The best budget is not going to succeed unless your employees do their part. You need to have staff onboard, not just for the budget itself, but also for the new budgeting solution.

This goes back to knowing your why –when you have a strong reason for making a strategic decision, like a tech investment, it is easier to communicate to others.

Remember that you are not the only one making the investment. Your staff will also be putting their time and resources into learning the new software. They will want to know that you are not bringing a solution that makes their job harder.

One way you can get staff on board is by involving them in the decision-making process. Once you know what your requirements are and why you want to upgrade, you can bring them into the fold. Consider:

• Asking for their opinion when evaluating several good options.
• Having select staff do UAT before the system is fully implemented and have them act as trainers and provide good word of mouth to other employees.
• Bringing staff into meetings with software providers so they can ask questions about their role in the process.
• Think about training options. Having someone sit down and show staff the ropes of a new system might work for some, but others require more time to adapt. Is there potential to provide ongoing support, like a video training series, or training manual with common questions?

Who do you need buy-in from and how can you ease the transition process further for them?