		We can provide the resources needed on the ground in your firm to produce any or all of the Work Process Guides needed for your change initiative. We will work side by side with your work subject matter experts as well as your Information Technology professionals to ensure that VEST-Ware content is accurate and complete.
	b.		Our VEST-Ware services will focus first on the key jobs and tasks that will be at the heart of change success for your organization. Our services can be started and stopped at will as your organization builds its internal competence in building and test Work Process Guides.
	c.		Based on the project plan, we will help your change leaders develop a financial requirements and rationale document for use with the sponsors of your company’s change initiative.

Visit Our Other Stores

		Holland & Davis VEST-Ware Contact For more information on how your organization’s Change Management success can be improved with Work Process Guides, contact Joe Kazen, VEST-Ware Practice Leader. Joe can even arrange a more-detailed demo for qualified inquiries.
		Joe Kazen, 713-877-8130.

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