Enterprise content migration projects have a notorious failure rate, with studies showing that up to 70% of them don't meet their objectives. The culprit? Poor user involvement. When organizations treat content migration as a purely technical exercise, they're setting themselves up for costly mistakes, low adoption rations, and wasted investment.
In this blog we cover:
Why user involvement is critical
The hidden costs of poor user engagement
How user involvement drives migration success
Best practices for user involvement
Your users aren't just end consumers of content; they're domain experts who understand the nuances of your data better than anyone else. ''Users know the data; they know what they want, '' explains Ruud de Wolf, Migration Expert and Global Sales Lead at Xillio. ''If you don't involve them in the mapping of the design, your results will be even worse.''
Key users possess invaluable knowledge about:
Without this insight, migration teams often make decisions based on incomplete information, leading to poorly structured target environments that don't support actual business needs.
When users are excluded from migration planning, the consequences extend far beyond the initial project.
When users participate in migration planning, they develop a sense of ownership over the outcome. This psychological investment translates directly into higher adoption rates and more successful change management. Users who help design the new environment understand its logic and can advocate for it within their teams.
Technical teams excel at moving data efficiently, but users understand how data needs to function in real-world scenarios. Their input ensures that:
Modern content platforms increasingly rely on AI for search, classification, and recommendations. These systems are only as effective as the underlying content structure. User involvement ensures that:
Build America Mutual faced a complex migration challenge: over 40,000 separate content sites in Alfresco needed to move to SharePoint. Rather than approaching this as a purely technical lift-and-shift, the project team prioritized deep user engagement.
Begin every migration project with structure user interviews and workshops. Map not jus what content exists, but how it's used, by whom, and in what contexts. This discovery phase should include:
Don't design the target environment in isolation. Bring users into mapping sessions where they can:
Migration isn't a one-time event - it's a process that benefits from continuous refinement. Establish regular checkpoints where users can:
User involvement extend beyond technical design into change management. Engaged users become champions who can:
At Xillio, user involvement isn't an add-on service—it's fundamental to our Migration Factory methodology. Our structured approach ensures that business users have meaningful input at every critical decision point:
Discovery Phase:
Design Phase:
Execution Phase:
Deployment Phase:
Measuring the Impact of User Involvement
Organizations that prioritize user involvement in content migration see measurable improvements across key metrics:
Adoption Rates: Projects with strong user involvement typically achieve 80-90% user adoption within 90 days, compared to 30-50% for technically focused projects.
Time to Value: Users reach full productivity 40-60% faster when they've been involved in system design.
Support Costs: Organizations report 50-70% fewer support tickets when users understand and helped design the new environment.
Long-term Success: Systems designed with user input require fewer major modifications and maintain higher satisfaction scores over time.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Simply asking users for feedback without genuinely incorporating their input creates cynicism and resistance. Ensure that user suggestions have real impact on project decisions.
Don't rely on just power users or IT-savvy individuals. Include representatives from all user groups, including those who may be less comfortable with technology.
User needs and preferences can evolve throughout a project. Maintain ongoing dialogue rather than treating user input as a one-time requirement.
Present information and choices in business terms that users can understand and meaningfully respond to. Avoid drowning users in technical details that don't inform their decisions.
The Future of User-Centric Migration
As organizations increasingly rely on AI and automation, the importance of user involvement in content migration will only grow. Future-ready organizations recognize that:
Taking Action: Your Next Steps
If you're planning a content migration, user involvement isn't optional—it's the foundation of success. Here's how to get started:
Remember: involving users isn't a checkbox to tick—it's the difference between digital transformation and digital disappointment. Organizations that recognize users as partners rather than passive recipients consistently deliver more successful migrations that drive real business value.
Ready to ensure your next content migration succeeds?
Our experts can help you design a user-centric approach that maximizes adoption and minimizes risk. Schedule a strategic consultation to discuss your specific migration challenges and learn how proven user involvement strategies can transform your project outcomes.