Approach to Feature Adoption

This video shows you how to discuss the Pega best practice approach to transforming an organization that has implemented or is implementing Pega Customer Decision Hub™ in terms of feature adoption.

Feature adoption entails the process and plan to recognize opportunities to dive into product features to drive overall adoption. Pega Customer Decision Hub includes many features that can bring significant value to the business, for example, the Business Operations Environment, 1:1 Operations Manager, customer journeys, and generative AI.

Feature adoption connects technical implementation with the work done under the business transformation workstream. Lead Decisioning Architects and Lead System Architects configure key product features that organizations can integrate into business processes. Through this process, organizations can achieve true adoption and draw maximum value from Pega Customer Decision Hub. It also fosters innovation, product ownership, and strategic planning by encouraging the use of new features.

An essential foundation for transformation is identifying key stakeholders from the organization to take on the journey.

All stakeholders can be involved in the feature adoption workstream, but starting with stakeholders directly involved in business-as-usual processes for delivering marketing requirements in the organization is more likely to drive success. Stakeholders can come from the following areas of a business:
• Martech
• Marketing Ops
• Marketing Strategy
• Lines of Business
• Data Science

In addition to identifying the roles that fulfill the specific functions of interest, review and reflect on information about the organization. This process helps ensure that you consider all potential stakeholders in context when assessing the current situation. Then, apply stakeholder analysis methods.

Now that the discussion covers who in the organization needs to be involved, it is important to consider the medium of interaction.

Feature adoption involves a combination of high-level reviews of key product features and potential deep dives to enable and operationalize; for example, a combination of enablement sessions and workshops. In-person workshops with organizations can be great for helping implement features. However, there are plenty of tools available to help conduct these types of workshops remotely while still keeping them lively and interactive. Screen sharing is a valuable tool for walking through demonstrations of how a product works in a training environment or the organization’s own environment.

For enablement sessions, high-level summaries are initially required to help identify and prioritize deep-dive enablement. Always keep your foundational stakeholder analysis in mind when considering interactions (especially when delivering enablement) to ensure that the level of depth is appropriate to their current skill level. Both in-person and remote sessions are highly effective for enablement.

When does feature adoption occur during a typical minimum lovable product (MLP) delivery?

This timeline gives a typical timeframe for an MLP, but feature adoption can occur sooner, depending on the scenario. We recommend addressing the organisational transformation topic in a specific order based on best practices and field experience. Feature adoption spans the entire MLP, starting from the beginning of the implementation. It begins when organizations are in discussion with the Pega accounts team about evaluating the Pega Customer Decision Hub. By the end of the MLP, have a clear definition of what features you plan to adopt in this MLP and create a roadmap of the immediate future MLPs. In addition, document a plan and process for feature adoption going forward, beyond the MLPs.

What are the key tasks that need to be done?

As you may be aware, we have a standard MLP backlog to use when delivering CDH, and under the feature adoption category, we have recorded all of the tasks required for organizational transformation.

Task 1: Assess the current situation and educate the organization at a high level about features. Determine opportunities to enhance adoption by deep diving and offering further support on feature implementation. Also, evaluate the general approach to feature adoption to understand how the organization currently manages to stay current and use features to promote value.

Task 2: Present best practices on feature adoption. In the next topic, we will cover examples of thes best practices, derived from years of implementation experience globally. Adapt best practice delivery based on stakeholder analysis.​​ In addition, enable the organisation features that they would like to understand more about within the targeted MLP.​

What are the recommended methods to undertake these tasks?

Determine the current organizational approach to feature adoption in workshops or conversations with a designated product owner. Feature adoption spans the whole MLP. When discussing other topics in workshops, meetings, and interviews, recognize opportunities to enhance adoption by operationalizing specific features. Explaining features at a high level helps ascertain when and if the organization requires a deep dive into a feature. You can perform this task ad hoc in the context of other conversations or hold specific enablement sessions to touch on features at a high level.

Pega have developed best practices in each of the organizational transformation areas based on deep product knowledge and years of delivery experience with organizations across the globe. These best practices include the organizational approach to feature adoption. In terms of approach, adapt delivery according to your stakeholder analysis and analysis of the current situation. Create space for dialogue because their feedback and questions can help them understand the materials; they are more likely to adopt elements of it.

According to your stakeholder analysis, although meeting with a group to share best practices is normally appropriate, identify individual stakeholders who might need one-on-one attention. In addition to enabling them on the best practice approach to feature adoption, cover specific features operationalization, which involves enablement sessions and workshops. You can conduct these sessions in person or online. Use the organization’s environment and data where possible to truly bring features to life.

You have reached the end of this video. What did it show you?

• The importance of feature adoption for Pega Customer Decision Hub.

• Key stakeholders and their roles in the transformation process.

• Effective means of communication for enablement, workshops, and one-on-one activities.

• The timeline for addressing feature adoption during MLP delivery.

• Key tasks and methodologies for feature adoption in an MLP.