Executive Alignment for an ERP Implementation

Case Studies

Executive Alignment For An ERP Implementation

Soarington’s change management governance expertise helped a claims management services company achieve alignment on the objectives and desired outcomes of a multi-phase/ multi-year ERP implementation.

The Client

North American claims management and productivity management solutions company with annual revenue in excess of $1 billon and close to 13,000 employees.

The Problem

Soarington completed an Organizational Assessment to identify barriers to success, risks, and actions needed to prepare the client for the changes resulting from an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Project. Stakeholder interviews revealed that while some stakeholders were on board with the changes, other key stakeholders needed a better understanding of the long-term vision. The full vision for this transformation had yet to be defined and communicated by leadership; this information was critical for awareness, acceptance, and adoption. Furthermore, the absence of an agreed upon roadmap put the likelihood of gaining optimal ROI on planned future ERP phases at risk.

The Solution

  • Coached project PMO Lead and client Project Leader on how to resolve this issue
  • Worked with the COO to document his vision for the multi-phase ERP project
  • Supported the COO in preparing his vision at the next project executive steering committee meeting to solicit understanding, further refine, and gain agreement
  • Met with the ERP team to encourage them to draft high level multi-phase architecture to provide additional detail in support of evolving steering committee’s vision
  • Worked with the client to gain agreement on vision and the overall roadmap to prevent the project team from making significant design decisions that might be contrary to future phase requirements

The Result

  • The client has a complete business case for their multi-year effort enabling the COO and executive team to communicate more effectively with their board of directors regarding this significant investment
  • The Executive Steering Committee has a clear understanding of the company vision with which to guide them as they make decisions affecting the scope and direction of the project
  • The organization can more effectively prioritize functionality to be added, by release
  • The project team is operating more efficiently; IT and the rest of organization are clear on both immediate and longer term steps required to implement the solution

More Case Studies