Cloud Migration Starts With People: Three Strategies to Set Your Team Up for Cloud Migration Success

You’ve made the decision to migrate to the cloud, and you’re eager to get started. But before you jump into creating a proof of concept (POC), it’s important to take a step back and think about your people. Why? In our experience, it’s common for the team—not the technology—to be the biggest obstacle to a successful cloud migration.

Fear not! Follow along to learn three easy strategies your organization can use to motivate staff to utilize their talent and experience to engage in the cloud migration process.

1. Include Your Team in the Planning Process
   A recent report from Gartner shows that including employees in decision-making can increase employee engagement by nearly 40%—but 80% of organizations still take a top-down approach to change management
   The truth is that great teamwork can’t start at the top. Adding more voices alleviates the fear of rejection, opens staff up to new ideas, and mitigates uncertainty over whether individuals belong on the team. Including more stakeholders’ perspectives in the initial stages drives more meaningful work, thus strengthening everyone’s commitment to the organization and cloud migration success.

2. Show Your Team How They Fit Into The New System
   Change is hard, and cloud migration represents a massive change from how you’ve been operating. Beyond feeling resistance to technology that they don’t fully understand, staff members may also fear that their role may be phased out or replaced in the cloud environment. Bottom line? Your team needs to know how they fit into the new cloud solution.
   One way to overcome this barrier with your team is via customized training. Assigning specific training courses to individual team members not only teaches them the technical know-how they will need in the new environment but also helps them feel included and empowered in the new system.

3. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
   While team communication sounds basic, it’s surprisingly easy to forget about it as team members become preoccupied with the technical details of the migration and start forging ahead on their own. Before you begin migrating, we recommend taking time to establish clear roles, schedule check-in meetings where the entire team is updated on progress, and set up a clear channel of communication such as Slack or a wiki.
   Positive communication also includes acknowledging team successes and efforts. Making a point to celebrate specific accomplishments or offer shout-outs to staff members during your scheduled meetings goes a long way toward building both trust and motivation. You may even consider offering free lunches or other small giveaways to celebrate migration milestones.

People Are the Foundation

Companies move to the cloud to streamline and optimize their business operations, and it’s natural for leaders to become focused on the new automation. But as you adopt new technology, it’s important not to forget that people are the key to making it all work. Focusing on your staff during this time of transition will ensure that your migration goes smoothly and that everyone is prepared for their new roles in the cloud environment.

Want to learn more ways to avoid cloud migration failure? Check out our e-book, 8 Reasons Your Cloud Migration Might Fail – How to Avoid Common Pitfalls and Ensure a Successful Migration

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