The Unplayed Piano - The ERP solution still not fully implemented in your Organisation?

Has your organisation successfully deployed application software across all  your departments, divisions and countries?

 

- Is self service full enabled?

- Is procurement non contract spend under control?

- Do you have the BI reports to manage your workforce? headcount? skills? absences?

- Is financial reporting and budgeting managed within your ERP solution?

	Our Approach Methodology Success stories Services Contact
	February 2014

 

 

Take part in our IT change benchmarking survey

 

In 2006 we set out to find why so many organisations don't maximise their return on IT investments through an industry wide survey.

We wanted to find out, what lies behind the headline statistics? What were the reasons driving certain actions during change? We now want to find out what the situation is in 2014 regarding IT change.

Read the report The Unplayed Piano and take part in the survey (Survey Monkey). 

Do you exhibit the character and behaviour of and effective project sponsor?

 

The major barriers to successful IT change were issues such as executive sponsorship and communications/involvement.

 

Do you exhibit the character and behaviour of and effective project sponsor?

 

• I accept full ownership and responsibility for the project.
• I buy into the project and fully support its purpose.
• I have a strong understanding of the business domain and the concerns of the end users and beneficiaries of the project.
•  I have produced a thorough and realistic business case and know that there is a valid reason for undertaking the project.

I provide the team with a clear and lucid picture of the project’s aims and

objectives.

 

• I clearly articulate what project success looks like and have provided the team

 

 

with a prioritised list of measurable success criteria.

 

• I understand that trade-off’s may have to be made between budget, time and

 

 

quality as the project progresses.

 

• I continuously validate that the project’s deliverables will produce the expected

 

 

business benefits.

 

• I have a high degree of gravitas and respect within the organisation.

• I have the authority and control to make decisions over finances, scope and

 

 

resources.

 

• I inspire and provide focus to the team.

• I set a good example as a role model.

• I am able to make (and stick to) decisions.

• I avoid making kneejerk decisions and seek to be congruent, timely and

 

 

consistent.

 

• I am proactive in the resolution of major risks and issues which come to my

 

 

attention.

 

• I actively prioritise requests and features from competing voices.

• I have sufficient understanding of the technology involved in software projects.

• I understand the challenges in planning a project and accept that a degree of

 

 

flexibility and openness is required from my part.

 

• I earn rather than demand respect and I never criticize a team member publicly.

• I spend sufficient quality time with the project manager and steering committee.

• I monitor project progress as often as a required and I challenge the team when

 

 

 

 

Confessions of a Successful CIO: How the Best IT Leaders Tackle Their Toughest Business Challenges

A must read article


http://h30458.www3.hp.com/us/us/discover-performance/it-execs/2014/jan/a-veteran-cio-on-2014-s-challenges-.html

Here's the USP for Cloud Computing in 2014!

But cloud computing is not about just taking physical assets and moving them into the cloud for someone else to run—it’s faster speed to value for our business units. We used to be able to drive standard, out-of-the-box SAP or Oracle implementations. By default, cloud solutions allow you to have a standard offering on a global basis. And by default, you can’t modify it. So it clearly drives business value through faster implementations, and as you see cloud applications get upgraded and updated, your whole business gets it. So cloud is extremely important.

Does your organisation fully support a common approach to managing projects?

Is it coincidence that the best organisations have invested overtime in having a common approach to managing projects which have successful outcomes? How many organisations have a corporate level Programme Office managing a portfolio of projects all aligned to the strategic long term plan?

Home Retail Group ( HRG) which owns Argos and Homebase invested heavily in good Programme and Project Management systems in 2010 to help transform their call centres and the success has now encouraged them to make further investments in digital marketing. HRG reported that

• Argos' multi-channel sales penetration increased to 51% of total sales.  Internet sales grew 10% to reach 42% of Argos' total sales.  Argos' website and app visits increased by 24% with mobile shopping now representing 10% of total sales

• Announced transformation plan which will reinvent Argos as a digital retail leader and reposition it from a catalogue-led to a digitally-led business

At Co-operative Group they are currently looking to invest in a Group wide Programme Office and in 2014 this will focus on delivering £100 millions of savings identified so far. Today the Coop reported annual loses of £2 billion pounds and are being forced to sell off businesses and make thousands of Head office redundancies

How will the Coop become a digitally-led business?

