I'm not sure who had the more incredulous look. Me as I listened to the constant message '”It cannot be done”. Or the HR Senior Management Team as I advised them that it will be done, and done to plan. It was my initial meeting as project manager with the customer at SLOW ORG. Except the project sponsor, the HR Director, hadn't bothered to show at all. The Oracle HRMS / OTA project was clearly at risk.
It was a government agency established a couple of years earlier. The workforce was long term public sector in the main and the pace was moderate to slow. Funding had become available centrally and the Chief Executive wanted an HR system by the year-end. The HR Director and his team were under pressure and had seen it attempted twice before without success. They had no resources and the data was poor. Very poor. So poor that they had 3000 personnel paper files as their legacy system and much was missing from those files.
Traditionally, change management around Oracle applications projects meant:
Communicating features and benefits of the new system
Training, education, and external information programs
New organisational structures, policies, and procedures
Monitoring and evaluating the organization's performance
All of this is required but doesn't deal with the 8 reasons projects fail to meet their stated change objectives. Two of those reasons are:
There is no effective leadership alliance
Obstacles are allowed to block the change vision
Back at SLOW ORG I had decided these were the two most likely reasons for failure. The HR management team were not going to lead the HRMS implementation and change project to success. Additionally, they would be the obstacles to the achievement of the project objectives. I formulated a radical proposal and went off to see the Chief Executive.
“ Your HR management team are not supportive and will block any new ideas and drive to a successful project. conclusion I need you to be Project Sponsor and your Finance, IT and Operations directors to fly the flag for the project. “
“Agreed” she said.
“ I need total flexibility in the budget spending to appoint some casual staff...basically to do the work of the HR staff working on data issues”.
She agreed again.
“Finally, I also need you to do something you really won't like doing but there is no other way”.
“ Try me” she said smiling.
“ I need you to communicate an open letter to all your employees informing them that the data we have on them for HR purposes is poor and much is missing. Also explain the benefits to them of the new HR system around speedier administration, pay issue resolution, training and career development. We need them in the next 4 weeks to complete a 100 point questionnaire which I will design and issue. It cover everything from personal details and work history to ethnicity questions and skills and training”
She needed to think and consult with her directors. They agreed and somehow I got the feeling that this alliance was based on getting even with HR team. I didn't care...
The email letter went out. We designed a powerful user friendly questionnaire well tested and distributed to all employees including directors. Casual staff were brought in and fired up. League tables were set up to monitor and publish submissions by functional and operational teams on a regional basis. The HR team were to validate the data as much as possible.
I still needed to keep them on board of course and my next meeting was a communication exercise. Their noses were put out but I went for the jugular anyway. “ Honestly, what are the chances of success now?” I asked. “ About 20%” said the HR No. 2. The others agreed.
Six months later and it's my final day and my final Steering Committee meeting.
“This will be a short meeting.“ said the Chief Executive. “I believe our deputy HR Director would like to say a few words to our Project Manager”.
He smiled and said thanks for their new HR system which they are thrilled about. Yes 98% of employees had returned completed questionnaires. Sorry for being disbelievers. And more importantly, thanks for demonstrating everything is possible.
I headed for Heathrow bound for home in Cyprus..his words ringing in my ears...:-)
www.DriveERP.com
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