Tips on Managing Legacy Employees when Implementing Epic

(Originally posted on LinkedIn)

Change is always challenging for any organization, especially during an implementation. It’s important that your legacy employees feel supported and are able to collaborate effectively with outside consultants. Here are a few tips to drive legacy employee engagement.

1.    Stay organized

During a new Epic implementation, it is easy to lose sight of your day to day tasks when focusing on the bigger picture. Make sure that there is a concrete plan set in place and that everybody sticks to it to the best of their abilities. When bringing on consultants for the implementation, make sure that your legacy employees are learning from them so all of the new information doesn’t leave with the consultants.

2.    Transparency is key

You want to make sure your entire team is on the same page when implementing Epic. Your legacy IT staff was there from the beginning, so you want to make sure that they are in the loop with everything from the project timeline to the staffing efforts that the project requires. If there are no surprises, and everybody still feels like a vital piece of the puzzle, things will run more smoothly.

3.    Invest in Your Legacy Employees

Implementations sometimes take years to complete so it is important to invest in your legacy employees during this time. Consultants are brought onboard with all of this knowledge that your legacy employees don’t necessarily have – yet! Invest in the people that have been there from the beginning by introducing them to Epic and having them learn as much as possible so they can do the job themselves once consultants leave.