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ERP: Change Management Perceptions |
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Volumes have been written and spoken on how to manage changes while implementing an ERP project. Most of these writings do, however, instead of clearing the air, often end up making it misty creating problems for the people to clearly see the changed scenario. There are very few articles which present the issues in a manner easily understood by the people having little or no knowledge of ERP.
Honestly speaking the issue of managing change in an on-going ERP project, though challenging, but not that difficult as it is commonly made out in the local parlance. The entire process of change management is well within the grasp of the people who are going to be affected by the transformation process when an organization embraces ERP. Let’s explore and explode the myths often associated with the change management process of ERP.
Changes take place essentially at three perceptible levels – attitudinal, process and operations. Attitudinal level changes refer to the readiness of the top management to accept the ERP regime in its entirety. Driving from the top is an essential precondition to the successful implementation of an ERP project, which calls for a major makeover and overhauling of its existing processes and systems. While the issue of attitudinal change is also applicable to down the line middle and operational levels of management, but the orientation of top management towards ERP is of utmost importance. Once the top management is wedded to the principle and the concept of ERP, the other levels of management have no other alternative but to accept the same.
Process level changes are usually taken care by the Core Team, the Consultants and the Users at large. Such process level changes incorporate the ‘best practices’, allow reengineering, reduce wastages and usher in the promised improvements and benefits.
The process level changes, which primarily reside within the systems, are not explicitly visible, excepting the operative parts in the form of operator level screens earmarked to carry out certain tasks and functions. The details of such processes and procedures need not be understood by everybody other than those who are responsible for running the systems like the Operations Managers, the C&IT and the Core Team personnel. The users in general need not be too concerned with the process level details.
There should be a high degree of mutual interdependence and trust between the shop floor personnel and the members of the Core Team who usually take extra pains in resolving the various issues through protracted discussions and brainstorming sessions leading to the developments and implementation of the solutions in the ERP system. This ensures a major step forward for a smooth landing of the ERP when it goes live. Such a mutually coordinated approach at every step of development makes the task of managing change all the more easier.
Changes in process level trigger corresponding changes in the way operations are carried out at the field or physical level. The operational transformations necessitated by the process level changes need to be clearly understood by the operators at the shop floors who are going to perform the tasks in the new environment in the post go-live period. These include the various forms and screens for carrying out various jobs and tasks by way of entering data, giving commands to view and generate reports, ordering for printing and of logging data etc. It also covers the sequence and the schedule of carrying out the designated tasks as per their authorized roles of the ERP driven systems.
Though the task of implementing ERP is daunting, but that should not necessarily scare the prospective users from using the systems in the post go-live period. Indeed, it is reassuring to note that ERP implementation schedule has extensive provisions of training on various aspects of each application module like the MM, FICO, SD, PP, PM and QM etc to all the users of the systems. The issue of making them familiar can be comprehensively tackled by imparting extensive training, which is a part and parcel of the ERP implementation schedule. Usually, the training starts once the integration tests are successfully carried out, the users are identified, roles and authorization are created and the release strategies are defined in the system.
Thus it can be surmised that there is nothing to be unduly afraid of, in managing changes in an ERP environment. While the process level changes can be confined within the group of experts engaged in managing the systems, the general user community need not be perturbed as appropriate training followed by hands on exposure will make them confident to face the emerging scenario once ERP goes live in a business or industrial enterprise.
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