Ensure a Successful SAP Implementation

Clear, consistent messaging and effective organizational change management are integral to the success of any large-scale transformation.

The majority of the world’s largest public companies on the Forbes Global 2000 list use SAP in some capacity. Whether companies are centralizing their finance department or improving supply chain productivity, SAP is often the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system of choice. There are many SAP applications – and the solution and migration can be highly complex. This is why change management and communications are often engaged to help with the people side of the transition.

With any enterprise-wide change effort, it is both essential and challenging to share a consistent message with all global stakeholders. Having engaged leaders, site-level communications and engaged employees are critical to success. Some tips to ensure these important factors are included in your SAP project:

1. Leverage your key leaders and sponsors.

   • Have leaders relay core messages, advocate for a project and create a sense of urgency.

   • Ask leaders to provide the “why” for buy-in and context. This allows employees to hear about why the project is important from the top and to understand the big picture, beyond their day-to-day role.

   • Leaders can answer one of the most important questions, “What would happen if we didn’t change?”

2. Localize the message at the site level. 

   • Gain agreement from regional leaders on the direction of the project and how it supports the enterprise strategy and goals. Regional leaders can help localize messages to the culture and language.

   • Form a super user community or change champion network for site-level education, training, testing, support and to gather valuable feedback from groups around the world.

3. Engage employees throughout the project.

   • Employees feel more at ease with this new way of working when they’re informed and given educational opportunities. SAP can be challenging. It comes with its own language, and can take time for employees to adjust to.

   • Change managers can make connections and address concerns along the way rather than cleaning up a disastrous spill a day before go-live.

Every company is made up of individuals who are driven by their contributions and take pride in their work. Change management can help employees feel included and a part of the change rather than a victim of change.