Change Management Strategies and Knowledge Transfer Processes for a Successful SAP Project 2

By |May 24th, 2010|

People, organizational, and change management strategies on an ERP implementation are usually more difficult than the technology implementation. ERP implementation changes to the business allow employees from different departments to become more knowledgeable about business in general (Hall, 2002) (see also The Top 5 ERP Success Factors by Project Stage from 22 Critical Success Factors about interdepartmental cooperation and communication). While deeper knowledge is good, it also presents a set [...]

ERP Project Plan: Getting Real Part 3

By |May 13th, 2010|

  Let's develop a project schedule people can believe and support. After all, people are the ones who must make any schedule a reality. When it comes to ERP project planning, an aggressive schedule is not a problem. In fact, it is encouraged. However, if you do not strategically consider this schedule, all you will have is a plan to toss out the window. We must deal with the ramifications of unrealistic expectations. Edicts Do Not Always Work First, many falsely believe that when senior ma [...]

Reduce SAP Project Stress Part 3

By |May 10th, 2010|

IT Project Hostile Emails to Wide Distribution Lists Previously, I offered insight and suggestions on the topic of reducing SAP project stress in a two-part series: Reduce SAP Project Stress: Part 1Reduce SAP, ERP, or Technology Project Stress: Part 2   In the Project Management Group on LinkedIn however, someone raised an interesting question that I have had to deal with on a few projects. They asked the following: “How do you respond to a senior project member who wrongly accuses yo [...]

SAP Implementation Focus: Engineer Software or Business Processes?

By |April 29th, 2010|

You have selected SAP as your software application-- now you move on to look for competitive bids from several software vendors to implement the system. You have a good understanding of the scope you want to address, but what do you look for and where do you begin? [FN1] Your Primary SAP Implementation Focus You can install SAP in your company through two primary ways: making your company fit the software, or making the software fit your existing processes. In other words, either you do a softw [...]

ERP Project Plan: Getting Real (Part 2)

By |April 16th, 2010|

In many cases, the ERP project plan is not worth the paper on which it is printed. Worse yet, many project managers shoot themselves in the foot because they prematurely commit to a project schedule and budget that sets unrealistic management expectations. Once cast, expectations will not go away and only come back to haunt you later. Could this be one reason why many ERP projects fail? Even when the schedule and budget are formally published, many plans are quickly tossed out the window becaus [...]

ERP, SAP, or IT Project Management and Prototyping for Success

By |March 15th, 2010|

Over the years I have worked with teams that had great project management and others that had poor project management. The projects with really good project management generally ran smoothly with less stress, allowing the team to be more productive. A Few of the Characteristics of a Well-Managed ERP Project I have noticed a few consistent elements in well-managed projects. Those elements can be summed up in the following list: The project manager produces a published project plan with tasks, tim [...]