Start your google guides program | how to – Google Apps for Work User Manual
Page 67
Change Management Guide
67
Phase 2: Early Adopter
Start your Google Guides program | How to
Typically the kickoff is run two to three weeks before Early Adopters are
moved to Google Apps. A typical agenda for a Google Guides meeting:
1. Project overview: Share that great elevator pitch you created earlier
in the project—explain the “why” behind the move to Google Apps
and reinforce the benefits for your user community.
2. Role of Google Guides: Set expectations on how the Google Guides
will be involved.
3. Timeline and activities for Google Guides: Make sure Google
Guides know when their support is needed. Create a visual timeline
that shows the phases of the project and also key milestones where
Google Guides will be involved.
4. Training and resources: Make sure you promote all the resources
available—intranet sites, mailing lists, and more—to help them learn
more about the project and Google Apps.
5. Next steps: Give Google Guides specific direction on what they can
do now and as Go-Live approaches. Examples: Review training
resources, conduct a presentation on Google Apps to your team, etc.
Send a message to thank the Google Guides (and their managers) for
their participation, and to provide a list of available resources.
Order t-shirts for your Google Guides from
Google’s online store.
“About 30–40% of users have Google
outside of work. We are leveraging those
people as power users.”
—Dana Murphy, Director, OTD
Technology, Organization & Talent
Development, Equity Residential
Equity Residential is a real estate services
company based in the United States. It has
Make your Google Guides program a priority
Learning from Solarmora, a fictionalized company
The Google Guides kick-off meeting the place to
build energy and common purpose. Team
members double-checked the basics: rooms
reserved at each site, the Google Guides mailing
group set up, and meeting invites sent. The team
was disappointed when, ultimately, only 10% of the
Google Guides attended the kick-off meeting.
Oops! Andy didn’t explain the importance of the
kick-off. Even though his team carefully planned the
logistics, they had failed to promote the meeting
with the volunteers.
Yes, the team had put the meeting on the calendar,
but they didn’t send an agenda or remind
volunteers about the meeting. With all the other
things going on at the company, volunteers weren’t
making time for this seemingly optional meeting.
To revitalize the Google Guides program, Andy
enlisted the help of his executive sponsor. She sent
email to the Google Guides thanking them for
volunteering and emphasizing the importance of
their role.
Executive sponsorship for the next Google Guides
meeting set the right tone. Next, the local IT
conducted regional events so the Google Guides
everywhere could be engaged.
After that, participation from the Google Guides
really took off. The Google Guides began to share
questions and tips with each other using email and
a forum set up by the project team. The forum
became a valuable resource for the Google Guides,
as well as the rest of the company’s user
community.