The new system goes live. Emails have been sent, training sessions delivered, dashboards in place. On paper, the project is complete.
But in practice, adoption tells a different story. Staff are still using spreadsheets on the side, reports don’t align, workarounds creep in, and the new system is quickly labelled an IT exercise rather than a tool that makes work easier.
The technology works and the project closes. Yet the change doesn’t land.
The issue isn’t the system. It’s how the change is approached.
Why Projects Keep Falling Short
Most IT projects don’t fail because of the tech, they fail because people weren’t brought along as part of the journey.
At Nucleo we find that change is often treated as an afterthought. Templates get produced, comms go out but by then, decisions have already been made, and staff are expected to adapt to a system they didn’t have a say in, resulting in resistance, disengagement, and “benefits” that never materialise.
Why Involvement Matters
Change reshapes daily work. If people feel it’s being imposed, they’ll naturally push back. Not because they’re against progress, but because they don’t see themselves as part of the solution.
When we involve people early in workshops, testing, or feedback, the dynamic shifts. The conversation moves from “Why do we have to do this?” to “How do we make this work best for us?”
That sense of ownership is what turns compliance into adoption. It also creates trust as people adapt faster when they understand the why behind the change and see their input reflected in the outcome.
How to Implement Change That Your People Will Support
From our experience with clients, the projects that succeed usually share a few things in common:
- Involve stakeholders early
Don’t wait until go-live. Early engagement shapes solutions people believe in. - Make sponsorship visible
Leadership buy-in isn’t just about sign-off -it shows staff the initiative matters and that support will be there. - Explain the ‘why’
Technical updates don’t inspire action. Your people need to hear why change is happening, how it links to strategy, and how it links to the bigger picture. - Show progress quickly
Quick wins prove value and build momentum. They show that change makes work easier, not harder. - Support, coach and celebrate
Training isn’t a one-off. Ongoing support and recognising small successes keeps confidence high and ensures new ways of working last.
Working with people might feel like it takes more time upfront. But it pays back quickly: fewer delays, stronger adoption, and outcomes that align with business goals.
Beyond Go-Live
At Nucleo, we believe the success of IT projects isn’t defined at go-live. It’s defined by whether people use the system, trust it, and see value in it.
Change doesn’t happen to people. It happens with them. And when it does, projects don’t just get delivered they make a lasting difference for the organisation as a whole.