Change program breaks new ground at Large Global Manufacturing Company making the way for High Performance

Change program breaks new ground at Large Global Manufacturing Company making the way for High Performance

This large global manufacturer is a leader in the agricultural and construction businesses. In North America, the company has multiple brands being marketed through thousands of dealerships. Client Profile The company launched a multiyear program to implement SAP as the company s enterprise resource planning system (ERP) based on standard business processes and solutions leveraged across the organization. The Warranty release of the SAP program was the first to directly impact the company s dealer network. Accenture recently assisted another company affiliate with the implementation of a SAP warranty solution. It was decided that this warranty solution would be leveraged for the organization, starting in North America. Accenture was selected to partner on the implementation based on their understanding of the company and the SAP warranty solution. Accenture was also chosen to guide the overarching change management strategy which ranged from communications to stakeholder management to change measurement. The aim was to cover the entire change lifecycle for its vast North American Dealer Network, from initial sponsorship assessments during the blueprint phase, all the way to post go-live support for the dealer network. A comprehensive and well-executed change program would build confidence in successive SAP releases. Accenture played an important role in working with the company to create a master change strategy and assisted in building their internal capabilities needed to carry on the SAP change program. III. Sponsorship Change Network II. Communications Understand Support Market I. Training Educate Support IV. Organization Alignment Role Mapping Individual Performance Organizational Performance V. Change Management Platform Mobilization VI. Post Go-Live Support Call Center Support Individual Performance Business Business Results

How Accenture helped Accenture partnered with company leaders to develop an all-encompassing change management program that included stakeholder management, role mapping, training, communications, and Change Tracking. One of the key success factors was the creation of a Change Management Advisory Board. Board members included managers for each brand and additional stakeholders with key knowledge of company operations. The board met weekly to advise the change management team of best methods to deliver messages to the widely dispersed dealerships in the United States and Canada. Suggestions from the advisory board resulted in messages being tailored for two change networks: internal audiences and external groups composed of field service representatives reaching out to the geographically dispersed dealerships. The main focus of the Warranty release of the SAP Program was to standardize warranty processes including claims processing, dealer warranty operations, supplier collaboration, and warranty analytics and intelligence. These processes, which can affect company profitability, also reflect responsiveness to customers. The Change Management role mapping effort determined which individuals at each location and dealership needed to gain access to specific SAP functionality. The thoroughness of the mapping was crucial for implementation, regulatory compliance and IT security. Training was developed concurrently while the new ERP solution was being refined. Accenture s learning content development centers in India developed Web-based training enhanced by capabilities provided by Assima, a software simulation company. Providing much more than screen prints, Assima offers desktop replications of sample transactions. Simulations enabled trainees to input data, within certain parameters, thereby making lessons highly interactive and relevant. Accenture introduced MicroTek, an international provider of training facilities, to streamline the mammoth training delivery component. The company worked with MicroTek to organize 47 training locations located within 200 miles of 95 percent of it s dealers. Company trainers were able to walk into each MicroTek classroom set up in advance with desktops preloaded with simulations, supplies and catering and lead multiple sessions, then move to other training locations in the same week. To supplement training, Accenture designed a three-month communication plan leading to the go live date. More than 225 unique communication events were executed, including town-hall meetings, conference calls, announcements, videos all with messages tailored for specific groups of employees and managers. To monitor the impact of the change initiatives, Accenture leveraged Change Tracking. The Change Tracking survey tool helped identify teams requiring additional communications and support prior to and during go-live.

High Performance Delivered Accenture played an important role in working with the company to create a master change strategy and assisted in building their internal capabilities needed to carry on the SAP change program. Their warranty processes are now generally aligned with their parent company s processes, harnessing an integrated ERP system to enhance business competitiveness. Innovative dealer training using simulations gave users engaging experiences that built confidence in the new system. The program reached 2,700 dealer outlets, as well as 500 users from within the organization. Internal users include warranty administrators and more than 150 service representatives, working in the field and viewing reports on specific warranty claims. In the first week of use, more than 7,000 claims were submitted. Accenture s role in teaming with the company to manage the Change Management program has been critical to the successful Warranty launch. Throughout the project, Accenture worked alongside the change management team and worked to transfer knowledge for future SAP releases. This SAP program is a recent example of Accenture s expertise in change management. Instilling key competencies and capabilities improves alignment to business strategy, boosts productivity and enables workforces to make substantial contributions to company performance. Accenture provides leading capabilities in multiple areas, including leadership alignment, change strategy and capability development, change measurement, and business readiness. Combining these capabilities can generate measurable benefits for organizations pursuing high performance. Accenture leveraged offshore training development to help keep costs down. In addition, key collaboration with specialized service providers such as Assima and MicroTek contributed to the success. Training simulations and communication materials were efficiently reformatted and customized for multiple audience segments. After the system went live, multiple tools, job aids and electronic how-to tutorials were made available to current and new employees.

About Accenture Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 275,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$28.6 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2013. Its home page is www.accenture.com. About the Accenture Talent & Organization Practice Accenture Talent & Organization helps clients drive enhanced organizational performance and more effective execution of business strategy by improving the performance, productivity and collaborative power of their workforce talent. This group of skilled professionals has extensive experience across a range of talent, organization effectiveness, human resources, talent management, change management, analytics, learning and collaboration capabilities, backed by a comprehensive research program, global resources with deep knowledge and insights and unparalleled tools and assets. Copyright 2013 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.