Axelos we need a project methodology with business change management tools!

Axelos  https://www.axelos.com/ which is the recently formed venture between the old OGC organisation that owned PRINCE2, ITIL  and Capita is promoting what they call 'global best practice'. They have an impressive portfolio of project management tools which also includes more recent additions such as MoV. MoP, P3M3

 

One area which is not covered and which ultimately defines the success of all programmes and projects is the level of business engagement during the project implementation and adoption into the support or service lifecycle

 

So I would like to start a campaign for a Business Change Methodology - BCM which would ideally include some of the following tools:

 

• Business Readiness Assessment - is the business ready to support the project?
• Stakeholder Mapping Tool - who in the business is committed and who is compliant?
• Change Impact Assessment - what areas need to managed and supported?
• Communications Plan - focused on the business change impacts not the IT deliverables
• Sponsor Assessment Tools - how committed is your sponsor and how do they support the project and support lifecycles
• Resistance Behaviour Assessment - how to measure who needs  support to enable full adoption of the new processes, ways of working etc

It's interesting to note that AMPG are promoting a Change Management Certificate http://www.apmg-international.com/en/qualifications/change-management/change-management.aspx

 

but where is the Axelos approved methodology to integrate with PRINCE2, ITIL et al????

Latest Wave of Oracle Partners being Acquired

In recent weeks we have seen a number of Oracle partners being acquired

Rocela being acquired by Version 1

http://www.rocela.com/press_release/rocela-group-successfully-acquired-version-1/

Mokum being acquired by PwC

http://mokum.com/news/pwc-builds-technology-capabilities-mokum-acquisition/

The market consolidation is inevitable as the number of so called 'net new deals' declines and the market increasingly focuses on supporting existing Oracle e-business suite users as they prepare for Fusion upgrades beyond 2014.

There are still a significant number of specialist ( sometimes called boutique) Oracle Partners in the UK market

Inoapps
Claremont
PDG
Patech
Symatrix

Have I missed any?

Oracle ERP always lead to scope creep and development delays?

Finishing some work off with Changefirst. Take at look at their e-change portal http://www.changefirst.com/e-change

I wish all clients would invest in a business change methodology or tools to reduce the implementation risks around ERP...especially Oracle ...too many configuration options and technical development tools.....unlike SAP!!!!

Time to move to Oracle Cloud Solutions?

Praktis Solutions implemented an Oracle on Demand solution for the NHS in Wales back in 2007 to help them kick start the shared services programme in Wales. It made sense with Oracle managing all things IT - the database, operating systems and the application software maintenance. The Shared Service Centre ( called the BSP) could then focus on delivering back office process improvements for all North Wales NHS Trusts without any IT distraction!

So why has this model not caught on? Well Oracle Cloud Computing ( new term for On Demand) is now all the fashion and is being heavily marketed in 2014.

Today Oracle promoted a new offering

SOURCE: Oracle Corporation

February 18, 2014 08:00 ET

Oracle Delivers Enterprise Financial Planning and Budgeting in the Cloud

Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud Service Helps Organizations Adopt World-Class Planning With the Simplicity of the Cloud


So my question is when can we have ...

Oracle Delivers a Shared Service Centre Solution in the Cloud

Time to Invest in PMO software

How many of us are still working with a very basic PMO solution such a server drive or sharepoint? What are the recommend PMO software or portal solutions out there in the marketplace?

My Latest Article now on the Outsource Magazine website

http://outsourcemagazine.co.uk/choosing-the-right-technology-partner-to-power-your-shared-services-centre/

Article I am on working on with Oracle - full version to be published soon - watch this space!

Choosing the right Technology Partner to power your Shared Services Company – Oracle Inc

To enable your Shared Services Centre (SSC) to deliver upper quartile levels of customer service and cost effectiveness when managing transactions, you need to invest in the right technologies and infrastructure support. For new SSC’s the opportunity may exist to adopt a new solution such as an ERP application, Cloud based infrastructure and new a BI platform. For existing SSC’s they may take the decision to keep their exist technology hoping to achieve improvements by applying incremental changes or upgrades overtime.

