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CIOs must master critical business concepts to fulfill their new mandate of being business partners with their leadership peers, but the business knowledge they must bring to the proverbial table is something of a moving target. There are management fundamentals and executive skills that remain constant must-haves. But there are topics that percolate and dominate based on current trends and present-day necessities. 8 key business fundamentals IT leaders need to master: Key business drivers Dynamic pricing Finance, financial markets Data privacy laws The geopolitical environment The customer journey Human-centric work Business resiliency Link to the full article from CIO.com

A business-led, top-management-supported initiative partnered with IT has the greatest chance of success. Missteps due to a lack of strategy can cost your organization time as well as financial resources. A Business-led, top-management-supported initiative partnered with the IT department has the greatest chances of success. A properly scoped enterprise application project reduces churn and provides all parts of the business with clarity. Build a successful enterprise application strategy and roadmap by: Aligning and prioritizing key business and technology drivers. Clearly define what is in and out of scope for the project. Get a clear picture of how the business process and underlying applications support the business strategic priorities. Pulling it all together into an actionable roadmap. Accountability for enterprise application success is shared between your IT organization and the Business. Situation Your organization does not know where to start with an enterprise application project. You focus on tactically selecting and implementing the technology but ignore the strategic foundation that sets the enterprise application up for success. The enterprise application project is reported as going over budget, over schedule, and they fail to realize any benefits. Sound familiar? Complication And it gets more complicated. Enterprise application projects impact the entire organization – they are not limited to just financial and operating metrics. The disruption is felt during both implementation and in the production environment. Missteps early on can cost time, financial resources, and careers. For example, roughly 41% of ERP projects reported being over budget, and one third of organizations implementing ERP failed to realize their anticipated benefits (Panorama). Resolution Obtain organizational buy-in and secure support from your top management. Set clear expectations, guiding principles, and critical success factors. Build an enterprise application operating model/business model that identifies process boundaries and scope and prioritizes requirements. Assess stakeholder involvement, change impact, risks, and opportunities. Understand the alternatives your organization can choose for the future state. Develop an actionable roadmap and meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs) that directly align with your strategic goals. Develop an ERP Strategy and Roadmap that aligns Business and IT to successfully deliver on your ERP initiative. Avoid overspend and underutilization by taking a strategic approach. ERP projects impact the entire organization – they are not limited to just financial and operating metrics. The disruption is felt during both implementation and in the production environment. Missteps due to a lack of strategy can cost time as well as financial resources. Over half of ERP projects fail to achieve their planned business objectives. Develop a roadmap that promotes structure and accountability by categorizing and prioritizing work initiatives, and by identifying resources, timelines, and investment. Find out what users really think of IT’s business applications with Application Portfolio Assessment end-user feedback for your organization. Application portfolio management is nearly impossible to perform without an honest and thorough understanding of end user sentiment toward IT software. Develop data-driven insights to help you decide which applications to retire, upgrade, re-train on, or maintain to meet the demands of the business. Benefits of the End-User Feedback Assessment Assess the Health of the Application Portfolio: Drill Down with Individual Application Scorecards Provide Targeted Department Feedback When your IT organization prepares to replace Enterprise Applications, start with these steps to scope a business-driven strategy that will mitigate risk and improve your rate of success: Share accountability between your IT organization and the Business. Develop an ERP Strategy and Roadmap that Aligns Business and IT. Find out what users really think of IT’s business applications.

