Sightings in SaaS

Writing the OneWorld Implementation book has helped me to remember so many instances of client interactions where we talked past each other that I thought the subject worthy of a blog post. Actually, understanding each other’s language is often as difficult for an American implementation professional and business person as it is for two people who have completely different tongues. Take the simple example of how NetSuite treats individual 1099 contractors who need to use the Employee Center for time and expense entry. NetSuite sets these up as Employees, with the Type set to Contractor. But without this further explanation, the client often thinks you are suggesting that they change 1099s to employees. If they don’t mention the confusion immediately, it can cause some confusion. How can it be so hard and how do we make it easier?

The difficulty comes from our deep immersion in the software. We tend to adopt the language of the software and as a result we stop seeing the forest for the trees. And the implementation consultant is just as guilty as the client of this, though they often portray themselves as innocent since they represent the new software. Lack of clear understanding is however the fault of all in the conversation, so implementers need to get off of their high horse and make just as much effort to bridge the gap as the client.

But the need for a common vocabulary, while real, also points to a larger problem. You might be skimming the surface.  At the outset of the project this is understandable since we must necessarily start at the top and work our way into the business model step by step. As our discussion goes deeper we should be discussing the business model at a more fundamental level. There should be less need for a common vocabulary if we are hitting the key processes/tasks of the business properly. In fact, it is sometimes the lack of a common vocabulary that leads the discussion further until both sides, client and implementer, have a clear idea of how the organization operates today and how it might operate in the future.

Eventually, the discussion must settle on a common vocabulary. It’s important that the implementation consultant take the time to explain their terminology, and thereby start the client toward a full understanding of the system. But getting to this point takes some patience and the understanding that while the client may not know the new terminology, that does not mean they do not understand their business. After you sort out the incongruities in the discussion you see very soon that the client easily adapts to the new vocabulary and you move forward together.

The main point is that when you run into the proverbial ‘blank stare’ take a moment to explain the terms of the discussion to each other. You can save a lot of time and energy by simply knowing and expecting up front that there is not a single business language that everyone understands.