Is a fear of the unknown holding you back from testing your exit plan?

  • Published on: 25 March 2015
  • By: Denzil Brisland

Fear

(Noun)

An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm

Unknown

(Noun)

An unknown person or thing

Now I would be lying if I said I have never experienced the fear of the unknown. Let’s be honest, we all have in one way or another. I bet that the vast majority of fears we have overcome then looked back at have made us wonder what the heck the problem was - I know that has been the case for me. My biggest fear of the unknown was learning to drive. I didn’t take lessons until my mid-twenties; the high speed motorways, blind bends on country roads and all the obscure road signs left me in a cold sweat. How ironic then that I am now driving 30,000 miles a year without a second thought.

So what makes me get into the car and drive without thinking about it? I could never have done it without my instructor showing me the steps and coaching me through unexpected circumstances. This means that I am familiar with the situation, have experience of doing it thousands of times before and am sure that I know what the risks are and how to mitigate those risks.

Now if we equate that to the provision of exiting an IT service contract, do you feel the same thing? The fear of the unknown? Do you have that knot deep in your stomach? Whether it’s not being sure which way to do it, being frightened of upsetting a supplier, losing face with your boss, thinking the cost of testing is prohibitive, or just not having the time, it doesn’t have to be that way. With regular testing of your exit plan, you become familiar with the process, gain that all important experience and will be able to identify and mitigate the risks.

Moving through all stages of the testing process can be frightening and unpleasant. From ‘has the notice to exit been served in the correct and agreed manner?’ to ticking the box at the end of the test to confirm that everything is complete, there are hundreds of steps to take. Like myself with my delayed driving, these steps are easier when you are guided by someone who has been there before and experienced all eventualities. You need to be taken through the process so that you can understand the risks, know how to mitigate against them and gain that valuable knowledge in order to disperse the cold sweats forever.

At Quantum Plus, we fully believe that companies should test their exit plans annually. As stated in a previous blog, we have developed a comprehensive test plan with the client’s ‘fear of the unknown’ in mind.

We have broken the exit plan tests down into manageable chunks and will drive the testing at manageable speeds. After all, you don’t get into 6th gear on your first driving lesson! Testing can take place with or without the supplier and our scenario-based activities provide you with excellent insight into the methodology of managing a successful exit and will remove that fear of the unknown.

If you are interested in learning more about testing your exit plans, please contact our office or email me personally.

Safe driving,

Denzil