Optimistic

  Early this year we were told that we would be installing new software at work. They told us that they had sent a team of people who were tech savvy to go over the new package.
  Needless to say I was not happy. I was fairly certain that the software had been chosen by people in corporate who would never have to run the new system. I also thought it was not the smartest thing to have a group of tech savvy employees inspect the system. To me, it would have been better to have included one person that is challenged by an "on" switch. If that person can run it than anyone can run it.
  I was worried because I was told that the new software was an ungraded version of the software we had when I first started working for the company. I remember that  didn't like it very much. It was difficult to run and hard to figure out.
  I did the online training that was required. I was even more unhappy. Our current system was fairly simple and user friendly. It had the process of filling a prescription in four steps. It was  easy to figure out what was supposed to be done next.
  The new system is more complex. There are six to seven steps and the steps are performed in a different order. I wondered how this was going to work. It seemed that hew new software was taking a fairly simple process and complicating it more than it really needed to be.
  I was not looking forward to the class that I had to take to learn the new software. I was certain it was going to be taught by a bunch of techs who had no idea of how to teach and no patience with anyone who could not keep up with them.
  When I got to the training I was pleasantly surprised. We would each be sitting in front of a computer that had the software loaded in a training mode. The training was led by three young women. They were friendly and nice. They led us though the steps explaining how to do each one and answering questions from anyone who had them. They were kind and patient.
  My feelings about the system were starting to change. Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as I thought they were. There were several new things that the system would do that would decrease the likelihood of errors. There was also a better inventory control system. Yes, we were going to lose some functions, but nothing is perfect.
  I was becoming more optimistic.
  Yesterday I spent the morning at another store that was already running the software. The pharmacist I was to shadow had been keeping a list of things he wanted to pass along. He had several tips and things that we needed to do. It was very helpful.
  I left feeling very optimistic about our conversion to the new system. I knew there was going to be trouble. There always is. There are things that don't work right and glitches in the system. Somehow though I'm not bothered by these things. My optimism is undiminished.
  Part of me thinks I'm crazy. The last software conversion went so badly that one of the district managers stepped down from his position because of the stress it caused. We have a lot of prep work to do and not much time to do it.
  Yet I am holding on to my cheerfulness. I refuse to worry about this. I believe that we will get through this just fine. I hope I'm right.