Global ERP Transformation
Aligning global executives, developing a new operational vision, and establishing a change strategy and plan for a global ERP transformation.
The Problem
The SVP of HR of a Fortune 500 global manufacturing company announced at his executive committee meeting that he had just signed a deal to implement SAP HR globally. Like HR in many manufacturing companies, they were under tremendous pressure to reduce costs. They also were under equal pressure to deliver improved services to help the company drive higher levels of employee performance.
His vision was that the SAP would provide a platform to help drive down the cost of administrative HR, improve operational efficiency, and provide a platform for better analytics. It also would move them from over 200 different HR systems worldwide to a single system with standardized data, web tools, applicant tracking, performance management and succession planning.
The challenge, however, was that after almost seventy years of decentralized human resources, the team needed to identify global standards for data and process and migrate to SAP from their current tools. They also recognized that these changes may have a dramatic impact on the service delivery structure, roles and reporting relationships.
The Solution
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Established coaching relationship with Global Program Manager and Global Project Manager to provide ongoing advice (weekly), organization and team assessment, skill development and tools.
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Facilitated a series of workshops across five global regions to introduce a process to address data, process, technology, and structure issues.
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Developed local action plans to gather the baseline data required for blueprinting the eventual solution.
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Assessed the change readiness of executives and employees as well as local HR and project teams.
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Led a second series of workshops that produced business requirements documentation for agreed solutions, providing the primary input to build functional requirements for the technology implementation.
The Results
The workshops laid the groundwork for open communication across regions and established a cohesive HR team that began to agree for the first time on points of integration. The workshops helped them understand the requirements for success and develop action plans to prepare for implementation.
Most importantly, the team identified and addressed key change management issues that enabled them to secure executive support, additional funding and more detailed business requirements.