Client Detail: The client is a $1.3B broadband communications provider, largely focused on the direct-to-consumer space. The company has a largely growth-by-acquisition approach to get into new markets and has experienced significant growth as a provider for more rural areas. The Challenge: The client was in the middle of an ERP implementation impacting 2,100 internal users and 1,500 external suppliers. With decentralized user groups, significant communications and change management efforts needed to be defined and conducted to ensure the company’s users and suppliers were prepared to be successful at go-live. Our Solution: MSS led the efforts to define and execute change management and communications plans. This consisted of a detailed communications strategy and development, targeted roadshows with end user groups, and recurring user readiness assessments to measure and realign our change management efforts. These efforts progressed through Prosci’s ADKAR methodology to ensure that users were able to progress through the change process successfully, as well as “peak” at the right time in alignment with go-live. Their Results: User readiness steadily increased across end user groups, resulting in a successful go-live of the system across the 2,100 internal users and 1,500 external suppliers. The user readiness assessments indicated that the users remained confident in their ability to do their jobs in the new system post go-live, suggesting that the change management activities prepared the groups in setting them up for success. Deliverables: Communications Strategy Communications Plan Communications Development/Execution User Readiness Assessments End User Roadshows

This is the second in a three-part series regarding ERP System Selection. Is your organization ready for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system? Choosing an ERP system may seem like an overwhelming task for those who have never gone through the ERP system selection process. While most organizations can usually find a few staff members who have used an ERP system in a previous life or have even been involved with an ERP system selection, there are several reasons you will want to employ a third party to manage this process. Before we get to these reasons, let us start by answering three important questions and talking through some factors to consider when choosing a new ERP system. What is an ERP System? An ERP system is an integrated suite of software applications designed to automate processes and manage business functions. These business functions often include finance, human resources, sales, procurement, and manufacturing. See my first article – Get Your ERP System Selection Right What are factors to consider when choosing an ERP system? Although each situation and organization are unique, here is a list of considerations that we discuss when doing an ERP system selection. Functionality Alignment. You will want to understand how well the ERP system will meet your business requirements. You will want to understand the capabilities of each system you are considering, the existing modules, and the strengths and weaknesses of each compared against your high-level requirements. Integration Capability. Your new ERP system will need to integrate with other systems. Common examples include interfaces with major banks, internal analytics tools, ability to upload spreadsheets, and integration with third party platforms like Salesforce.com. You will want to understand what integrations are already built and what might require custom code. Some systems also have flexible interface platform tools for integrations that you do not need now but may be required in the future. Budget / ERP System Cost. Purchasing an ERP system is a significant investment. It is not just the upfront licensing and implementation cost you need to consider, but also the Total Cost of Ownership. What will the maintenance cost be? What is the licensing model? Will you need ongoing third-party IT support? Will you need to hire system administrators? How much should you allocate for implementation? The cost of the ERP is much more than just the software cost. Configuration vs. Customization. Some ERP systems are designed for configurability, where some require customization to work in your environment. Customization typically takes longer and has more inherent risk while configurable systems have already been “field proven.” Implementation Capability / Vendor Approach. When conducting an ERP system selection, you are not just evaluating the software, you are also evaluating the Vendor. You will want to get comfortable with the implementation capability and the vendor’s approach to implementation. The duration of the implementation, the time investment from your staff, whether you will need a dedicated full-time team, and similar factors will all play a role in your decision. Cloud vs On-Premises. Whether an ERP system is cloud-based or whether your organization will host hardware on-site is often a consideration used to short-list potential vendors. In recent years, more organizations are choosing cloud-based solutions. If you are choosing the on-premises path, you should have well-thought through reasoning to support your decision and think through what it will take to build and maintain an in-house team to manage hardware. Capability in Industry Vertical. Some ERP systems were originally designed for specific industry verticals (e.g., manufacturing) and have some inherent strengths in that vertical. You will certainly want to include in your initial list those solutions that are strong in your industry. Scalability. An ERP system selection is a big decision your organization will be living with for the next ten years or more. If your organization is planning for growth, you will want to choose a solution that can grow