Achieving Technical Promise

ERP... HRIS... HCM... CRM... These popular enterprise technology solutions have the potential to transform the performance of your organization. Business and functional leaders who have been through at least one of these implementations know how difficult it can be to realize the full promise and ROI associated with these platforms—and how daunting the fear of a bad launch can be. No matter the size of your organization, we all want to believe the gap between these results and reality will be minimal. Unfortunately, the differences are often notable.

The fact is, the failure rate of newly implemented technologies is overwhelming. To help organizations cope with this reality, SDI Clarity has asked me to develop an entire consulting practice and service line dedicated to supporting and driving organizational transformation through successful implementations. Yes, successful adoption of new technology is possible, so long as you have the proper planning and support to make sure the promises made are fulfilled.

Every company dreams of unified systems, centralized data, reduced human error, and increased productivity. All of these goals are attainable...eventually. The reality, however, is most of these enterprise HR, resource planning and management systems take far longer than expected to implement, and the price tags never include the substantial costs associated with onboarding your most important assets—your people.

Think of the divide between a mechanic and the designer of a car. The mechanic is concerned with how easy it is to access the internals for repair, while the designer wants a sleek engine compartment that reduces weight and increases aesthetic appeal. There is a similar divide between the desires of management and the people tasked with using new technology; management wants increased productivity and an ability to better forecast results. Employees are often resistant to change and can even resent new policies if the perception it makes their jobs harder exists.

You bear the responsibility of preventing implementation costs, disruption of organizational process, and avoiding humiliating issues with customers. However, just because something is difficult does not mean it isn't worth the risk. This is why so many organizations gamble on technology and lose. It doesn't need to be that way. Technological promises can be met, and business results don't need to suffer.

My team can help you find ways to avoid these problems, and to achieve a holistic view of your organization's issues and needs. We can help you optimize successful implementation of enterprise-wide technology with the success and transformation promised when you decided you needed a change. Let's work together! Contact me for your organization and talent support needs.

In my next posts, I will explore common issues experienced before, during and after enterprise-wide software implementations. Stay tuned!