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!!!!