with you. Security. Security challenges are ubiquitous to today’s business environment, and you will want to understand how different solutions compare in facing these challenges. The SaaS Model. Many ERP systems are now employing a Software as a Service (SaaS) business model. We regularly come across clients who do not understand SaaS. SaaS is not necessarily bad, but you should understand this model and the implications. Credentials / References. Buyer Beware! Do your due diligence and do not let a good ERP Sales Representative take you for a ride. We employ tools like Gardner’s Magic Quadrant to help initially narrow the list of ERP systems; however, when you start narrowing the list further, make sure you do your homework. Why should you employ a third-party ERP system selection consultant? We strongly advise you to obtain assistance instead of attempting to manage the ERP system selection process yourself. Here are the top five reasons to employ a third-party ERP system selection consultant: Acquire expertise you do not have. Hiring an ERP system selection consultant can bridge the internal gaps in knowledge, skill, and capacity. Leverage selection accelerators. A third-party consultant has a structured methodology/process, tools, and templates, and you will not need to re-invent the wheel. Eliminate internal bias. A third-party system selection consultant is not aligned with any specific solution or vendor. They are apolitical and have your best interest at heart. It is a huge decision. You want to get it right. The total cost of ownership of an ERP system can easily reach seven figures. Due to this cost, it is a decision you will be living with for the next ten years or more. The ERP system selection process is not something which most organizations can afford to skimp. Hiring MSSBTA to be your guide is like buying an insurance policy. Avoid the never-ending sales calls. This might sound funny, but are you prepared for the onslaught of sales representatives knocking down the door? Up Next: Challenges Selecting an ERP System | Part 3 Share This Article:

This is the first in a three-part series regarding ERP System Selection. Digital transformations often focus on, or include elements of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, it is vital to have a clear understanding of what requirements your organization needs when selecting a new ERP. Choosing an ERP system is an overwhelming task for those who have never gone through the ERP system selection process. While most organizations can usually find a few staff members who have used an ERP system in a previous life or have even been involved with an ERP system selection, there are several reasons you should employ a third party to manage this process. Before we get to these reasons, I will start by answering some basic questions and talking through some factors to consider when choosing a new ERP system. What is an ERP System? An Enterprise Resource Planning system is an integrated suite of software applications designed to automate processes and manage business functions. These business functions often include finance, human resources, sales, procurement, and manufacturing. What are some examples of popular ERP Systems on the market? The Gartner Magic Quadrant below, from May 2021, shows some of the more popular solutions. Most organizations will focus on those in the Leaders quadrant; however, you should consider all offerings to find the product which most closely matches the needs of your organization. How long should you plan for an ERP system selection? Your organization can expect to invest at least 60-90 days in the ERP system selection process. This includes developing requirements, issuing an RFP, shortlisting vendors, planning logistics to schedule demos, negotiating contracts, and conducting legal activities. Some variables that may impact this timeline include (any of the factors below could increase your timeline significantly, resulting in a year or more of effort): The size and complexity of your business, along with the number of your locations The number of vendors you are evaluating The availability of key business resources and subject matter experts The selection of your third-party ERP consultant Your organizational decision-making culture Why should you employ a third-party ERP system selection consultant? At MSSBTA, we strongly advise you to seek assistance, instead of attempting to manage the ERP system selection process yourself. Here are the top five reasons to employ a third-party system selection consultant: Acquire expertise you do not have. Hiring a third-party system selection consultant can bridge the internal gaps in knowledge, skill, and capacity. Leverage selection accelerators. A third-party system selection consultant has a structured methodology/process, tools, and templates so you will not need to re-invent the wheel. Eliminate internal bias. A third-party system selection consultant is not aligned with any specific solution or vendor. They are apolitical and have your best interest at heart. It is a huge decision. You want to get it right. The total cost of ownership of an ERP system can easily reach seven figures. Due to this cost, it is a decision you will be living with for the next ten years or more. The ERP system selection process is not something most organizations can afford to skimp. Hiring a third-party to be your guide is like buying an insurance policy. Avoid the never-ending sales calls. This might sound funny, but are you prepared for the onslaught of sales representatives knocking down the door? I didn’t think so. You now have a better understanding of what an ERP system is, popular systems available, the time it takes to select an ERP, and the importance of working with a third-party consultant. It is time to start the process of selecting an ERP, not just any ERP solution, but the right solution for your organization. The next article in this series, ERP System Selection Factors to Consider, covers what to consider when choosing an ERP solution. Share This Article:

