Have you ever measured the success of Your Business? Are your projects concluded on time and within budget? Well, working within a budget and timeline does not actually portray a project’s success. An example of a successful project is when every member of your organization attains a particular set of goals. Organizational alignment is a sign of success but how is it attained?
1. Create a Project Team
Always have a project team when handling more significant projects. Within that team, there needs to be an organizational change management department responsible for assessing employees’ readiness to change and developing a change management strategy.
2. Communicate Early
Employees will opt-in to a project when they have brief details concerning it. For instance, a NetSuite ERP implementation positively affects the company and employees’ jobs. Therefore, make sure that your change management team puts across the information of change earlier. Let your project team explain the importance of that change. How will the change influence employees? Why is the change required?
3. Listen to Employees’ Concerns
Communication top-down and bottom-up aligns the organization before NetSuite ERP implementation. The communication of employees to the management requires adherence because your staff will use that NetSuite ERP technology. As end-users, employees have in-depth understanding of business processes and could identify some important aspects in its implementation.
4. Manage the Escalations During a Project
Note that communication bottom-up never ends when the project starts. Ensure you set up a communication hierarchy to prevent your business from being derailed. Lack of communication structure creates an instance where your employees do not know how to communicate concerns when the project is ongoing.
An example is where your business was doing an upgrade of software; then suddenly, there is a calculation error. The end-users (employees) reach out to a Chief Risk Officer (CRO) who ends up being less knowledgeable about technology. The CRO misinterprets the system bug and shuts down the entire operation. The result is a huge loss of money!
5. Ensure People Share Critical Information During a Project
While bottom-up communication continues, top communication needs to take effect as well. Any relevant information such as an upcoming milestones can make a difference in Your Business. For instance, you can enlighten your employees on the business milestones accomplished at the first phase of your project.
Another item that results in an effective engagement of employees is the communication of the goals of a project. With an increase in project challenges, the choice to accept an implementation by employees fluctuates. Keep repeating the project’s purpose and encourage your staff about the existence of temporary pain in the quest for permanent gain.
What is the Employee’s Perception of Change?
Understanding the truth of what employees think about change will result in effective communication. The first thing to know is that most employees do not fancy change.
Your change management team should think along the team members’ lines. Most employees’ minds shift to the fact that a change comes to replace them in the workplace as a cost-cutting approach. Furthermore, any new roles could make your employees feel inadequate and intimidated.
With all these fears, you may want to create a change management strategy that will focus intensely on team member communication. Why? Poor communication is a recipe for increasing team members’ fear and resistance.
At SCG, we understand that it is essential for employees to opt-in to NetSuite ERP implementation for its success. We can help you support employees by creating a change management strategy. Let’s talk at hello@seibertconsulting.com or 760-205-5251.
