The challenge
We supported London Borough of Lambeth to deliver a range of change management and engagement activities for their extensive Oracle Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation programme, which encompassed process, technological and behavioural transformation. This programme was a key enabler to the Council’s ‘Your Future Lambeth’ campaign which aims to invest in its people, technology and workspaces to deliver high quality services for its residents.
The benefits
Engagement and training targeted to the right people at the right time, using a mixture of tailored approaches
Reduced costs for the council, being the first local authority to go live with Oracle Cloud
Increased use of self-service and improved data to enable quicker and more effective decision-making
The approach
In total there were three phases in this assignment as set out below:
Phase 1 | Developing the change management strategy and communication plan
Developing a Change Management Strategy which aligned the ERP programme to the authority’s wider transformation programmes, clearly defining the vision for Oracle Cloud in Lambeth. Our consultants used an Organisation Impact Assessment to understand the degree and complexity of change which would be brought about by the implementation of the Cloud ERP solution and used this to create a Change Management Strategy and Communications Plan.
This helped to make the Oracle Cloud implementation successful by building understanding of and commitment to change associated with the implementation; aligning key organisational elements (structure, roles and skills) to support the implementation; and enabling continuous improvement to sustain the change.
“The work Socitm Advisory put into working with our Subject Matter Experts at the onset and during Conference Room pilots, the expertise and tenacity putting together a comprehensive impact assessment, the enthusiasm and dynamism to develop our to-be processes have all been pivotal in establishing the firm foundation that has contributed to Lambeth go-live.”
Jason Martin, Oracle Cloud programme manager, London Borough of Lambeth
Phase 2 | Delivery of change management strategy and plan
Using the outputs from Phase 1, our change consultants worked closely with Business SMEs to define the training needs of both key users within the Council. Defining the objectives and methods of training delivery which would best suit the learning styles of the different stakeholder groups into a Training Needs Analysis and Plan. Continuous delivery of interventions as outlined in the Change Management Strategy and Communication Plan were undertaken with the focus being the raising of awareness, desire and knowledge of the ERP programme by engaging users about its benefits and the key change in line with our use of the ADKAR change model.
Phase 3 | Business readiness
Providing assurance for Programme Board that key users held the skills, knowledge and capability to undertake system activities after the completion of training. A gap analysis was conducted using an online survey tool to gauge individual’s readiness for go-live and, through consultation with business SMEs, we produced a plan with options for delivery of additional training so that key users felt confident that they were able to complete their role. Business Readiness Plans were developed for each key user team, Oracle Cloud module, and directorate within Lambeth Council.
“The Socitm Advisory team responded enthusiastically and worked seamlessly with our systems integrator to deliver stakeholder engagement and user education and training, responding to the developing needs of staff as they went through testing and early training.”
Christina Thompson, Senior responsible officer and director of finance, London Borough of Lambeth
The outcome
Ensuring effective user engagement and adoption was a challenge throughout the programme lifecycle, as new systems will never be a top priority for all service users. By working collaboratively with programme leads and senior stakeholders we were able to design a programme of engagement and training that targeted the right audience, at the right time, with a mixture of tailored approaches to suit the various audiences.
Our team had boots on the ground, going to see users from cemetery, parks and library services which drove up user adoption and reduced the level of calls received in hypercare. Lambeth were the first local authority to go live with Oracle Cloud and were able to drive cost reduction, increase self-service and improve the data they used to make decisions.