This is the third in a three-part series regarding ERP System Selection. Is your organization ready for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system? Choosing an ERP system may seem like an overwhelming task for those who have never gone through the ERP system selection process. While most organizations can usually find a few staff members who have used an ERP system in a previous life or have even been involved with an ERP system selection, there are several reasons you will want to employ a third party to manage this process. Before we get to these reasons, let us start by answering three important questions and talking through some factors to consider when choosing a new ERP system. What is an ERP System? An ERP system is an integrated suite of software applications designed to automate processes and manage business functions. These business functions often include finance, human resources, sales, procurement, and manufacturing. See the first article – Get Your ERP System Selection Right | Part 1 See the second article - ERP System Selection Factors to Consider | Part 2 What are the challenges in the ERP system selection process? Have you heard the story about the CEO who saw a booth at a conference, got excited, let the vendor take over the process, and two years later the organization is stalled in the middle of an implementation of a system they should have never chosen in the first place? Unfortunately, this happens all the time, and illustrates a few of the challenges organizations face in the ERP system selection process. Vendor Bias. As illustrated above, a member of the leadership team or a functional group enters the process with a clear preference or favorite. Maybe they have used a particular solution in a previous organization or have an existing relationship with an executive from a specific ERP system Vendor. These biases can easily skew organizational decision making. Steering. Some vendors have strong Sales Representatives that can quickly take over the selection process and steer your requirements gathering toward their solution. Without a structured process and strong leadership, we have seen these Vendors win not because they are the best solution, but because they have the best sales reps. No Differentiating Requirements. In today’s ERP solution market, there is a convergence of capabilities between various vendors. Requirements gathering happens near the beginning of the selection process and a good consultant will help you build requirements that will differentiate between solutions. Failure to Categorize Requirements. Everyone has their wish list, but not all requirements are “must have” requirements. Often, decisions come down to just a few critical requirements. When gathering requirements, your ERP system selection team should go through a deliberate process where requirements are categorized using a system such as “Must Have”, “Should Have”, and “Nice to Have”. Bad Scoring Systems. When it comes to evaluating vendors against requirements, it is imperative that an organization employ a good scoring system. Not all requirements have equal value, and some requirements need to be weighted more heavily than others. Failure to Employ a Third-Party Consultant. ERP system selection is not the core competency of most organizations. There is usually a gap in skills, knowledge, and internal capacity. These organizations end up reinventing the wheel, getting bogged down in the process, and making poor decisions. Internal Politics. Getting agreement between functional departments is often challenging. We recently heard an executive mutter: “Supply Chain likes Oracle; Finance likes SAP. Who wins?” This executive was further frustrated by leaders from these business units politicizing the process. It is imperative to have a process that aligns stakeholders early. Logistical Challenges. Scheduling vendor demonstrations, coordinating time with stakeholders, organizing meetings, getting answers to vendor questions, etc. can be a nightmare. Organizations that do not approach ERP system selection with the appropriate rigor and discipline are often doomed to failure. Why should you employ a third-party ERP system selection consultant? We strongly advise you to obtain assistance instead of attempting to manage the ERP system selection process yourself. Here are the top five reasons to employ a third-party ERP system selection consultant: Acquire expertise you do not have. Hiring an ERP system selection consultant can bridge the internal gaps in knowledge, skill, and capacity. Leverage selection accelerators. A third-party consultant has a structured methodology/process, tools, and templates, and you will not need to re-invent the wheel. Eliminate internal bias. A third-party system selection consultant is not aligned with any specific solution or vendor. They are apolitical and have your best interest at heart. It is a huge decision. You want to get it right. The total cost of ownership of an ERP system can easily reach seven figures. Due to this cost, it is a decision you will be living with for the next ten years or more. The ERP system selection process is not something which most organizations can afford to skimp. Hiring MSSBTA to be your guide is like buying an insurance policy. Avoid the never-ending sales calls. This might sound funny, but are you prepared for the onslaught of sales representatives knocking down the door? Share This Article:

MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA) in partnership with the Governor’s Celebration of Innovation is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Transformation Leader of the Year award. Presentation of the inaugural MSSBTA Transformation Leader of the Year award at the 2019 Governor's Celebration of Innovation Awards Gala. L to R: Steven Zylstra, president and CEO of Arizona Technology Council; Sandra Watson, CEO of Arizona Commerce Authority; Andrew Bess, president, and Paul Green, Chief Development Officer of Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance; David W. Lee, former Director of Transformation at MSS Business Transformation Advisory March 3, 2022 Phoenix, Ariz. 2022 marks the fourth year MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA) partners with the Arizona Technology Council and Arizona Commerce Authority to present the popular MSSBTA Transformation Leader of the Year (TLOTY) award. The award is presented at the Governor’s Celebration of Innovation. The honor is given to an executive of an organization that has achieved significant transformational change in the previous calendar year. 2022 nominations will be accepted throughout the year with the award presented at the GCOI gala event in November. “MSSBTA is proud to present the award again this year. The individuals nominated for the TLOTY award represent leaders driving business, digital, and IT transformation change in their organizations that directly impact their business, industries, and the state,” said Ken Starr, Chief Revenue Officer at MSSBTA. “Because we all benefit from their successes, MSSBTA looks forward to recognizing these leaders and their contributions. The award nominees are putting Arizona on the map for industries such as aerospace, EVs, high-tech manufacturing, and healthcare among many others. We look forward to welcoming the class of 2022 TLOTY nominees.” In addition to achieving transformational change, organizations should be in operation for three years or more, headquartered or have significant operations in Arizona and achieved measurable transformation outcomes in 2021. Additionally, the executive showed the qualities of a transformational leader. Again, this year, Transformation Leader nominees will be invited to join quarterly round table panels where they can share their unique transformation experiences and lessons learned with other nominees. Prior to the November award presentation finalists also participate in the MSSBTA Transformation Day panel with previous award winners. Previous winners of the MSSBTA Transformation Leader of the Year award are Howard Stewart, President and CEO of AGM Container Controls (2021), Dr. Elizabeth Cantwell, University of Arizona’s Office for Research, Innovation, and Impact (2020), and Paul Green, Director of Business Development at Angel MedFlight Worldwide Air Ambulance (2019). “Companies like MSSBTA create a platform to champion innovation and help the business sector transform not just the world of today but also decide where we all collectively go tomorrow,” said Paul Green of Angel MedFlight. The MSSBTA Transformation Leader of the Year award is open to Arizona companies and not-for-profit organizations. Link to the nomination form here. About MSS Business Transformation Advisory MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA) is an Arizona-based management consulting firm that has helped hundreds of organizations in Arizona and throughout the Southwest drive positive business outcomes, ensure sustainable project success, and achieve strategic digital and business transformation goals. Contact Lori Aleman, Director of Marketing laleman@mssbta.com 602-920-0902 Connect at www.mssbta.com, LinkedIn, Share This Article:

When Under Armour ramped up its digital transformation efforts after the pandemic began, positive results soon emerged, and this year executives at the sportswear maker were able to report higher profit margins and a more seamless product-to-market pathway. But Under Armour’s success story isn’t everyone’s success story. Plenty of companies spend lots of money on digital transformations, but only a small percentage achieve their desired outcome, says Sri Manchala, the ForbesBooks author of Crossing the Digital Fault Line: 10 Rules of Highly Successful Leaders in Digitalization. That’s because digital transformation done right isn’t just about the money invested. It requires leadership of a particular kind, the kind that “methodical innovators” provide, says Manchala, CEO of the highly specialized digital transformation services firm Trianz. “If heroic efforts, motivational speeches, and incentives alone worked, then more companies would be succeeding,” he says. “This battle requires intelligence, not superhuman efforts.” In other words, he says, this is not a time to be a Marvel superhero. “You are fighting to understand, control, and get ahead of a dynamic situation, not beat down an enemy,” Manchala says. “This is the time to think and act like a lead planner or the leader of a crisis-management center.” After all, digital transformation entails more than building better intranets and websites, he says. It involves harnessing data to truly understand customer behavior in a digital world. It includes reimagining products and services. It concerns delivering high-velocity, digitalized experiences across the value chain to all stakeholders, even if that means discarding existing models. The Methodical Innovator Persona So just what kind of leaders are methodical innovators and why are they right for this moment? First and foremost, they are big-picture thinkers, Manchala says. “They have an ability to connect the dots and boil down complex dynamics into simple, easy to understand root causes, dynamics and impact,” he says. Methodical innovators also are exceedingly stakeholder focused, whether those stakeholders are customers, suppliers, employees, partners or regulators. Manchala says they also analyze data and develop their