They needed 960 users up to speed, up to date, switched and ready for an AX way of work. In 90 days.
THE PERFORMANCE CHALLENGE
OMNIA Fertilizer was switching to Microsoft Dynamics AX. A group-wide change that would affect almost all business processes and impact 960 OMNIA employees in Fertilizer directly.
From procurement to reporting, the AX enterprise resource planning system was a game-changing end-to-end solution that would replace five legacy systems. The switch was pivotal but had extraordinary potential to disrupt key business operations. Fertilizer could not suffer through poor uptake and staggered adoption.
They needed 960 users up to speed, up to date, switched and ready for an AX way of work. In 90 days.
THE SOLVE
#BetterSwitch. An Exco to end user change campaign that would result in engaged and perfectly timed business readiness. OMNIA had been introduced to TPA’s change management skills via Better@OMNIA, and entrusted us to deliver that good, go-live feeling come the AX finish line. We did.
As the starting gun fired, OMNIA people were tasked with owning their change, challenges and eventual success. Exco embodied the vision. Management bought in. Near 100 key users were identified as Switch Coaches; important conduits between the AX Leadership Team and Fertilizer at large.
Coaches were trained via Switch Sessions and, in turn, cascaded all-important info and energy to respective teams. Buoyed by leadership, Switch Coaches offered on-the-ground support, during and after go-live. Live and online Switch Sessions empowered OMNIA people to empower OMNIA people, across South Africa, Australia and Brazil.
WHAT DO WE KNOW? CHANGE IS HARD AND MESSY. WHAT DOES TPA DO ABOUT IT? SERVE UP LEADER-DRIVEN, PEOPLE-FOCUSED, ALL-EMPOWERED, TASTY CHANGE, WITH A SIDE ORDER OF TEMPTING COMMS. ORDERS UP!
And if you were wondering whether we danced …
“IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TPA WE LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN FOR A NEW ERP SYSTEM THAT AFFECTED 960+ EMPLOYEES AND MOST OF THE BUSINESS PROCESS. THE CAMPAIGN. THE CAMPAIGN, AIMED AT READINESS AND ADOPTION, ASKED THE KEY EMPLOYEES TO ACT ON BEHALF OF THE PROJECT, EMPOWERING ALL STAKEHOLDERS TO TAKE OWNERSHIP AND BECOME CHANGE AGENTS.”
Hannes Van Heerden General Manager, Business Innovation & Digital, OMNIA Fertilizer
How to learn, not how to do
Integral to the project’s success was a focus not on manuals and step-by-steps, but on self-driven, outcome-focused learning. The change management process empowered leaders with vision, coaches with tools and end users with the robust support they would need to solve their own problems, as they encountered them.
Be the change, see the change
Comms emblazoned go-live and set expectations of progress, but they were supportive and understanding of the task at hand. Consistent art direction reiterated the golden/green thread and portraits of OMNIA fertilizer people — shot specifically for the project — made the change real, recognisable and, frankly, unavoidable. A dedicated Yammer group fortified a steady feedback loop that enabled our team to tackle concerns and shift focus as necessary.
OUR IMPACT
Dynamic! Lauded as the best change management campaign seen in the worldwide OMNIA Group (so far…), #BetterSwitch landed AX quickly, effectively and oh-so-well! All users switched successfully with steady engagement, and in the month following go-live over 127 000 transactions were performed seamlessly with less than 2% errors reported.
A #BetterSwitch? You got it.
“The campaign included an inspiring approach around the business strategy and the role of the project within the strategy. It was a huge success and looking back at the successful implementation it seems impossible to have done it any other way! Big thank you to The Performance Agency for their dedication and effort towards making this project a success for all OMNIA Fertilizer employees and the business.”
Hannes Van Heerden
General Manager, Business Innovation & Digital, OMNIA Fertilizer