Adoption: the step you always forget to budget for

The project was delivered on time. The budget was respected. The features are all there. And yet, six months after go-live, teams are barely using the new tool — or using it so poorly that the expected benefits remain out of reach.

This scenario, far from being the exception, is one of the most common outcomes in digital transformation projects : 70% of those projects fail to meet their objectives, and the primary cause identified is not technical: it is human.

Adoption is the weakest link. And it is almost always the last item to be budgeted — when it is budgeted at all.

Why adoption is systematically underestimated

A culture of deliverables, not usage

IT projects are traditionally measured at delivery: were the features developed? Were deadlines met? Was the budget consumed? What happens after deployment — how users actually take ownership of the tool — is rarely included in project success metrics.

A change management budget that is often token

In the majority of projects, change management accounts for 3 to 5% of the total budget, whereas best practice recommends investing 15 to 20%. The result: a few hours of training on go-live day, a PDF user guide, and teams left to fend for themselves with a tool they did not choose.

Resistance to change is underestimated

Changing working habits is one of the most complex challenges in management. Even when faced with an objectively better tool, employees tend to revert to previous practices if the change is not accompanied, explained and recognised.

Warning Signs of a Failed Adoption

How can you tell whether your IT project is heading for an adoption problem? Here are the most common signals:

• Users ask to keep the old system “running in parallel”
• Login rates for the new tool are low in the first few weeks
• Teams develop workarounds (reverting to emails, local files)
• The support desk receives an unusually high volume of tickets for basic operations
• Managers are not actively championing the tool

The levers of successful adoption

1. Involve users from the scoping phase

Adoption starts long before deployment. Integrating representatives of future users into the project design — through workshops, user testing, validation committees — builds a sense of ownership and reduces resistance at go-live.

2. Appoint digital ambassadors

In each department, identify employees who are enthusiastic and confident with technology to become internal champions. These “change champions” play a key role in spreading good practices and providing day-to-day support to their colleagues.

3. Train contextually

Forget generic classroom training. The most effective training sessions draw on the real use cases of each team, in their own business context. A field technician has very different needs from a financial controller — their training should reflect that.

4. Track adoption with dedicated KPIs

Measuring adoption goes beyond login rates. Relevant indicators include: the usage rate of key features, support ticket volumes, internal Net Promoter Score, and changes in targeted business behaviours.

5. Sustain the support over time

Adoption is not a one-off event: it is a continuous process. Plan follow-up checkpoints at 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after go-live, adjust the support programme based on field feedback, and maintain regular communication around the benefits observed.

Lùkla’s Change & Adopt Offering

At Lùkla, change management is not an option: it is a pillar of every project we support. Our Change & Adopt offering covers the entire adoption cycle, from digital maturity assessment through to post-deployment follow-up, including training, ambassador network facilitation and impact measurement.

Because a well-adopted tool is worth infinitely more than a well-delivered one.

Conclusion

The success of an IT project is not measured on go-live day, but by the value it creates six months, one year, two years later. That value does not happen automatically: it must be managed, supported and nurtured. Adoption is not an additional cost — it is what makes your investment worthwhile.