One of my favourite ways to explain workforce management implementation is with a Ferrari.
When I was asked to speak during our first Retail & Hospitality Inspiration Webinar, Turning Workforce Systems into Operational Value, it was the first analogy that came to mind.
A Ferrari is built for performance. It’s packed with advanced capabilities, precision engineering, and features designed to get the very best out of the machine.
But if you’re only using it to get from point A to point B, you could probably do the same thing on a bicycle.
The reason you buy a Ferrari isn’t because it can move. Lots of things can do that. You buy it because of everything else it’s capable of.
Workforce management systems are no different.
Many organisations invest significant time, effort, and budget putting a workforce management platform in place. The system goes live, payroll runs smoothly, schedules are created, and compliance requirements are met.
In other words, it’s moving.
But are you using your workforce management system like a Ferrari… or like a bicycle?
Our webinar host and Global Training, Christine Ruchay, shared a similar analogy using a microwave. Most of us use the same few buttons every day while completely ignoring everything else the appliance can do. Different example, same problem.
Over the years, I’ve worked with organisations that ask similar questions:
“Why can’t we do that?”
“I heard another company is using their system differently. Why aren’t we?”
More often than not, the answer isn’t that the system can’t do it. It’s that the organisation hasn’t yet unlocked that capability.
The reality is that many businesses are only using a fraction of what their workforce management platform can deliver. It’s a bit like buying a smartphone and only using it to make phone calls.
From Stability to Value
Successfully implementing a system is an important milestone. But implementation alone doesn’t create value.
Real value begins when managers trust the system, use the insights available to them, and make more informed workforce decisions.
That’s where our Crawl, Walk, Run, Lead maturity model comes in.
Organisations don’t become experts overnight. They learn the basics, build confidence, improve processes, increase adoption, and eventually begin using workforce management strategically to drive business outcomes.
Like learning to drive a Ferrari, maturity happens step by step.
Because otherwise, all that Ferrari potential never leaves the driveway.
As I said during the webinar:
“It’s going to stay in your garage.”
The Journey Starts After Implementation
Another important perspective during the discussion came from Alan Tessen, Senior Business Process Manager at Salling Group.
“The implementation is not the finish line. That’s really where the journey starts.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Once a system is live, the business continues to evolve. Teams change, priorities shift, and new goals emerge. The people using the system today may not even be the people who implemented it.
That’s why workforce management isn’t a one-time project. It’s an ongoing process of learning, adapting, and refining the system to support where your organisation is today.
Or, to keep the Ferrari analogy going, this is where you learn what all the buttons actually do.
Technology can enable transformation. But people are the ones who make it happen.
What I Hope You Took Away
If there was one message from the session, it’s this:
- Buying technology is only the beginning.
- Adoption is where value is created.
- Maturity happens through trust, ownership, and continuous improvement.
- Your workforce management system can probably do more than you think.
Because having a Ferrari is one thing.
Learning how to drive it is where the real value begins.
Coming Up Next
Join us on June 17th at 11:00 AM CEST for our next Retail & Hospitality Inspiration Session, “The Human Side Of Retail Optimisation”