0120. Securing Team Buy-In for Smartsheet Implementation in Biopharma: Strategies for Seamless Software Adoption

Struggling to secure team buy-in for Smartsheet adoption in a high-stakes, fast-paced environment? In this episode of Lean by Design, we explore the strategies that drive effective implementation in the intricate world of biopharma, where workflows are complex and evolving. Discover actionable insights to streamline processes, boost data transparency, and reduce administrative burdens, allowing teams to focus on what truly matters.

This episode delves into the steps needed to build a Smartsheet setup that scales and continues delivering value. With experience across more than 10,000 tailored workflows, the discussion highlights practical strategies that extend beyond Smartsheet and can be applied to other software and hardware solutions in any organization. The focus is on fostering a culture of accountability and efficiency, ensuring that projects remain aligned with organizational growth. Tune in to uncover the transformative potential of Smartsheet and how it can drive meaningful improvements in daily operations within biopharma.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:01

Thanks for joining us for another episode of Lean by Design podcast. I'm your host, oscar Gonzalez, and, in line with our short form content, I wanted to talk about something that I've noticed and I want to provide some value in to those out there in the biopharma and biotech workspaces. As you understand from my history some of you may or may not know I at first had been working through laboratories and academia, moving into the pharma space to where I then transitioned into project program management, and then we continued to spin out our own consulting firm that really looked at creating lean and efficient workflows within organizations, especially in the biopharma space. I have been working with the software Smartsheet in the biopharma space since about 2017. In that time, I have developed over 10,000 workflows. That time, I have developed over 10,000 workflows, dashboards, reports and solutions tailored specifically to the unique demands of R&D and clinical operations. You can say that I know firsthand that adopting these new tools like Smartsheet in a complex, regulated environment like biopharma is not easy. In fact, it is difficult. Beyond those technical hurdles, there are challenges Securing team buy-in, balancing compliance needs, integrating Smartsheet with established workflows.

Speaker 1: 2:39

In the next three-part series, we're going to focus on the change management side of implementing Smartsheet and biopharma. We're going to focus on the change management side of implementing Smartsheet and Biopharma. We're going to cover essential tips for getting team adoption, building a culture of accountability and setting up your Smartsheet for long-term scalability, because that's what we're here for, right, we're assuming that the work is going to continue to grow and we want to be able to have a system that allows us to continuously monitor the progress of our projects, which really is the asset of early R&D organizations and pre-commercial clinical operations. There's no revenue coming in from other products. You are trying to create it coming in from other products. You are trying to create it.

Speaker 1: 3:28

In today's episode, we're going to talk about how to secure that team buy-in, with essential first steps to ensure that your Smartsheet setup can scale and deliver value across your organization. So stay tuned and check it out. So what we're talking about today is getting your team on board, strategies for Smartsheet adoption in biopharma and, quite frankly, this can probably be also reviewed as a way of looking at adoption of other software and hardware within your organization. Secure and buy-in is one of the biggest hurdles in software adoption. You have folks with different experiences. You have folks with different levels of comfort from software to software, and Smartsheet is no exception. So today we're going to explore practical strategies for getting your team on board with Smartsheet. We're going to focus on the unique context of biopharma, where the stakes are high, workflows are intricate and, quite frankly, your workflow is probably going to change next week because there is a new initiative from leadership or a decision to restructure how you're managing projects. But by showing your team the value of Smartsheet and what it can bring to their daily work their daily work you can lay the foundation for successful and sustainable adoption.

Speaker 1: 5:10

So point number one communicate the why of Smartsheet adoption. Adoption of any software really starts with an understanding why the tool is valuable. And this understanding should not necessarily come from folks that are not inherently involved in the process, because I'm sure you've either heard it or you've said it before they don't know our work, we are using this software and they don't understand how we work. It's critical to ensure that the folks you are looking to help adopt this new software that they understand the why. For Smartsheet, this means emphasizing the capacity to streamline those tasks, improve your data transparency and reduce administrative burden. In biopharma we are sort of stuck against this time and precision, but we need to hurry up. We need to appeal to our stakeholders, to our board members, and so, within this space, you have an opportunity to show your team how Smartsheet can help them focus on more critical work and less on manual tasks. That make for a really strong case for adoption, and that's really what it's about. Smartsheet is all about doing work efficiently. Now, just as any tool, you can create and build things that are just overly complex. We're going to talk about that a little bit.

