|  | Nothing permanent except change
| Confusion over change management amongst UK IT directors
| 99 percent of IT directors realise that effective change management is vital during enterprise software deployments, according to a survey commissioned by OnDemand Software, a division of Global Knowledge. Despite this, one in three surveyed felt that a lack of understanding amongst end users remains the key problem when deploying or upgrading enterprise-level software.
The study also revealed that one in ten IT directors admitted to not providing any training to staff during deployment phases of their software investments; this despite clear evidence that training is a key element in most change management programmes.
Kevin Riley, CEO of OnDemand Software commented on the study's findings: "This reflects a mystery surrounding change management or put another way, people and process. Within this context, most IT directors realise that they need to do more for employees in the roll-out phases but still have differing views on how the issue of change management affects their particular business. This end-user confusion and training avoidance demonstrates that managing change for employees is something that is still not fully understood." |  |
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| 35 per cent of IT directors in the manufacturing sector surveyed still see a lack of end user misunderstanding as the main cause of problems during enterprise software application implementations, showing the ongoing problems firms face when installing new enterprise wide systems such as ERP.
The manufacturing services sector is leading the way in recognising training as a key part of change management - only 4 per cent of IT directors in the industry do not provide training during enterprise software roll outs. Compare this with the 25 per cent of those IT directors surveyed in the commercial sector, or 13 per cent in retail who do not provide training for end users. |
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| An overwhelming 100 per cent of those surveyed in the manufacturing sector realise that change management and training is key to roll out success - are the 4 per cent of IT directors in the manufacturing sector not providing training because of budget, or is it because they do not realise it is part of the change management mix?
When respondents were questioned on the methods of learning they felt were useful in successful change management, 85 percent preferred a blended environment, including classroom and integrated tools, over that of a 24-hour helpdesk or one-time classroom training.
Nearly 70 percent of respondents in the survey agreed that an integrated platform, supporting all phases of a project lifecycle, from blueprinting through to configuration and testing, was important to the success of an enterprise deployment.
An integrated support platform is seen as important to IT directors in the manufacturing - over half surveyed see this as important (57 per cent), compared to much lower figures in retail (46 per cent) and financial services (25 per cent). This shows how the manufacturing industry is embracing change management.
Riley continued: "Our experience demonstrates that a significant amount of time and money can be wasted by using untrained staff to interface with sophisticated software programmes. Critical applications, such as finance, resource planning and customer interaction, aren't necessarily intuitive; they need to be taught in a proper environment with ongoing tools that promote long-term understanding and real ROI for the enterprise."
OnDemand Software's own learning platform, OnDemand Personal Navigator, supports all implementation phases for enterprise software applications - from blueprinting, design, configuration, testing and documentation to training and ongoing performance support. It helps create content for enterprise software applications, such as ERP and CRM applications, to drive user acceptance, enable seamless change management, mitigate risks and provide greater return on investment.
The company recently launched the latest version of OnDemand Knowledge Pathways, which expands OnDemand Personal Navigator by aggregating and integrating all of a company's learning content in a web-based environment. This is typically used as a learning portal on a company's Intranet.
UK companies including Bayer are using tools such as this as part of a blended learning solution to expand training and support, enabling a reduction in travel and enhancement of just-in-time training, thus ensuring that employees become quickly proficient in an organisation's business processes.
Source: OnDemand UK Report |
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