Briefing team members about a hardware rollout
Everyone would like to think that a hardware rollout to team members will be a piece of cake, but it is an activity that needs coordinating, and anyone affected by this seemingly simple change will have more questions than you might realise. Things like:
How do I need to set it up? How long will this take?
Will I need to reinstall all that software I had that I desperately need for my job and use every day?
What about my browser favourites - will I lose those?
What do I do with the old device? Can I keep it and give it to my son/daughter/mother-in-law?
Why do I even need a new device - I like the one I have!
…………and that list will go on……………….
Don’t assume that everyone will be simply enthusiastic about a new bit of kit. The reality is that a. not everyone is excited about change and b. there are a LOT of very real practical considerations that must be addressed when communicating with a team about a change like this.
Even the word ‘hardware’ needs to be clarified - do you mean laptop, and monitor, and peripherals, and mobile device? Or just the laptop?
For a change such as this, I would recommend the following pieces of communication collateral:
A briefing delivered face-to-face or using video conference, supported by a set of slides. This can be delivered in one go to all users who are affected, or delivered in smaller batches by team leaders or managers of a certain cohort
An email issued about 1 week before rollourt starts, to remind them what is coming
An email to issue right before their hardware will be issued, to remind them when they can expect it, where it can be collected from, and what they need to do
An email to issue about 2 weeks after their hardware has been issued and setup, to remind them to return their old device for decommissioning and how they do that
Of all these, the most important is the briefing. Take the time to prepare a briefing deck which can be delivered to the team in advance of the rollout starting, giving everyone affected the opportunity to absorb the information and ask questions. Do not use this as an opportunity to ‘sell’ the idea to your team members - this is not a marketing exercise and you are not there to get them excited about what is to come. This briefing should be designed to provide attendees with facts about what is changing, what they will need to do as part of making the change, and when they can expect things to happen. Most importantly, it should provide some space for questions - do not shy away from leaving space for this, even if you inwardly fear backlash or questions you don’t know the answers to.
To help with this, I have a set of slides on a plain slide deck that you can use to get you going - download using the button below.