Preparing for technology changes can be overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be. Here are three tips to help you successfully prepare and minimize disruption to your business.
1 – Read widely
There’s a tendency to only read widely when there’s uncertainty about a change, it’s beneficial once you’ve decided too. You don’t need to closely read everything you find, that is overwhelming! Skimming headlines and articles can prove useful; in addition to helping confirm a choice, it can also help prepare for potential challenges.
Begin by reading what the company has published to learn about key points. Then expand your research to see if there are articles, blog posts, or reviews about it. If you’re changing to something new, see if there are posts about those who have made a similar switch.
2 – One change at a time
It can be challenging to make incremental changes because they seem to arrive in batches. It’s difficult to slow down but doing so can lead to a more successful outcome.
Sometimes, however, it is necessary to manage simultaneous updates.
For example, when there’s a new WordPress release, often your plugins and themes will also need updates. This is so they will work well with the new core version. If you don’t have auto-update on, please step through these incrementally. Try to hold off on other changes if possible. For example, if you’re updating plugins, try not to change your CDN at the same time.
3 – Backup
Please know how to create, access, and restore your backups – before making any changes. This process will be different based on what you’re changing. How to create a backup of a WordPress website is very different from your laptop’s photo library.
For more on website backups, please see:
I hope these tips help make your next technology change a pain-free experience!
Note: This is a 2021 update of a post initially published in 2011.