Post on 16-Dec-2015
2005 Educause Midwest Regional Conference 1
Living in the Gap: Recovering from an ERP ImplementationPatricia G. DeWalt
Joan L. Flessner-Filzen
Glenn E. Pence
Copyright Patricia G. DeWalt, Joan L. Flessner-Filzen, and Glenn E. Pence, 2005. This work is the intellectual property of the authors. Permission is granted for this material to be shared, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the authors. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the authors.
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The ERP Bandwagon…
“The typical scenario of the roll-out, whereby all sites are asked to implement the common template within a common timeframe, may be appealing to managers in head offices, but it is actually a nightmare for local managers.”
Fergal Carton & Frederic Adam,Analysing the Impact of Enterprise Resource Planning in Multi-National Companies
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Session Outline
Overview: the ERP project at the University of Illinois
Assessment: impact on the IT division of UIUC’s Office of Admissions and Records
Strategies: what worked—and what didn’t
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ERP at Illinois
Illinois: the largest university to implement Sungard’s SCT Banner product
5-year, 3-campus project administered by University-level IT team (ends June 2005)
Fixed timelines and budgets Parallel development of new data
warehouse
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About the Office of Admissions and Records (OAR)… Approximately 110 FTE who are
collectively responsible for:Undergraduate recruiting and admissionsGraduate and professional (Law, Veterinary
Medicine) admissions processingRecords and registration services
(Registrar’s office) Organizational niche: Provost’s Office
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About OAR’s IT Division…
12.25 FTE organized into 3 areas IT Administration (2 FTE)Network and Computing Support (4.25 FTE)
Help Desk; network management; tech training; hardware/software purchasing & installation
Application Development (6 FTE) Data services/reporting; Banner support; web
development/maintenance; security
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Staffing for the ERP Project
Project staff: experienced University personnel & new hires OAR identified staff to work on the Project;
“backfill” dollars were provided to hire temporary personnel.
OAR’s participants: mostly functional managers
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OAR’s IT Participants on the Project
Recruiting & admissions phaseAssoc Dir (100% for 6 months, ending 8/01)Sys Engr (100% for 7 months, ending 9/01)Sys Engr (100% for 18 months, ending 8/02)Tech Trainer (100% for 6 months)
Records & registration phase: none
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Other Factors that Affected the Department during the Implementation
Deep budget cuts, beginning FY02. The mandate: reduce administrative expenditures by 25% over a three-year period
Four department heads between Spring 2002 and Spring 2005
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Other Factors (cont.)
New student system – new warehouse Lack of clarity about University-level plans
for long-term management of Banner Mixed signals about what OAR’s post-
Project role would be with regard to system maintenance
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The Impact of the Project on OAR’s IT Division
Network & Computing Support
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Network & Computing Support
“The Project was a Tsunami. We didn’t know which way or how far to go.”
– OAR’s Network Administrator
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NACS: Technical support & training Impact on technical support
No more centralized mainframe printing Needed new high-capacity printers
Hardware performance issues Initial requirement: P90, 32 Mg RAM Increased RAM to 256 Mg Current requirement: P500, 512 Mg RAM
Network & Computing Support
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Network & Computing Support
Other challengesNo technical training on the new systemsNew help desk Customer Relationship
Management software Project-related work diverted resources from
critical internal projects Post-project impact
More pressing need for hardware upgrades
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Network & Computing Support
Impact on trainingDepartment training function on hold
No backfill for our trainerChallenges with Project training
Timing: a little too soon Coordination: not quite enough Content: one size fits all
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Network & Computing Support
Post-project impact on trainingOngoing training role?
UndeterminedResistance to training
Increased workload = reduced availability Training fatigue
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The Impact of the Project on OAR’s IT Division
Application Development
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Application Development
Resolving issues with new workloadSupport for letter generation / printingUnderstanding table maintenance (technical &
organizational issues)Managing change control processesManaging web applications
“Testing in production”
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Application Development
Re-engineering existing workloadWebsite reorganization and maintenanceReporting:
Managing demands for both legacy and Banner-driven data
Reworking / rewriting standard reports – and filling the gaps in Project-delivered reporting (R&A)
Mastering new tools
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Application Development
Staff IssuesPersonnel changesStress & workloadExpertise: learning Banner & the warehouse
from a tech perspective
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Strategies – Part 1
What DOESN’T work…
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Keep Expectations High
Promise no disruption in services to constituents during the transitional period.
Adhere to unattainable standards.
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Rely on “Crisis Thinking”
Have no strategic plan in place to deal with worsening budgets and escalating workload.
Adopt short-term workarounds without considering the long-term impact.
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Work without a Viable Communication Plan Speak to the Project team with multiple
(and perhaps contradictory) voices Make decisions based on incomplete (or
inaccurate) information
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Strategies – Part 2
What DOES work…
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Network!
Establish relationships with Project personnel
Work proactively with campus IT user groups and peers
Establish relationships with colleagues on our sister campuses
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Engage the Entire Department
Manage expectations and enhance colleagues’ understanding of the nature of IT work. Four successes: Leadership of weekly cross-functional meetings IT managers meet quarterly with functional managers IT presence on internal website Open House
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Engage Senior Management
Measure job satisfaction and workload regularly and report those findings.
Evaluate the effectiveness of IT services– and identify obstacles that stand in the way of improvement.
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Maximize Communication with IT Staff Hold daily status meetings with staff Communicate between the IT units Retreat!
StrategizeTake stock of accomplishments
Regroup and reorganize (see supplemental info)
Communicate realistic workload expectations
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Take Charge!
Seek to take ownership of processes to the fullest extent possible.
Learn how to navigate the political landscape.
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Living in the Gap: Recovering from an ERP ImplementationPatricia G. DeWalt
Joan L. Flessner-Filzen
Glenn E. Pence