Project management: has a delivered tool actually been adopted?
A project can deliver a solution that meets its specifications without that solution becoming part of everyday work. The management question is precise: what should be checked before a new tool can be considered genuinely adopted?
What the literature establishes
Fred D. Davis (1989, MIS Quarterly) shows that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are associated with acceptance of information technology. In his studies, perceived usefulness has a stronger relationship with usage than perceived ease of use. For a digital project, this suggests examining the contribution the tool makes to a real task, rather than inferring adoption from interface simplicity alone.
The organisation enables use — or prevents it
Katherine J. Klein and Joann Speer Sorra (1996, Academy of Management Review) propose a theoretical model linking implementation effectiveness to implementation climate and the fit between an innovation and users' values. This climate includes the perception that use is expected, supported and rewarded within the organisation. The proposed mechanism therefore shifts the focus: training people is insufficient if their working conditions do not support the expected use.
The premature conclusion
One might conclude that demonstrating the tool's usefulness and making its use compulsory would be enough. These studies do not, however, establish that a requirement alone produces meaningful, sustained use. A recorded login may indicate administrative compliance rather than a genuine change in practice. (our executive and employee training programmes)
What the evidence cannot settle
Davis's studies concern acceptance of computer systems; extending their findings to every organisational transformation requires caution. Klein and Sorra's paper is a theoretical contribution, not a trial demonstrating the causal effect of a deployment method. In practice, login records cannot establish whether a task was completed correctly or whether a parallel process remains necessary.
A practical check in Sion
In Sion, an exercise within SHR's project management programme could examine the adoption of a tool for hydropower maintenance, healthcare coordination, winegrowing traceability or Alpine tourism bookings. During a period defined before launch, and again afterwards, record every instance of the same task and, following deployment, calculate the proportion completed in the new tool without reprocessing through the previous workflow. Each instance would be verified using an anonymised processing record and user confirmation, with the reason for any reprocessing documented. This record would not prove a causal effect of the project, but it would distinguish technical delivery from use genuinely integrated into work. To go further: explore the Project Management training in Sion in the canton of Valais, or browse our executive and employee training programmes in Switzerland.
In pictures: Project Management in Sion
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