Positioning Your Project for Success

Before you start a major initiative - such as an ERP implementation or upgrade, or an organization strategy analysis - are you certain that you fully understand the needs and expectations of your stakeholders? Many projects do not realize their potential benefits because a barrier to success goes unnoticed until the project is underway. Sometimes, for instance, the change is driven by technology rather than business objectives, or the expectations of various departments are not in sync.

At CherryRoad Technologies, we perform a Goal Alignment analysis before a project begins. This brief but critical step allows us to uncover all of the stakeholders' goals, expectations, and concerns; identify misperceptions and potential risks; and get all stakeholders on the same page. It eliminates wasted time and effort, increases focus and productivity, and ultimately drives bottom-line results.

Aligning goals before conducting a major initiative helps organizations avert potential pitfalls. For example:

When asked about the potential gaps in their ERP upgrade project, staff in one organization noted that roles and responsibilities were not clearly defined and communications between IT and HR were not effective - both sure barriers to the project's success.
At another company, we learned that an overseas location was working with multiple payroll providers - a significant process issue that was unknown to the VP of HR.
During a recent Goal Alignment analysis, the head of a major department identified e-applications as the project's most important end result. Until then, e-applications weren't part of the planned implementation.
One client identified the need to significantly improve its sales and service organization. Yet, when we interviewed the relevant stakeholders, they didn't consider their customers as they discussed potential changes.

CherryRoad's seasoned business consultants provide an outsider's perspective, a customized interview process, and a confidential setting for mid-level and senior management to share their insights. The interviews surface key organizational and political issues and risks. Then, through our analysis, we identify opportunities to better meet stakeholder goals, manage expectations, and mitigate risks.

Our approach enables your organization to make necessary improvements - redesigning processes, developing a communication plan, refining a training plan, revising project scope - before starting a major initiative. Depending on the scope of the project, a Goal Alignment analysis takes between two and four weeks - a small investment to make in exchange for early shareholder buy-in and an increased success rate.

To learn more about CherryRoad's Goal Alignment expertise, contact us at info@cherryroad.com.