Minimising business impact when upgrading your case management system

Will today’s technology work for tomorrow? 

Considering the rapid rate of innovation in the software field, using outdated technology in business comes with lot of pain and frustration – not to mention costs much higher than expected. Software upgrades are unavoidable in enterprise systems. Business reasons sometimes mandate upgrading current case management systems; responding to customer expectations and conforming with government regulations can require new functionality. Although there are a couple of reasons not to change the software (possibly the biggest being inertia), many organisations can no longer afford to incur the high cost of downtime, system unavailability and security vulnerability and therefore, must perform such upgrades.  

A major challenge for any organisation is how to perform the upgrade without system disruption and with minimum impact over the business. 

OpenSky have provided numerous scalable, sustainable and future-proofed upgrades and replacements of obsolete case management systems to both Government and Large Private Enterprises for 15 years.  Here are the key insights on driving operational efficiency & minimising the business impact when upgrading your system; 

1. Prepare an Upgrade Plan  

Do your homework. We know it sounds so obvious, but we cannot stress the importance of planning.  A well-prepared upgrade plan, consisting of what exactly needs to be done, what steps are to be followed by the organisation and by the vendor and the expected completion date – will help you save lot of energy and money during the actual process.  Planning will ensure maximised ROI and minimal system disruption. 

2. Check Compatibility 

Most businesses are built around a set of processes. The software that enables this exchange may come from multiple vendors addressing different parts of the business. 

Software compatibility is a critical component of the upgrade process. Therefore, before upgrading, check the new version to ensure that it can operate with peer and dependent softwares within the organisation. 

3. Choose the Right Tools 

Choose the tools carefully which you plan to invest in – as these will form the foundation of the strategy of your organisation. Appropriate tools will help you achieve your organisation’s full potential and play a crucial role in the ability to achieve operational efficiency and increase ROI. 

4. Define Clear Expectations & Future Proofing 

When considering migrating to a modern case management system, it can be a challenge to anticipate and prioritise every single software requirement. Even after all the current business requirements have been identified, you can’t ignore the certainty that the requirements will evolve as the business evolves.  Future proof planning is an essential part of planning for a new software system – only software designed to be extensible, customisable and tailor made, can support upcoming needs. 

“Although there are a couple of reasons not to change the software (possibly the biggest being inertia), many organisations can no longer afford to incur the high cost of downtime, system unavailability and security vulnerability and therefore, must perform such upgrades.”

5. Perform a Pre and Post Upgrade Test 

Prior to upgrading your existing system, ensuring the environment is ready for the upgrade is important and once the upgrade process is complete, the new system should be tested to ensure the upgrade did not have any unintended consequences. Forming a QA strategy is pivotal to ensuring the correct testing processes are executed.

6. Ensure End-User Adoption 

The adoption of modernised platforms and technologies is another important component to determine project success. Even if the new technology is performing incomparably better to the old one, lack of considerations for user needs can lead to failure. A strong partnership should be created between the end user and the implementation team to reduce risk and increase the adoption processes.  Well-designed software can ease adoption risk through learning tools, templates, pre-built modules and flexible design. 

7. Make a Strong Business Case 

Despite the major benefits you will experience from upgrading your software system, the investment required to implement the upgrade is significant and here lies the importance of presenting a comprehensive business case.  The business case should demonstrate performance improvements and positive impact across multiple areas of the organisation. Implementing workflow automations and modernising systems, enhances processes and reduces cost and effort while increasing business performance. 

8. Choose the Right Partner 

When considering investing in modernisation of your case management system, choosing the right partner with deep technical expertise, industry understanding, tools and methodologies – is essential for the success of the development project.  Furthermore, choosing a partner with business expertise is equally (if not more) important, to equip you with the multitude of scenarios and eventualities that lie ahead of such undertaking such an extensive project. 

According to several studies conducted by Microsoft, 49% of businesses state that new technology has been a key factor in allowing them to grow and modernise their legacy software systems, reducing their business operational costs by 13%.  Case management system upgrade, although challenging, has the potential to deliver great value to any organisation. 

An effective upgrade does not end with a single migration project – continuous evolution should be the goal of any organisation in maintaining their system for process automation. It is essential to keep software systems up to date to enhance organisational performance and drive productivity. Up to date software ensures that critical and sensitive business information remains secure, decreasing risks of security breaches and reputation damage. 

About OpenSky

As Ireland’s Only Govtech digital transformation specialist, we deliver future-proofed citizen access and operational efficiency.  

Our Govtech business expertise has transformed over 50 public sector bodies in Ireland & the UK.  Within transport, waste, housing & health, our systems impact 2.5m people every day & manage 100m digital transactions every month in Government. 

Taking a Customer-Centric approach, we equip government teams with scalable and sustainable citizen platforms, shared digital business process information systems, legacy system modernisation and data management services. 

Our expertise & approach provides our clients with a path towards increased cost-efficiency, reduced risk of investment and superior citizen services. 

Working with the best technologies & MS Gold Certified Partners, we have 15 years of digitising processes, connecting citizens – building a safer nation. 

If you’re considering a system upgrade or replacement and have questions which need answering, we welcome the opportunity to speak with you to discuss how we might direct and help you find a match for your requirements.