Mental Health Awareness for IT Projects - 5 Tips
- Steve Thorlby-Coy
- May 18, 2023
- 6 min read
This week is Mental Health Awareness week and this year's theme is anxiety. Over recent months, I've been particularly mindful of how work pressures can quickly turn into unhealthy stress and anxiety. Here are my 5 top tips for managing stress and anxiety.
My ECHO team had to hit a tight deadline to tender for a new contract. Had they not been successful, we may have had to close the project and their jobs could have been at risk. My ICT team have been delivering a major improvement programme with a significant go-live almost every month.
This week we went live with our new CRM system, the most significant business system change in my organisation for around 8 years. In the last few months we've rolled out laptops, implemented Microsoft Teams, moved to Exchange online, moved files into Onedrive and Sharepoint, switched support provider, and moved data centre. And there's more to come over the next year.
As an IT leader, you know that any major IT system change or go-live is a significant event that requires careful planning and execution. It's not just IT changes of course, the same goes for any major event or change that you're tasked with leading. However, I think it's also essential to consider the stress that individuals experience during the run-up to a go-live. The pressure to ensure a smooth implementation can be intense, and it can take a toll on individuals' mental health and wellbeing. These are relevant for people delivering the change, but also for those on the receiving end.
So, what are the stressors ?
I think there are 5 main stressors (sources of stress) in the run-up to a significant go-live. They are often inter-linked and are probably experienced on smaller pieces of work to some extent too.
Fear of failure: The success of a major IT system go-live is critical, and any failure can have significant consequences for the organisation. People may feel responsible for the success or failure of the go-live and feel anxious about their ability to deliver.
Tight deadlines: Go-lives often involve tight deadlines. There may be a cutover plan or run-book that has steps and sequences of tasks where others are waiting for you to finish your tasks. The pressure to complete tasks in a specific timescale can lead to stress, anxiety, and poor decision making, especially if people feel they are not making progress as quickly as they should.
High workload: The volume of work associated with a major system go-live can be intense. People may be required to work longer hours or take on additional responsibilities to ensure that the go-live is successful. There may be more things to remember or be aware of meaning people can often feel their brains are full. This can lead to stress and burnout.
Lack of support: People may feel isolated or unappreciated if they don't have enough support from their colleagues, including managers.
Technical difficulties: Sometimes things just don't work despite testing. Technical difficulties can occur at any time in the run-up to a go-live, and can be particularly stressful at cut-over because they're usually the things that have already been tested. The risk of delays and the knock-on impact can increase stress levels. There may be some who feel they don't have the skills or knowledge to handle technical issues, leading to further anxiety.
5 tips for keeping these stressors under control
These might sound obvious, but these are essential and all too often overlooked, particularly by very technical teams and particularly when under time or budget pressure.
1. Plan and prepare: When I worked in manufacturing, I often heard the phrase "Proper Planning Prevents (p*!%) Poor Performance". You can't skimp on planning. Too often, projects and programmes are handed to the person carrying out the technical changes. Event technical managers with good project management skills need someone else to check and challenge their plans. Proper planning and preparation are essential for managing stress levels during the run-up to a go-live. This includes setting realistic deadlines, creating a comprehensive project plan, and identifying potential risks and issues that may arise. A well-planned project can help to alleviate anxiety and stress for everyone. A good project manager is worth their weight in gold.
2. Communicate effectively: Communication is critical at all stages of a project and particularly around go-live. People need to know what is happening, what is expected of them and what their responsibilities are. You can never communicate too much. There's always seems to be someone who pops up to ask a question that you think has been answered a few times before! Clear and open communication can help to reduce anxiety levels and increase motivation. It can also help others to support you, which is our next tip.
3. Provide support: It is crucial that individuals have access to the resources - people, budget and tools - they need to do their jobs effectively. Other support could include providing training, mentoring, and coaching to help individuals feel more confident in their roles. In some cases, counselling services may help people to manage their stress levels and anxiety and give them the tools they need to cope with high-pressure situations. Most organisations have an EAP or health-plan that you can signpost people too. It's not always easy to tell when someone is starting to struggle with stress or anxiety, but any change in behaviour could be an indicator. Simply asking people how they are can help them to feel noticed and appreciated, and may help them to ask for help.
4. Encourage breaks and rest: Working long hours and under pressure can lead to burnout and decreased productivity. There's a tendency in IT project to schedule activity 'out of hours' to avoid disrupting colleagues working a more typical 9 to 5, Monday to Friday pattern. Encouraging individuals to take regular breaks and rest can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and increase productivity. I'd go as far as to suggest including specific time out in your project plans to give people a break. Scheduling time off in lieu is important in two ways. Firstly, you have the benefit of rest and secondly, the act of booking in a break gives people something to look forward to, particularly if they've worked a weekend or a number of evenings.
5. Celebrate successes: No matter how small, taking time to celebrate a success or a milestone can help to boost morale and reduce stress levels. Recognising the hard work and achievements of individuals can help to motivate them and reduce anxiety levels. As IT leaders, we should always be looking for opportunities to praise and celebrate, but this shouldn't only be a top-down thing. Praise from your peers goes a long way too. If you can, schedule time for a social gathering to celebrate. Taking a short time out, even for a coffee over a Teams call will help.
Conclusion
As an IT or change leader, it is your responsibility to ensure that your team has the support and resources they need to manage their stress levels effectively. By doing so, you will create a positive working environment for your team and you're more likely to have successful projects. Major IT system go-lives can be stressful, and it is essential to identiy stressors and take steps to manage them effectively. By doing that, organisations can ensure that their employees are healthy, happy, and productive.
A healthy and motivated team is essential for achieving long-term success, so it's worth taking the time to prioritise the mental health and wellbeing of your team members. And remember, as the person leading the change, you need to look after your own mental health and wellbeing too.
So, what happened with our CRM? It went pretty well. We hit our go-live date as planned. We had a few ups and downs and encountered a few snags along the way, all of them related to one of the 5 stressors. I'm going to be more mindful of my team and look out for the signs that someone may need some help.
As a qualified coach, I can help you to be more self-aware and confident in your abilities and address work challenges. Reach out if you'd like to discuss coaching with me. I offer career/work coaching for people in any role. I am able to offer a blend of coaching and mentoring for people in IT and change roles, particularly managers or aspiring managers.
I am currently able to offer coaching sessions free of charge - contact me via LinkedIn or Twitter
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