23 March 2017 - Kicking off with CPQ

Its 2 years today that I started with Tes Global and with no sense of irony I kicked off a new project to start the business moving away from legacy systems. I may have mentioned in the kick off meeting how it was my anniversary and how I had suggested this particular system 2 years ago and finally we are now doing something about it. (not that I've been counting or am bitter, nope).

Its interesting getting a group of people in a room for a project kickoff. It was a large crowd, over 20 people and different levels from within the business, including 2 Execs. If this project is successful it will really open up the possibility of moving this business into a a more efficient way of working. This phase alone will provide visibility and control.

The first workshops have already showed that the business users are incredibly disjoined. There is silo working everywhere in this department alone. Its almost like each team lobs a live grenade over the fence to the next one and doesn't even bother shouting "in-coming". Its a fierce working culture and not one I'm particularly comfortable with. I'm amazed this part of the business is successful. I suspect its almost in spite of these efforts as apposed to design. 

Its projects like this that I really would like to see business change. The technology is almost the distraction to get people to talk to each other, to understand what part each member has to play in this machine and try to improve things. They have to change. 

But this culture is deep seated and the strains run through right from the higher levels. There needs to be serious buy-in. I wonder if this will truly happen.

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