Struggle in implementing an integrated business application

Making grand or small scale automation work regardless of size requires the same deal of great effort. This is a personal experience in the design, launch and execution of an integrated business application on a global scale based in Atlanta for over a thousand Philippine users and on a limited 50 man users in the business of water and waste water treatment plant installation in Metro Manila.

It starts with establishing the current processes using two models: IPO (Input Process Output) and RACI (Responsible Accountable Consult Inform). Persons Responsible and Accountable must be clearly defined without compromise.

This is matched with corresponding informational technology solutions as: ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning and CRM (Customer Relationship Module) and Warehouse Management.

The architecture is designed and customized to capture all currently used processes. Provider tests the system if meeting the acceptable passing threshold to progress to the next phase.

Infrastructure is set up to support the program and data files are encoded and checked for compatibilities.

Upon installation of the hardware, software and data files, users are conditioned to expect and accept changes in their day-to-day routines. Eventually they are trained either as a group or on a one-on-one to navigate the program starting with setting a unique user name and encoding a personalized password for security.

The struggle starts as it is in this phase when users realize processing is no longer the same and the desired results are challenging to achieve the first time and in the forthcoming attempts. The reluctant user gets frustrated.

Man, method, material and machine related issues crop up. Man commits error, forgets user and password name, and enters wrong characters. Data entered are inaccurate. Equivalent manual process could not be replicated. Machine shuts down and then slows down.

Resistance to change build ups. Workarounds are created by enterprising users. Use of system is abandoned until finally only selectively applied.

The driving force that users will eventually try the systems is their proficiency in the use of android phones, Microsoft Office programs and online games.

Momentarily, management opted to put in an additional layer in the org structure to encode for the team leads and the associates hopeful that at certain tipping points, the promise of a secured, stable, reliable and efficient business application is realized. Even if it takes a decade to do so.

Welcome to the online world!