SAP S/4 Hana ERP Rollout

The legacy Sigma IT team was allowed a protective frame of operations wherein the CIO could build a new digitalization strategy with a new global ERP as the foundation piece. This would prove to be a critical step stone in the digitalization journey for the company.

Vision and Iterative Prototypes Speed Mindset Shifts. Legacy Millipore employees doubted anyone outside the company could understand the complexity of the existing requirements. Agile workflows were not the norm for them. We needed to drive change management among very diverse user personas. We needed to create one shared vision and show what’s in it for each of them.

The IT team’s strong vision, rapid prototyping and penchant for experimenting with all my storytelling narrative forms and formats helped propel a culture shift. We got the ball moving by building a network of digital advocates and creating a strong pipeline of storytelling and conversation forums, such as a roadshow, an ipad demo, a digital newsletter countdown and scientific panel discussions with external thought partners. In under a year we had built a network of 500+ employees lined up to become NEXTers. For them, this meant they were digitally curious and ready for digital training and change. Optimistic and bold, the CIO and IT team built an agile strategy and quickly scaled an industry-leading development team with a Center of Excellence opening in Bangalore.

Engaging Through Conversation and Design Thinking Together. The digital enthusiasts across the businesses were engaged through a series of Executive Board sponsored projects I helped to lead. We ignited that network through a Leadership Forum designed as an innovation open space style event, as well as a Scientific Symposium I produced with external thought partners and internal experts. As the ERP rollout grew in scale, the network of business leaders had adapted to the deep significance of the project. An entirely new way of working began to emerge.