Delivering a Harmonised SAP Solution Following Merger and Acquisition
Project Overview
Afiniti were recently involved in the integration of two large energy organisations following an acquisition. In addition to the post-acquisition integration, this programme also involved the roll out of an integrated SAP solution with the UK affiliate being the first to have the solution implemented – setting the standard for a global deployment.
Afiniti partnered at a time when the programme was ailing due to a range of factors, but our team brought best practice and rigour to the programme, turning it around by focussing on four key areas…
Our Solution
Strategic thinking and planning
When we inherited the change management of this programme the focus was very much reactive rather than proactive. There was no change management plan, and, consequently there was little forward planning which meant communications and other interventions were managed on a reactive basis. To bring a more proactive approach we:
- Delivered a highly-sophisticated planning template to track key deliverables and activities. Subsequently this template was reused for following phases and also adopted throughout the wider organisation as a powerful way of tracking progress.
- Created a forward view of change management activities across the whole of the programme, by developing and running a planning workshop which brought together the entire change management team.
Creative identity
To increase levels of engagement, we developed and deployed a creative identity which included:
- A bold and colourful creative identity in line with the brand but unique and compelling, with an individual colour scheme for each of the impacted functional areas.
- A Design Asset Library and guiding materials which included over 100 icons to bring collateral to life and which could be reused to ensure consistency and sustainability, along with Reference Guides and user guide templates to increase efficiency and consistency when creating new materials.
- Communications collateral – a suite of resources, created by the Afiniti designers, for the change management team to use.
Stakeholder management and engagement
We enhanced and improved existing documentation to maximise its effectiveness, making sure we used people-appropriate channels and stakeholder-specific targeting – avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.
Collaboration and teamwork
With the programme team consisting of consultants from a number of separate consultancies, the Afiniti team were keen to demonstrate collaborative working practices to deliver project goals and knowledge sharing, to ensure the best results for the client. An example of this is when the Afiniti design team provided design support to the training consultant to improve the quality of training materials and cohesiveness across the programme.
The Differences We Made
Having a people focused business change plan helped de-risk the project by ensuring people were positioned as being as important as systems, data or processes. A focus on people meant the deployment was not viewed as a technology project and people were supported through the change journey during a time of considerable change and uncertainty.
If you’d like to find out more about how Afiniti helps clients plan, execute and embed sustainable change solutions, and how we can help you with your SAP S4/HANA change programmes, send us a message and we’ll get straight back to you.
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