Make Sure Go-Live Goes Right
December 18, 2018
In 1966, an advertising slogan first appeared for Botany suits that has since been re-appropriated many times:
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”
Such is the case when launching the go-live pilot for your e-procurement platform. First impressions will set the tone for your internal e-procurement brand. The effectiveness of your change management program for the launch phase will determine whether your initial stakeholders become brand assets or liabilities in moving your e-procurement initiative forward.
During the course of the global core design phases, you will have developed and started to execute key change management activities. You have identified key change agents and have started to mobilize them. Your change agents will have had exposure to major design touch points such as design reviews and decision-making, Conference Room Pilots and demos for key stakeholders.
Launch is executing Phase 1 of your implementation.
Phase 1 is an exercise in applied change management. For global rollouts, the localization work effort is taking global core design concepts to local constituencies and identifying any key regulatory or legal modifications that need to be made while retaining your global design. If your implementation is not global, then Phase 1 is likely to be rolling out to a smaller subset of users (either functionally or geographically based).
During the launch phase, change management activities will increase exponentially in nature and scope. Training groups of users, go-live communications and taking the platform “on the road” will drive home the WIIFM messaging.
Our latest eBook, Change Management Launch, is the second in a three-part series that provides a framework for ensuring a successful launch of your e-procurement platform.
The first edition in this series presents six essential steps for building your e-procurement Change Management Strategy. The final edition will offer insights into managing change during the subsequent phases for expansion of your platform.