ERP Implemntation Ethics
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Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 3
Summary of ERP Implementations Ethics .................................................................................... 4
Don’t create competition environment within your ERP implementation team ......... 4
Write what you do and do what you write ............................................................................... 4
Knowledge Transferring ................................................................................................................... 5
Try to listen more than you talk ................................................................................................... 5
No Gold plating and did specified scope .................................................................................... 6
ERP Implementations Team Satisfaction .................................................................................. 7
ERP Implementations Loyalty ........................................................................................................ 8
Scenarios ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Summarizing the loyalty of ERP Implementations ............................................................ 9
Communication Ethics ...................................................................................................................... 9
Always do the right thing .............................................................................................................. 10
Be honest and act with integrity ................................................................................................ 10
Act ethically, fairly and professionally ..................................................................................... 11
Don’t be selfish ................................................................................................................................. 11
Help Others in Knowledge and Practices................................................................................. 12
Try Follow copy rights and other laws ..................................................................................... 12
Information Confidentiality ........................................................................................................... 13
Recommendations ............................................................................................................................ 14
Introduction
ERP Implementations are big world where people could gain knowledge,
experience and communication skills. Usually people who are working in
such these fields are well educated, have strong knowledge in business best
practices, deep knowledge in business areas to be sure that whatever the
ERP application which they are implementing could meet business needs and
cover business requirements.
In my opinion Enterprise Resource Planning couldn’t be only computer
applications, Software or other solutions, it should be policies, procedures,
company’s behaviors or it should be defined as “What to follow within an
organization to reach what planned to and requested goals”.
ERP Consultants, Implementer, Specialist, Project Managers, Team Leader or
any people working in related to the same areas should know very well the
full meaning of ERP.
William Shakespeare is saying “Life is only Minimum great theater, and that all men and women are the only players on this stage”.
We can translate the same in ERP implementations languages that each
team member should play his rule without faults, wrong decisions or / and
wrong practice.
Faults, additions or missing paragraph in plays could add a favor, change
play’s scenarios or could make some fun when the actors are presenting the
play but in ERP’s it could lead to failure, late in delivery which is the main
ERP Implementation constrains and highly risk.
Actors who are presenting a play in theater should have actor’s ethics as
well as ERP member should have the same ethics to give the best
presentation for the attendances whom are basically the ERP implementation
stake holder.
Summary of ERP Implementations Ethics
Don’t create competition environment within your ERP
implementation team
Competition is like a war which basically difficult to be fair, the results of any
ware since 1990’s produced a lot of losses for the winner or loser.
In ERP Implementations member Competitions, the result will not heart
anybody, destroy cities but it will have effects on the project, ERP
implementations, the goals and the main result it will destroy the
communication panels, relation between implementation member team who
will work in the same ERP implementation or usually who will continue
working with other ERP Implementations.
Best ERP Implementations player, who is good player within the same team,
most time during ERP implementations resources are communicating as well
as project manager or team leaders.
Write what you do and do what you write
One of the most popular ISO standards and procedures is to write what you
are planning to do, one of PMI concepts that “when you are not planning
then you are planning to failure”.
ERP Implementations member should plan what they have to do, what they
are doing, what/when to achieve and how to close the achievements.
When you did a task or finish phase or when you are moving from phase to
phase/from task to task always try to record or write what you achieved ,
what you did or note down the learned lessons from the previous
experiment.
One of PMI standards during the project phase is to update the
organizational Process Assets where you will record what you achieved or
what you faced, what you solved or what needs to be solved.
Knowledge Transferring
Always, try to be initiator in knowledge transfer, never think that you are
losing when you transfer the knowledge.
One old guy said “ I gain this knowledge before you then never think that
you will know it more than me”, if you are always keep updating and
developing your knowledge then when you transfer it to other members then
your knowledge base size will be always larger than the others.
During ERP Implementation, try always to gain knowledge, experience from
other ERP Implementations sides, colleges, team member, leaders,
managers, prospects, and customer or from practice.
Try to listen more than you talk
One of the most important concepts for Implementations team member
which should follow is to understand the needs, requirements which you will
gain from different analysis tools.
Communication Philosophy experts saying “Body language is taking 70% of
communication” or sometimes they call it Non- Verbal communications, most
of the time communication to understand the needs, requirements could be
through face to face meeting.
Physical interaction could be the most success communication and most
professional explaining method.
Don’t forget that you are implementing ERP for people who need you to hear
from them not to hear from you especially at the beginning stages of an ERP
Implementations processes.
No Gold plating and did specified scope
It could be ambiguous statement but the professional in PMI always
Are saying: “NO GOLD PLATING”.
Always remember that you have an agreed clear scope, try to be within the
scope of your mission, or of your task.
Beneficiary of ERP implementation: Who is looking to the results of ERP
implementation and you have to satisfy his requirements and needs, no
extra efforts, benefits you should give without covering the basic needs,
extra benefits could guide to open scope or scope creeping and couldn’t
satisfy the main and major needs of ERP Implementation.
In ERP Implementations projects, there is no material to loose or goods to
be free of charge the main cost of project is time and time only.
The popular Projects Triple Constrains is (Time, Scope and Cost), there are
other constrains and one of my personal philosophies in ERP
Implementations is requirements and ERP needs understanding by
Implementations team members.
ERP Implementations Team Satisfaction
In the Dangers situation always help yourself then help the others, if you
didn’t help yourself first may be you will not be able to give help hands to
others.
