Engaging users successfully in a group-level programme

Abstract

This thesis focuses on engaging users successfully in a group-level programme. The thesis is conducted based on three research targets: Firstly, to understand the connection between the user engagement and the success of a group-level programme. Secondly, to define ways to improve the level of user’s engagement during case organisation’s group level programme. Thirdly, to create a framework to manage user engagement.

The topic is studied with the following research questions: What is user engagement in projects and programmes, and how does it affect the success of a group-level programme? What are the factors affecting user engagement in a group-level programme? How user engagement can be managed in a group-level programme? These research questions are answered based on a literature review and an empirical case study conducted inside a case organisation within its group-level programme aiming to renew the enterprise resource planning and manufacturing execution systems as well as the business processes and ways of working across the group.

As a result of this thesis, user engagement can be described to mean the systematic identification, analysing, planning and implementation of actions designed to influence users to help to drive change in organisation. User engagement has an impact on both the short-term and long-term success of the programme. The factors affecting user engagement in group-level programme include roles and responsibilities, communication, involvement, leadership, and the culture and the history of the local organisation. These factors should be managed through the different phases of a group-level programme with timely actions depending on the users. These results are to some extent applicable also to other group-level programmes, but the uniqueness of each programme needs to be considered when applying the results.

To tackle the first research target of this thesis, the connection between the user engagement and the success of a group-level programme is defined in the context of the case programme. To tackle the second research target, ways to improve user engagement during the different phases of the case programme related to all the identified factors affecting user engagement are presented. These presented engagement practices are applicable for the case programme and with some restrictions on similar kinds of group-level programmes both in and outside the case organisation. To tackle the third research target, a user management process is presented. The user management process is applicable for all types of group-level programmes.