Over the past six years, I have been helping public and private organisations to develop their SSC organisations and take full advantage of Oracle’s e-business suite release R12. The majority of these organisations have indeed implemented some form of shared service organisation and many have multi tenants meaning they operate in the same Oracle instance.

The research I have undertaken with support from my network of colleagues in Oracle UK, Oracle Partners and Contract Project Managers community highlights the need for SSC’s enabled by Oracle e-business suite to carefully consider their options in ensuring their SSC can expand to take on new clients, offer more service towers, create more capacity and flexibility in their technology platforms going forward.

Starting a New Shared Service Organisation?

For those organisations about to embark on the SSC journey, such as the Australian Government who contacted me last week looking to learn lessons from the UK Government or SSC’s currently unable to deliver the benefits outlined in their respective Final Business Cases back several years ago, then I will attempt to outline the key stages in establishing a world class SSC organisation.

The Contract Project Manager Dilemma?

Here is a quote from a respected recruitment consultant "I found the client wanting the "perfect" PM - possessing all the relevant experience to deliver the project  and a person who in all honesty will say 'yes' and bend to their every whim"

Project Manager quotes!

Project Management Laws

• If it can go wrong it will - Murphy's law.
• If it can't possibly go wrong, it will - O'Malley's corollary to Murphy's law.
•  
• It will go wrong in the worst possible way - Sod's law.
•  
• Work expands to fill the time available for its completion - Parkinson's law.
•  
• Finely chopped cabbage in mayonnaise - Coleslaw.
•  
• If there is a 50% chance of something going wrong then 9 times out of 10 it will.
•  
• A two year project will take three years, a three year project will never finish - (anyone know who's law this is?)
•  
• Murphy, O'Malley, Sod and Parkinson are alive and well - and working on your project.

 

Time to fully integrate business change workstreams into your project plan

For years Project Managers have treated the business change project or supporting project workstream as a semi independent activity. Now with Changefirst's e-change portal you can manage the business change workstream with integration points  into the overall project plan and PRINCE2 deliverables

http://www.changefirst.com/e-change

Australian Government to invest in Shared Services - lessons to be learnt from the UK experience so far

They have taken time to review the recent strategies of other countries and most notably the UK government's 'Next Generation Shared Services' which has led to creation of ISSC. This group which is working with Oracle colleagues is looking to develop the shared service strategies and design documents for incorporating Oracle R12 ERP within government shared service models

Clients are looking for BP80's Future Process designs, BR100;s application configuration etc as they aim to implement shared service best practice enabled by R12

More information to follow as Oracle develops the shared service collateral and implementation guides...watch this space

Public Sector Shared Services Companies - can they deliver?

 
Throughout the public sector organisations are looking to reduce their back office operating costs by establishing Shared Service Centres ( SSC). In some scenarios two or more public organisations are coming together to form separate legal entities with the mandate to develop shared services by reducing costs for the client organisations and by attracting new clients to the SSC.

Recent examples are:

East Midlands Shared Services ( EMSS)

Multi Force Shared Services

Cosocius ( Cheshire West and East Councils)

Please add to list and highlight your concerns about the viability long term of the respective SSC organisations

Government Projects still can't be delivered on time!

The Government catalogued 191 large projects in 2013 costing around £350b.

Listed below are the top 5 worst offending Departments:

1. NHS - An abandoned NHS patient record system has so far cost the taxpayer nearly £10bn,

2. DWP - The government has increased its initial write-off of a failed IT system for universal credit by £6m to £40.1m, but acknowledged that a further £90m of software is likely to be written down in its value over the next five years

3. MOJ - The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) £127.1m shared services programme, originally due to be completed by 2011/12, is now unlikely to be finished before 2014

4. Home Office - The Home Office’s £424m Application & Enrolment Contract let to CSC was also marked as red, now due to be completed over two years late by November 2014.

5. The Ministry of Defence - had its £5bn Defence Core Network Services marked as red, and also its £1.1bn intelligence surveillance Watchkeeper project