vision, strategy and priorities based on what the data reveals to them. “Given their focus on outcomes, they are less emotional or attached to the past,” he says. “They are very willing to let go of prior business models and processes if the analytics support doing so.” Also, instead of letting their egos get in the way of what they want to achieve, methodical Innovators practice a “no ego” approach, Manchala says. They quickly figure out just how big the problem is and just how little they really know about it, then they surround themselves with people who can make up for the knowledge they lack. That may sound easy enough, but it’s not, he says. Being Honest With Themselves “It is incredibly hard for any leader to say ‘I don’t know’ in the corporate world,” Manchala says. “There is fear of being branded as ignorant, of being behind the curve, or of not being effective. A large percentage of leaders choose the tactics of ignoring, deflecting or deferring problems.” But in the Digital Age, he says, you can run, but you cannot hide from what you don’t know. That ties directly into what Manchala says is at the core of a successful leader’s character – an inherent honesty. For more than 100 years, study after study shows that the most important and admired quality in leaders is honesty, Manchala says. “While we tend to think of honesty in transactions with others, methodical innovators are first honest with themselves,” he says. “In an environment of unknown forces, dynamics, pace and outcomes, they realize the importance of knowing what they don’t know. It is by acknowledging what they do not know that they begin the process of personal transformation.” Sri Manchala, the ForbesBooks author of Crossing the Digital Fault Line: 10 Rules of Highly Successful Leaders in Digitalization, is the CEO of Trianz, a highly specialized digital-transformation services firm headquartered in Silicon Valley and serving clients globally. Manchala shares data-driven insights on transformations and adaptive business leadership based on his two and a half decades in the technology industry, and leadership experience in the military and as a CEO. Manchala is a graduate of the National Defense Academy, an elite training academy for India’s Armed Forces officers, where he served in the infantry and Parachute Regiment (Special Forces). He is also an alumnus of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, where he is now a corporate advisory board member. This article was originally published in Greater Phoenix InBusiness.com on December 21, 2021. Share This Article:

Client Detail: The client was a $3.7B+ organization with 7,000+ employees operating in 16 states. The business is a public water utility provider across the United States with a focus on providing reliable, quality water to its customers. MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA) was engaged by the client to provide Transformation Oversight/Quality Assurance for a supply chain transformation effort. They were transitioning to a new procurement system and streamlined their business processes to be simpler, faster, and more efficient. The Challenge: The client was undergoing a supply chain transformation for its decentralized operating structure, the cornerstone of a new Procurement System implementation. MSSBTA was engaged to proactively identify and address issues of the transformation, ensure that best practices were being applied at every level of the transformation team, and to align the efforts with the leadership team’s vision. Our Solution: MSSBTA brought a structured, unique approach to evaluating the in-flight project, collaborating with stakeholders to gather perspectives and insights into the efforts. Based on the information, and in alignment with leading practices, targeted recommendations were created for company leadership to set the transformation efforts up for success. The Results: As a result of the engagement the client experienced: Engaged, active, and strategic leadership involvement throughout the transformation efforts Proactive, targeted remediation efforts to prevent issues from impacting the transformation’s success Confidence in the transformation’s ability to achieve and realize the intended outcomes/objectives Deliverables: Recurring transformation oversight assessments with actionable recommendations Consolidated findings from key transformation stakeholders that delivered a holistic perspective on transformation efforts

Client Detail: The client was a $3.7B+ organization with 7,000+ employees operating in 16 states. The business is a public water utility provider across the United States with a focus on providing reliable, quality water to its customers. MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA) was engaged by the client to lead change management efforts across all regions for 2,100+ users and 1,700+ suppliers for a supply chain transformation effort. They transitioned to a new Procurement system and streamlined their business processes to be simpler, faster, and more efficient. The Challenge: The Client was undergoing a supply chain transformation for its decentralized operating structure, the catalyst of a new procurement system implementation. MSSBTA was engaged to ensure that the decentralized organization was fully prepared to be successful when the new system and business processes were implemented. Our Solution: Through a structured, unique approach, MSSBTA engaged each of the stakeholder groups through the transformation journey and prepared them for a successful go-live. This included a targeted communications strategy and plan, progressive end user roadshows, development and oversight of training materials, and recurring readiness assessments to evaluate and adjust the engagement strategy throughout the transformation. The Results: The engagement provided the client: Engaged and prepared stakeholder groups, including leadership, end-users, and external suppliers Cultural and operational shift to an empowered, decentralized model of Supply Chain Management Confidence in the transformation’s ability to achieve and realize the intended outcomes/objectives Deliverables: Stakeholder Engagement Strategy Communications Plan Stakeholder Readiness Assessments End User Roadshow Series Change Impact Assessment

