When is an IT project not an IT project?
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I do agree that from a technical perspective this isn't a super-complex project. You need to setup Dynamics, setup SQL, maybe make a GPO to place a shortcut on everyone's desktop, and import the old ERP data into the new system. The biggest trick is getting users to move to the new system, and that is entirely a business concern, not an IT one. One of my favorite quotes comes from Benjamin Franklin who said that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Prevent problems by proactively planning pain points and get things in place ahead of time. Now would be a great time to also think about maybe spinning up an internal KB for the new program. Find out common tasks people do in the current ERP, as well as things that will be done in the new ERP. Then, once you can, document procedures for placing a new order, inputting materials on an order, etc. Get people in the habit of checking that internal KB and have them make recommendations for things they'd like to see or, even once the current people are trained, things that would help a new person signing on at the company.
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@scottalanmiller said:
If the business (the CEO, management, etc.) aren't interested, why are you?
Self-interest
This seems like an organizational problem.
Pretty much everything comes down to an organisational problem.
if it isn't for the business, why spend the money to do it at all if it isn't important?
I know some of you are familiar with Goldratt's Theory of Constraints. He wrote a book in the nineties about ERP called "Necessary but not Sufficient". What he meant by this is that we need a new ERP system if we are going to improve our efficiency (ie a new ERP system is necessary), but the system will not improve efficiency on it's own - we need to change our business processes (ie just buying the system is not sufficient).
I think CEOs in general underestimate how much people are motivated by self-interest and not by the company's interest. In my case, my self-interest (to implement IT solutions that facilitate improvements in business efficiency) aligns with the company's interest.
For other managers their self-interest might be, for example, to employ as many staff as possible in order to massage their fragile egos. This isn't compatible with our ERP project.
Some managers self-interest might be to reduce their workload so that they're not working ten hours of unpaid overtime every week and they get to see their kids more. This is very much compatible with our ERP project and I love working with these managers.
ERP is always a tricky project because however much you talk about increased efficiencies resulting in business growth the reality is that jobs are at risk. People aren't stupid.
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This isn't just ERP, but any project that affects the business as a whole.
It sounds like you have management buy-in, otherwise why did they approve this project?
I'm Project Manager, our CEO is Project Sponsor, and we have a permanent project team of around eight.
So who's the project lead? Without one you'll almost definitely fail. In this situation the project lead needs to have the authority to mandate things be done. And if they don't have the direct authority, they need to have the close ear of whomever does have said authority.
Good luck, I definitely am interested to hear about your project as things go along.
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@Dashrender said:
This isn't just ERP, but any project that affects the business as a whole.
Oh, absolutely. I always struggle with cross-departmental projects. Life get's complex when you have to involve other human beings.
I've been involved in loads of different projects, but usually projects are born out of some specific need, like the old software becoming unsupported, or a company merger. This is the first time I've gone "hey, let's rip out our working, fully-supported system and replace it with something completely different", which adds certain pressures.
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But if you're not the project lead, then the success or failure of this project doesn't lie on your shoulders, even though it was your idea. right? So it's really up to the project lead to present it to other departments as a company project (aka non IT project) so they get the needed buy in?
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Correct. I'm not familiar with the term project lead, but I'd guess that that role will (hopefully) be taken by the CEO, as he is Project Sponsor. My boss is also on the team and as Finance Director he has considerable authority over all the other team members.
I try and inspire the team, and provide some vision, which is kind of the "carrot" approach. But there will always be situations within any project where the stick is required, and that will have to be provided by the CEO.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
ERP is always a tricky project because however much you talk about increased efficiencies resulting in business growth the reality is that jobs are at risk. People aren't stupid.
What jobs are at risk?
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@scottalanmiller said:
What jobs are at risk?
Mine, for a start.
New business systems can increase automation which puts back-office jobs at risk. That's true generally and is not specific to my organisation.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
@scottalanmiller said:
What jobs are at risk?
Mine, for a start.
New business systems can increase automation which puts back-office jobs at risk. That's true generally and is not specific to my organisation.
In theory, sure. But how does back office automation reduce, rather than increase, the need for IT to run the automation?
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Possibly. It's probably a combination of automation and simplification that I'm striving for. Make our business processes so simple and automated that a chimpanzee could maintain them. At that point the company might decide that it's more cost effective to replace me with, you know, a chimpanzee.
More likely, the less complex you make your systems, the easier and more cost effective it is to outsource IT.
I'd actually like to reach the point where I feel I've achieved everything I possibly could at a company and I have to move on. Like the Littlest Hobo walking off in to the sunset in the TV series I used to watch as a kid. I doubt it will ever happen though.
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It's tough to cultivate buy-in from other departments sometimes, you have to find their "hot button" and exploit it.
Example: Customer service mgr is paid bonus to reduce wait time; "hey CSM, want to make bonus easy? train your dude(tts) on this software"
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Yes, money is a great motivation, as I often point out to my bosses.
When I mention this people often mention Maslow's hierarchy of needs. But I find people who believe in Maslow are normally people with plenty of money already.
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Peter Taylor has listed the 6 typical phases of projects in his book "The Lazy Project Manager". They sound about right to me!
- Enthusiasm
- Total confusion
- Disillusionment
- Search for the guilty
- Punishment of the innocent
- Reward and promotion of the non-participants
I'm obviously trying to avoid the above.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
Peter Taylor has listed the 6 typical phases of projects in his book "The Lazy Project Manager". They sound about right to me!
- Enthusiasm
- Total confusion
- Disillusionment
- Search for the guilty
- Punishment of the innocent
- Reward and promotion of the non-participants
I'm obviously trying to avoid the above.
Sounds like he spent time in a Government job.
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AWESOME!
