IT + digitization

The pressure for change in IT has never been greater. This applies equally to people and technology.

Employees are showing less and less patience and understanding when simple processes turn out to be too time-consuming due to a lack of digitalisation or if they cannot perform their job from anywhere. What is more, suppliers are insisting that companies network their systems in order to speed up business processes.

Customers expect a “state of the art” purchasing, information, care, support and payment experience. This trend is leading to major changes in the demands being placed on IT management and IT staff, not to mention the scalability, resilience, security and flexibility of IT systems. It is already “game on” in the “war for talent”.

PUBLICATIONS ON THIS TOPIC

Partner for ERP selection and project management

Partner for ERP selection and project management

The CIO decided to outsource moderation of the software selection process and partner integration in order to ensure that procedural skills were taken into account in future.

It was decided to replace the existing accounting system with a cloud-native solution. To ensure that methodological skillsets were taken into account in the future, it was necessary to moderate the software selection process and integration partners. The CIO decided to outsource this function, with a particular focus on stakeholder management and partner management. By supporting requirements management, understanding standard software processes and collaborative project planning, the aim and objective was to secure a functional implementation that would remain viable over time and which came as close as possible to the standard.

Harmonisation of the IT infrastructure at a multinational manufacturing enterprise

Harmonisation of the IT infrastructure at a multinational manufacturing enterprise

A multinational mechanical engineering company was standardising its IT systems to meet global challenges and cope with technological diversity. The CIO wanted to bring in external expertise to help overcome cultural differences and ensure a smooth transition. The objective was to train employees effectively and smoothly integrate the new systems in order to optimise operational processes.

The management decided to standardise the IT systems. Due to acquisitions in various countries, the mechanical engineering company had grown considerably. Internal company communication and numerous operational processes were becoming increasingly challenging due to the variety of IT systems being used globally. Due to cultural differences and a lack of expertise in the systems used abroad, the CIO decided to hire an external expert to manage the project. The requirements profile included the creation of an IT landscape and a project plan; moreover, the company’s own employees were to be involved in the implementation. In addition, human resources working in IT at sites in other countries were to be trained in the new systems.

Interim manager shores up situation following short-term departure of the CIO

Interim manager shores up situation following short-term departure of the CIO

A medium-sized automotive supplier from the Sauerland region was looking for an interim CIO to serve for a period of nine months. The focus was not only on managing current IT requirements, but also on strategic development and enabling a smooth transition for the next CIO.

The previous CIO left the company at short notice due to personal circumstances. In order to ensure the day-to-day management of the business, the company management decided to develop an internal candidate to be able to take over as successor. It was important to the company for the interim manager not only to manage the 15 staff members working in the IT department, but also play an active role training the future CIO.

Keeping the centralisation course project on track

Keeping the centralisation course project on track

Municipal IT service provider with 20 customers and approximately 12,000 end users hires interim project manager

A highly reputed IT service provider was migrating from SAP R/3 to S/4 and thus centralising its IT infrastructure. But that is not all – the project team had bigger things in mind. Their aim was to make IT operations more efficient and relieve employees of time-consuming everyday tasks. With planned savings estimated at 7% of total IT operating costs, it was evident that expert know-how was needed. Staff members were also being asked to tackle additional day-to-day tasks. The challenges had not yet been fully surmounted, however. The management recognised the urgent need to bring in external support to make up for lost time. A search commenced for an experienced project manager who not only had expertise in migration and centralisation projects, but also had the talent to communicate and motivate across departments.
In view of impending changes in employees’ work routines, it was crucial to find someone who not only had technical expertise, but was also able to guide the teams through these changes.