In a recent webinar we talked about how to prepare for a SuccessFactors implementation and what to avoid. If you were unable to join, we have gathered five key takeaways that all people who are embarking on implementing SuccessFactors should know.
Here are the five key takeaways:
1. Include the Necessary Experts Early and Plan Accordingly
Before you begin your project, you will want to have planning meetings and workshops with all stakeholders. It is important to make sure that representatives from every business unit are on board and understand the project plan from the beginning. This will mitigate any resourcing and timing problems that may arise. We also advise you to include at least one subject matter expert in your discussions to make sure that you understand everything about the implementation process, technical and functional.
2. Understand What You Have and What You Need
Your middleware can drive your requirements, so it is important to know and understand what your IT department is currently utilizing. Depending on what you are using, it might be a good idea to continue using that platform when you move to the cloud.
Your landscape is also extremely important. Because of the difference in instances between on-premise and cloud environments, consider asking SAP to match them for you instead of using the “out-of-the-box” environments. This will make your integrations and migrations easier.
3. Don’t Get Comfortable
No matter how much you plan, things can always change during your implementations. Be flexible and react to any changes that come up. Implementing new technology can be and should be disruptive, so capitalize on it to make the most positive impact on your organization.
4. Time Is Everything
Never underestimate how much time you will need, especially testing and data migration. There can be up to four or five rounds of testing throughout the project, so make sure that you plan for all that it will take.
Data migration is an area that is always underestimated and takes a great deal of time. Because data migration is an opportunity to revise and update your data, it is smart to make sure that you plan enough time to confirm that it is done correctly.
5. Don’t Forget Your Users
Change management and platform adoption are critical to the success of a project. The implementation of new technology will impact your employees in their day-to-day activities as well as possibly impact their productivity if they aren’t properly trained on the new technology. So, it is critical to have a change management expert on staff and a plan in place to train your end users on the new platform and processes.
If you have any questions or want to discuss further with David or Michael, you can contact them at the emails below.
David Nesper Michael White
Senior Director at GP Strategies Director, SAP Technologies at GP Strategies
dnesper@gpstrategies.com mwhite@gpstrategies.com
Want to watch the webinar? Click here.
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