Change can be hard. It doesn’t have to be hard, and it isn’t always hard, but from what I’ve seen and experienced in my consulting career it is often difficult for companies and people to really embrace change and make the most of it. How we do things tends to get linked too closely to why we do them.
When I ask project managers and sponsors ‘What are the goals for your SAP HCM project?’ the one I hear most often is something like this: ‘To replace the legacy system with SAP’. Sometimes they might add a goal or two to that - like implementing self-service, or automating compensation planning. Press a little more and they will say they want to do all that within their budget.
Shouldn’t this just work?
I recently switched from a Windows laptop to the MacBook Air by Apple. I was a Mac fan since the original little Macs that I used in college in the 80’s. In the early 90’s I even had the Powerbook - remember that dark gray clamshell portable Mac with the trackball? And then when I started consulting, I went with Windows laptops - it worked better with the SAP software and it fit into the corporate networks of my clients. But I really missed the Mac design; it just worked.
This podcast sort of has two parts - one for consultants and one for clients - but each can learn from listening to the whole thing. Now, let's talk about the value of getting - and using - feedback for your SAP HCM projects.
Most of our consulting projects come from SAP HR clients who have already implemented the system. We help them fix configuration, customization, technical and business processes, and change management. Once we get into the work, four out of five times our clients will ask 'Where were you when we were implementing this system!?' Well, we were right here; we still are, right here.
Year-end is a good time to take a look at where you have been and make some course corrections. Or, ponder what went well and not so well the past year and make a list of things to keep doing, to work on, and importantly to stop doing. Looking back at the past year's work with all sorts of SAP HR clients, I have five things that seem to keep coming up.
How much does that broken process cost your firm? Or that incomplete payroll calculation, or the benefits enrollment changes that require follow-up to manually adjust or correct? Or the 10% of the hiring process that was never automated? Those costs are both quantitative and qualitative, and they can add up to a significant sum.
One of the critical success factors for implementing SAP HR software is Change Management. It's also one of the most difficult parts of a project to do well. Unfortunately, many implementation projects starve it for resources and some give it only token support. When you look around at SAP projects that have failed, it's often due to change management failures, not the underlying SAP technology.
Of all the leadership literature I've read, I always come away with an impression that it's always all about the big picture. The details of implementation are given footnotes most times, if at all. My experience in working with the HR/IT areas of companies that past 20 years or so tells me that the details surely do count. Getting them right and making sure someone is responsible for them on an ongoing basis will lead to lower costs and greater flexibility – which are two terrific enablers for leaders who like to get things done well.