[110] in sapr3-soft
Re: Change Management Within SAP Project
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Nancy Bancroft)
Wed Mar 19 18:47:15 1997
To: sapr3-soft@MIT.EDU
Date: 8 Mar 1997 18:08:54 -0500
From: Nancy Bancroft <nbancroft@netone.com> (by way of SAP Moderator <sap-request@realtimeusa.com>)
SAP Moderator (by way of SAP Moderator ) wrote:
>
> Hello All,
>
> One of the most important issues in any SAP implementation is
>
> <bold>Change Management</bold>. The presumption that everyone within an
>
> organization (whether it is the CEO or A/R Clerk) will accept
>
> all the changes in business practices, how one does their job,
>
> etc., that occurs during most implementations. I believe this
>
> is one major reason that projects take longer than expected.
>
> My question is:
>
> How and what have companies done to successfully complete or run
>
> their projects in terms of <bold>Change Management</bold>? Has there been
> good communication? Has there been proper expectations management? Have
>
> the end users been kept involved in the process? etc.
Change management is one of the key areas I address both in my
consulting and in my book (Implementing SAP R/3,
http://www.browsebooks.com/Bancroft/754.html). Most companies believe
that training and communications will take care of the "problem" and
accordingly they spent some time and money on those two areas - and
generally not enough. Many companies have said at the end that they
underestimated the amount of time needed.
Companies who have made the most of an SAP implementation are the ones
that have paid attention to change management beyond training and
communications. Monsanto, for example, has a well thought out and
executed plan for dealing with all affected employees. They look to see
what changes will be required both in skills and in attitudes, estimate
the gap between what is the current level and the future required level
and address those gaps with a comprehensive program of job skill
upgrades.
For example, many companies expect employees to use the new system to
make decisions they were never before asked to make. Beyond learning
the system, they need to be coached in decision making. AND their
managers need to be coached in how to manage people who make decisions
for the company that they (the manager) used to make. All in all this
is a far more complex undertaking than telling people the system is
coming and teaching them which keys to press when.
