The importance of "Why"

Welcome to the first in a series of blog posts designed to help you understand the key steps to building a compelling business case for changing key systems or processes.

I have worked on 100’s of ERP implementations and business improvement projects across the years and have been regularly surprised by a clients inability to clearly express their justification for such a significant investment in the business.

Changing any established business system or process can be a daunting prospect, and like any project, it comes with a degree of risk. For every expected benefit, there will likely be some level of perceived dis-benefit of a replacement system. These dis-benefits are often perception issues around the loss of functionality or usability, driven by familiarity with existing solutions or just a genuine fear of change.

It is therefore crucial that when considering changing business systems (ERP or other business solutions) or even key processes, your first question to answer should always be: 

There are many drivers for the need to change systems, for example:

• Ageing or failing product.

• Increasing annual costs.

• No longer supports your changing business needs.

• Too rigid, not customisable.

• Doesn’t provide the data-driven insights required to make business decisions.

• No or low ability for integration.

• Difficult to use or maintain.

• Retired or unsupportable solution.

• Not upgradable or has been superseded.

• No longer compatible with the latest operating systems or technology.

• Increasing security risk.

• No or poor service from support partner.

• In-house developed solution unsupportable due to loss of key skills or resources.

• Industry regulation changes.

• New legislation.

• New fiscal reporting requirements.

• New product quality or certification demands.

  
  

Your reasons may be one or a combination of these or other factors, but having a clear understanding of the “Why” provides clarity for all parties at the start of the evaluation phase. It also acts as a reminder for the business when you are deep into the project, as to the reason why the project was undertaken in the first place.

An old mentor of mine used to say, “When you are up to your ears in water and surrounded by alligators, you need to remember that the reason you are there is to drain the swamp.” It is easy to lose focus and get disheartened when the pressure is on during the implementation phases of a project and to lose sight of the why.

Even before you get to a selection phase, a clear definition of the “Why” will provide the basis for assuring the necessary buy-in from all levels of the business, which is crucial for a project to succeed. It also ensures agreement from all stakeholders why something needs to change.

Once you have defined your “Why”, it should become a key statement within the project brief and subsequent business case. It should also be a banner message in your project room to remind all involved parties of the reasons and drivers for the selection, the project, and ultimately the implementation of your replacement solution or process.

With anything in life, it is difficult to reflect and measure your success or failure unless you are able to remember why you started the journey in the first place.

If you are thinking about changing any of your systems or business processes, NMcG-Consulting can help you to clarify your “Why” to confirm that the need for change is justified and provides a solid basis for taking the next steps.

Contact us via email at [contact@nmcg-consulting.com] or via the contact us form on our website http://www.nmcg-consulting.com