Stakeholder Management and Best Practices for AR ROI Success

The Human Factor in AR ROI

AREA research consistently shows that successful ROI analysis relies on implementations that involve the end user through the entire process. From defining and measuring the use case, during pilot testing, and through final implementation, effective stakeholder engagement generates significant benefits to the ROI process.

Identify and Engage Stakeholders Early

Think beyond the C-suite. Include IT, operations, HR, and end users. Each group has unique concerns and priorities:

• Executives: Focus on financial impact and strategic alignment
• IT: Address integration, security, and support requirements
• Operations: Highlight process improvements and efficiency gains
• End Users: Emphasize ease of use, training, and day-to-day benefits

AREA best practices emphasize involving stakeholders early, especially those who will use the technology daily. This approach maximizes user buy-in, ensures integrity of time and motion studies, and uncovers potentially unforeseen costs associated with different work environments.

Tailor Your Message with Data and Stories

Combine hard numbers from the AREA ROI Calculator with real-world examples. The AREA case study demonstrates how one company achieved remarkable results:

• 45% reduction in mean-time-to-repair
• 20% reduction in customer churn (from 2.5% to 2%)
• 90% reduction in parts inventory
• 25% reduction in audit costs

Use these concrete examples alongside your own projections to build credibility with different stakeholder groups.

Best Practices for Cross-Team Collaboration

AREA research identifies several critical success factors:

Establish Clear Metrics: Target specific business outcomes using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Common metrics for MRO applications include Mean Time to Failure (MTTF), Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Ensure Financial Rigor: Collaborate with finance teams before pilots to ensure buy-in on business problems and measurement metrics. This cross-team collaboration is essential for ROI analysis that stands up to scrutiny.

Manage Change Effectively: Involve end users throughout the process to minimize “human” costs related to ongoing process change during deployment. Give users the ability to provide input on solutions, from hardware comfort to application value.

Assign a Champion: Organizations committed to maximizing ROI assign a “Champion” with sound grasp of both business and technology challenges. These individuals ensure projected ROI is realized after deployment and manage issues that could impact cost estimates.

Scaling Best Practices

For organizations moving beyond pilots to enterprise-wide deployments, AREA research recommends:

• Evaluate ROI on each pilot using the same framework
• Explore environmental factors that may differ from the pilot
• Standardize your approach to business case development
• Create rules-based frameworks for integration cost allocation

Leveraging AREA Resources

The AREA community provides extensive resources for stakeholder engagement:

• Case studies and best practice documents
• ROI Calculator with detailed instructions
• Research reports on specific use cases and industries
• Community insights and benchmarks
• Templates and frameworks for standardized analysis

Conclusion

With the right tools, data, and stakeholder engagement, you can turn AR from a “nice-to-have” into a strategic advantage. ROI is your bridge between innovation and impact—use it wisely, and leverage the proven methodologies developed by the AREA community to ensure success.

As AREA research concludes: “Understanding the potential ROI and following best practices is important for enabling the broader development of the enterprise AR ecosystem and driving AR solutions into the mainstream”.