Speaker 1: 6:57

Point number two get quick wins for early buy-in. The best way to get buy-in into this software is to demonstrate immediate benefits is to demonstrate immediate benefits. Before you even want to jump into a new software like Smartsheet or Monday or Trello or Jira or Notion all of these other project management softwares. It is critical for you to understand the challenges that are happening with your team or your organization To ensure that you are applying a software that makes sense for the work that's being done, especially for those who are going to be the intended primary user. Now, it's an even better win when you can find that there's a software that fulfills the need of the primary user. Now, it's an even better win when you can find that there's a software that fulfills the need of the primary user while also supplementing other activities across the stakeholders within that given project. And believe me when I say, when people start to see the improvements, the efficiency, what you all are doing with your software and how you're making your work easier, people are going to want to jump in.

Speaker 1: 8:18

Because the work we do in biopharma is difficult. It is challenging. There are so many unknowns, but getting that work done. But getting that work done should not be our hurdle. It should not be trying to find versions of documents that are stored in some arbitrary structure within a private server. We all know that no one structures any of those folders within your internal primary folder, your internal primary server, your SharePoint, for example. No one is looking into what that structure looks like, so it turns into chaos.

Speaker 1: 9:10

So when you're looking for quick wins, you want to start looking at these quick win features like automated reminders for key tasks or simple dashboards that summarize critical points. And I want to emphasize the word simple here, because in many cases we are asked by management or by leadership to create dashboards that have all the bells and whistles, but the fact of the matter is we don't care about all the bells and whistles. We care about those few things that will prompt action. Updates are available in so many different updates are available in so many different manners. There's so many meetings that are happening all the time. How many projects are in this stage versus that stage? Budgeting, updates on budgeting but what are those key metrics? What are those KPIs that really determine the health of your project and your organization at large? These features don't take too much time to implement, but they can drastically reduce manual follow-up and reporting, which are often pain points for teams. And you do this in a way to connect all of the things that are happening at the organization to the organization across the teams.

Speaker 1: 10:40

Now point number three, and this is an important one Ongoing support and training is mandatory If you want this software to excel at your organization. This is not a one-time event. It is a continuous process. You will find yourself with three groups of folks that will be involved in this process. The first group are going to be folks that are aligned and are ready to rock and roll. They say, hey, I've seen this software before. I love it, I love what it can do, I'm all for it. You let me know what you need from me, and those are people that are going to serve as your ambassadors. They intimately understand the environment because of their experience in other organizations and at the same time, they can also find other avenues to utilize that software so that you can generate quick wins across the gamut of functions or team members.

Speaker 1: 11:46

Offering ongoing support through short training sessions or quick start guides is going to allow the members to feel more comfortable with the software over time the members to feel more comfortable with the software over time. Now there's a difference between what organizations I'm sorry, what the software companies provide and what you will need to set up and provide. Oftentimes, software organizations are going to look at how the tool is being used it's going to go through. These are the features. This is how you would use it. This is when you would use it. Now what's missing is the context. That context comes from you, so it is up to you to use your critical thinking skills to look at this system, see the opportunity and translate that opportunity into big wins in your bioform organization. When you apply these short training sessions and I'm talking 30 minutes every two weeks let's sit down, let's talk about a few things. See if we have a few questions and keep moving on from there. This is going to give that level of comfort over time.

Speaker 1: 12:57

In this software, you can also encourage a feedback loop where users can voice their needs or concerns, allowing you to address them proactively and make the tool more user friendly as your team grows with it. So the point here is not to do this in a bubble. Give your team the opportunity to give feedback into spaces where additional training is needed, into gaps that may start to manifest, into where this tool could really provide value, not just in your team but in stakeholders. So we talked about communicating the why in your adoption, quick wins for early buy-in and creating that ongoing support and training. Getting your team on board with software like Smartsheet is all about showing the practical benefits and providing support as they get comfortable with the tool. Next time we're going to talk about creating accountability structures that encourage execution without micromanaging. Thanks for listening to our podcast and if you found today's podcast episode helpful, please subscribe and share with anyone else looking to make Smartsheet adoption journey a success, or any software for that matter. Until next time, take care.