2005 educause midwest regional conference 1 living in the gap: recovering from an erp implementation...

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.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


The Impact of the Project on OAR’s IT Division

Network & Computing Support



“The Project was a Tsunami. We didn’t know which way or how far to go.”

– OAR’s Network Administrator


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




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



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



Post-project impact on trainingOngoing training role?

UndeterminedResistance to training

Increased workload = reduced availability Training fatigue


The Impact of the Project on OAR’s IT Division

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”



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



Staff IssuesPersonnel changesStress & workloadExpertise: learning Banner & the warehouse

from a tech perspective


Strategies – Part 1

What DOESN’T work…


Keep Expectations High

Promise no disruption in services to constituents during the transitional period.

Adhere to unattainable standards.


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.


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


Strategies – Part 2

What DOES work…


Network!

Establish relationships with Project personnel

Work proactively with campus IT user groups and peers

Establish relationships with colleagues on our sister campuses


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


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.


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


Take Charge!

Seek to take ownership of processes to the fullest extent possible.

Learn how to navigate the political landscape.


Living in the Gap: Recovering from an ERP ImplementationPatricia G. DeWalt

Joan L. Flessner-Filzen

Glenn E. Pence

2005 educause midwest regional conference 1 living in the gap: recovering from an erp implementation...

Documents

didnt slide

provosts office slide

erp project project

fte network

campus project

erp bandwagon

admissions graduate

illinois illinois