implementing and growing 11i in a small to midsized business david tomczak, camelbak products
TRANSCRIPT
Implementing and growing 11i in Implementing and growing 11i in a small to midsized businessa small to midsized business
David Tomczak,
Camelbak Products
Why attend?Why attend?
Business manager planning an implementation
Evolving a business system
Why attend?Why attend?
Business manager planning an implementation
Evolving a business systemYou are lost: You intended to be in another
session
Case: Camelbak Pre 11iCase: Camelbak Pre 11i
History of steady growthBusiness processes informal Most analysis adhoc Future growth expected to accelerate Risk: How long could this go on before it
would impede the growth
Common dynamics within a Common dynamics within a small businesssmall business
High % of resources driving products and services
Little priority placed on administrationStretched resources (Human and Financial) Informal business practices Business units evolving and maturing
Special challenges to make Special challenges to make commitmentcommitment
Difficult cost justification– Don't try to save your way to ROI
Cultural change: Requires business to commit to a single suite
Will implementation be too distracting for the business?
Will maintenance of the system become an anchor?
Reality, Risk and SuccessReality, Risk and Success
Resources are focused on value added efforts Business support and infrastructure can fall behind
the business– Growth efforts hampered– Organizational overhead drags down business
Provide robust application infrastructure– Ability to add functionality as needed– Integrate your business drivers– Scalability beyond business plan
Why choose Oracle?Why choose Oracle?
Eliminate future scalability issues Expansive application footprintSingle vendor solutionIntegration = Risk + CostSupportability
– Oracle Services– Oracle Partners
Less obvious benefitsLess obvious benefits
The best employees want the best tools Reduce business distraction on future
application decisionsProven Oracle dedication the small
customersImplement for the company you will be
Implementation – Set goalsImplementation – Set goals
Create a balanced value proposition– Enhance revenue drivers– Mitigate Risk– Formalize business practices
Get the basics first Create a long term vision Be Realistic
– Don’t over promise immediate returns
Implementation – Implementation – OrganizationalOrganizational
Insure corporate commitment– Get executive involvement – (Steering Committee)– Engage business sponsors– Maintain high profile
Internal Resources– Insure business units can support workload
Make it quick
Implementation - What they Implementation - What they don’t tell youdon’t tell you
Don’t forget – Basics FirstAvoid distractions
– Monitor business changes
Change project team members when neededLook for your next generation of leaders
Implementation - What they Implementation - What they don’t tell youdon’t tell you
Data Conversions– Start early– Balance automated and manual conversions
Implementation Partners– Set detailed expectations– Look for industry experience
Implementation - What they Implementation - What they don’t tell youdon’t tell you
Think long term and question everything– Implementers implement– Software salespeople sell– You have to live with it
Lessons learned - ErrorsLessons learned - Errors
Scope creep – If forced, adjust goals and resources
Test your integration points moreUnderestimation of post implementation
support– Implementation continues after go-live– Keep learning
Let the dust settle before adding on
Now that it is runningNow that it is running
Business Plan = System Plan– Align the growth plans for both– Realign every 6 months
Focus on high impact changes Consistent review and refinement of business
practices– Documentation– Training– User Groups
Camelbak Revisited Post 11i Camelbak Revisited Post 11i (2 years)(2 years)
Business sold for 25x return from original investment (8 years)
Doubled revenuesDoubled user baseReduced cost of systems support
Follow up questionsFollow up questions
The following slides recall some of the follow up questions posed by the audience.
Will a “Plain Vanilla” Will a “Plain Vanilla” implementation work?implementation work?
Yes, many people do it successfully. Consider using discoverer or other
presentation tools for reporting and query. It is wise to avoid customizations to core
logic due to long term stability and maintenance cost issues.
I am implementing that is dominated by “personalized systems”. How I am implementing that is dominated by “personalized systems”. How
do I get people to let go and accept an integrated system?do I get people to let go and accept an integrated system? Don’t underestimate the users. If they have created special tools (spreadsheets, databases,
etc.) for accomplishing their goals you can assume the following:
– Creativity – they thought of what they needed
– Intelligence – they were able to design it
– Dedication – they executed on it
– Pride in their work – they are resistant to let go
Use these positive traits to your advantage.
– Explain to them the benefits of an integrated environment – They may agree
– Move forward with your early converts – People will feel pressure to not fall behind
Assure that you have executive support. Make that support public.
In the face of strong change resistance you may be required to force process change. In some situations you will need to change people’s job assignments.
Our environment is highly customized and not Our environment is highly customized and not well documented. How do we upgrade?well documented. How do we upgrade?
Don’t feel bad. This is not uncommon. You need to choose from the following options depending on how deep you are into this situation.
Work the upgrade like as though it was a brand new implementation
– The magnitude of this problem is usually not understood until a company is well into an upgrade. If you realize this in the planning phase you will be best suited to act as though it is a brand new system.
– Treat everything like it was new. You will most likely find areas where process re engineering back to standard functionality will serve you well.
Create the missing business and technical documents.
– This option is easiest if the modifications are deep into a few areas of functionality.
– It is not well suited for environments where the modifications are wide spread.
Account for the extra cost of the implementation including an estimate of the customizations being abandoned.
– Use this as leverage to institute better management practices in the future
