by Mary Ellen Burley

Created on: November 21, 2008

Change Management - the words send shivers through business people worldwide. For some the shiver is a loathing of change, for others it is an excitement for change. Let's look at redesigning current business processes to accommodate IT systems as an exciting change.

The current state is familiar, comfortable. You and your team move through the steps like a well-oiled machine until a piece of paper is misplaced. The piece of paper that you need to answer the customer's 9i9complaint. Now everyone is asking you questions and you are very uncomfortable. Enter IT, the department of individuals who live in a science fiction fantasy realm. They know about software that tracks everything; handheld devices that collaborate your actions; and electronic signatures that are proof that you did what you did. However, moving from the current state to the future state means changing the maps of each and every process.

So you will have to attend multiple mapping sessions and think through new possibilities. You'll need to listen to the business analyst's suggestions with an open mind. You'll need to understand the promise and the limitations of the new software packages that IT has chosen. You'll need to think about doing your job even more efficiently while maintaining a high level of customer service. Sound tedious? Not if you think of those mapping sessions as your chance to get the items on your wish list. Dream big here! Come to those mapping sessions with wants and needs, and the ideas to get both fulfilled. Wouldn't it be great to have a communicator a gadget you could receive instant messages about situations when you are in the field? A handheld device with GIS functionality to identify the exact location you need? A way to order on the spot whatever parts you need to complete the job and have those parts dispatched immediately? Would you like to be able to select a checkbox to generate all the paperwork (application, permits, work order, and reports) so they are waiting for you back at the office? Are you feeling like Captain Kirk yet?

Yes, you'll have to learn new software, change your routine. Yes, you'll have to attend boring meetings as the details are hashed out. Yes, you'll have to attend training sessions. And yes, all this will put you behind in your actual work. But there at the end of the line is the prize - a shiny new race car waiting to replace your old clunker. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Learn more about this author, Mary Ellen Burley.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.