Client Detail: The client is a large waste management company with 35,000+ employees operating in several locations across 40 U.S. States. They provide non-hazardous solid waste collection, transfer, disposal, recycling, and energy services to over 14 million U.S. customers. Since 2012, MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA) has provided consulting services to the client's Information Technology (IT) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications leadership teams. The Challenge: The client's new IT management was facing challenges adapting to the volume of short-term project requests from the business. IT management needed assistance with the review and prioritization of internal tasks if they were to fulfill the project requests with limited resources. Of the pending projects, the largest included the integration and launch of a Vendor Invoice Management system. This system connected the client to the software vendor’s management site in series with the client’s banking institutions, to manage and fulfill vendor payments that adhere to contracted terms and payment schedules. The system stabilization was dependent on collaboration among multiple teams within the organization. However, after many years of siloed work environments these groups needed to realign with each other and improve their group communications. The success of the system stabilization depended almost exclusively on these teams working in harmony. Our Solution: MSSBTA facilitated the required alignment between various internal teams, facilitating the stabilization of the Vendor Invoice Management system, and other various projects within Finance, Accounts Payable, Asset Management, software, and system upgrades. Being experts in business communication and adapting communication to fit with specific audiences, MSSBTA was able to seamlessly integrate and influence the organization and serve as a bridge between diverse business teams and vendors. MSSBTA applied Leadership, Governance, and Accountability (LGA) practices to foster internal communications between fragmented teams. Vendors were aligned to the client’s business requirements to ensure development activities and projects were successful. The client considered MSSBTA a critical resource within their organization that understood and interpreted business objectives, built relationships, kick-started solutions development, and worked with internal teams to ensure the successful delivery of projects. The Results: The teams working on the Vendor Invoice Management system broke out of their silos and began to communicate with each other and the vendors. This allowed the teams to fulfill their requirements regarding development specifications (internally and externally) while keeping them focused on their commitments, timelines, and support channels. Deliverables: Leadership, Governance, and Accountability Facilitation Project Management

Client Detail: The client is a large multi-billion-dollar national retail grocery store engaged with more than 270,000 employees. The client has a Shared Service Group (IT, HR, Finance/Accounting). MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA) was engaged by the client to propose an applications rationalization project for their Retail Accounting Group during a major merger and acquisition (M&A). This project was focused on three primary areas: Develop a Retail Accounting Applications Catalog inclusive of their ERP system, Retail Accounting focused operational systems, other third-party products and disconnected spreadsheets and Access databases. Evaluate the functional effectiveness of their applications and assess the technical currency of their systems. Develop a 1- to 2-year application roadmap with recommendations The Challenge: The client’s Retail Accounting Group’s initiatives were put on-hold during their M&A assimilation. When the integration process was completed, Retail Accounting had plans to move forward with their IT initiatives that were previously on hold. With limited resources, budget, and pending technology obsolescence, it was critical to develop a roadmap to reflect the work that needed to be completed. Retail Accounting was very complex with several third-party vendor systems, greater than 190 shadow systems and an aging application with limited support. Our Solution: Using our proprietary tools and templates, MSSBTA initiated the process to build the Retail Accounting Applications Catalog. In addition to the inventory of applications, the systems were categorized based upon functional effectiveness and technology support. This criterion was used for prioritization with verification made within the Retail Accounting organization. MSSBTA used the Catalog Analysis to identify initiatives that would deliver the greatest business value for the organization with a focus on efficiency, reduced cost, and technology currency. The Results: An executive presentation provided application rationalization roadmap recommendations and supporting details. The financial management team agreed with the recommendations, deciding to invest in a new ERP system that would reduce technology cost and improve operational efficiency for the Retail Accounting Organization. Deliverables: Leadership Governance Retail Accounting Applications Roadmap Development of an IT Applications Catalog to measure effectiveness of the application