ERP Implementation Team could be defined as : who are related to the ERP
Implementations either who are implementing, giving requirements,
coordinating, monitoring, or will get the final benefit from ERP
Implementations in another world they call it Project Stakeholders in PMI
definitions.
Who are implementing the ERP; most probably will not be one resource and
usually they are a team of two or more members, so always don’t hesitate
to give help hand for other resources if they need your help and remember
that all of you are targeting the project scope.
In the other hand don’t waste your time in helping the other before helping
yourself, “once deliverables is better than zero deliverables”; sure that “ten
is the best but in the worst scenarios one is better than zero”.
ERP Implementations usually is applying or implementing software, you are
the expert of the software and you know all functionalities which could be
hidden to other parties so always try to be fair in satisfying the others,
suggesting the hidden functionalities.
“Don’t hide what you know, to gain what other knows”
Changing ERP resources usually happen within ERP Implementations either it
is not recommended but when this happen;
Remember:
You are replacing one of your team members or collogue, as one of the most
important ethics which you should focus on is “respect your team member”.
When you are replacing any team member, may be you will find some
activities are missing, tasks not have been done yet, you faced some
troubles because of the previous team member lack in experience or other
reasons, In this case try to remember that people are interacting based on
the conditions at that time and based on the surrounded environment.
Try to find the reasons for that member and don’t blame him, don’t say
badly about him because you don’t know the conditions at that time.
ERP Implementations Loyalty
Employee loyalty is a very huge topic in Human Resources Management-
HRM, but ERP Implementations loyalty is focusing on what you have to do in
If- then Cases.
Scenarios
i. If you are implementing software and you faced a problem with the
Implementations stakeholder how you should interact?
ii. If there is a need to provide in parallel solution to reach the
achievement, are you interested to provide some help to find it, or it is
the other people’s responsibilities?
iii. If you know that Implementation’s Stakeholder is asking to implement
something could guide to wrong results, financial losses or any
negative effect, what should you do?
“ERP Implementation success, it is your success too”
iv. If you feel that you are working out of your implementation scope then
what to do?
v. If I’m the best team member then how should I interact within the
team?
Summarizing the loyalty of ERP Implementations
Always get the knowledge before somebody asks you about;
“You are loyal to your qualified team, so be ready”
Respect your team, be positive with your team, all team members not
necessary your friends but college’s respecting should guide you.
Always raise the issue to who is managing the implementation or to who is
interested in the implementation and can make decision.
Be project oriented member and don’t forget to monitor your tasks and do
your best to achieve it then help the others “you have the same goal such as
other member has”.
Communication Ethics
In ERP Implementations there will be always a place where team member
usually meet, discuss and work; it could be called ware room.
Be polite in providing new ideas, new suggestions always are preferable but
keep in mind it shouldn’t be executed “it is suggestions only”.
Always keep in mind to discuss and raise the issues within team member
only, don’t talk in front of strangers or if other are involved.
Discuss the other behaviors individually and don’t discuss it in public.
“One of the most team conflicts resolving tool is confronting which will guide
to win- to – win situation as per PMI School”.
Most of team communication should be using verbal communication type, it
is better if it is written but in normal team communication it should be face
to face communication.
Always do the right thing
Try always to do the right thing in right time, as mentioned above “plan
what you are going to do, when and what to do”.
If you don’t know what is the right thing then try to ask, learn, and read to
build a solid background of the right things which you have to do.
Your manager is the responsible of deliverables but be sure it is your
deliverables not his deliverables, so be careful when you are applying the
right thing.
“You are applying the good things because you are good”
Be honest and act with integrity
During ERP Implementation, remember you are a target for shareholder to
get the maximum knowledge from you, be honest of what you are telling the
others.
Others are waiting your consultations to take decisions, so take a small
breath then tell the other the honest and the right things, if you don’t know
then tell that you don’t know or promise that you well get it and come back
to them.
Always, be sure that you are telling the right thing not expectations or
personal opinions, me be you are right or wrong where you will drive the
decision to be failure.
“Be modest always”
Act ethically, fairly and professionally
You are usually not dealing with machines, or tools; remember you are
dealing with Human people who have different understanding of things.
Be clear in your language, use one language “Use one face”, you are a
respected person and people usually interact with you based on that , so do
as what they are doing.
Be fair in judgments, usually when you are implementing an ERP then
stakeholders usually see what they are following right now is the true but
you are coming to change most of what they are following, so be fair in
judging if they ask you about your opinion and try to be polite as much as
you can when you are telling them the best practice or what you are going
to apply.
Professionalism is one word but it is very difficult to get the full meaning of
it, but you are the guide of what should be the best and leading the
Implementations to reach the best; so guide it to the best to reach the
goals.
Don’t be selfish
Remember, you are one of a team, you are not alone and people depending
on you to do their tasks, think about others and how they can achieve their
tasks if they are depending on yours.
“People around you have a lot of goals to achieve, try to be positive and help
them to achieve it”
Help Others in Knowledge and Practices
As a member of an ERP implementation team; you have to know that people
capabilities are different from one to one, usually the project-ized
organization is hiring a fresh graduates, juniors and seniors in ERP fields, so
the knowledge should be allows coming from above level to the lower level
or in another word “Seniors have to transfer the knowledge to the Juniors”
to make productive teams.
Usually people are able to solve their own problems by themselves but in
other scenarios they will have complex problems which need help hand from
other team member.
Try always to put you hand in solving problem; it will give you two main
benefits:
A. Increase your skills in problem solving.
B. Solve the main problem which will be an added value to your team.
Try Follow copy rights and other laws
If your organization or your team has software copy writes then you will not
be happy if someone gets your software without licenses, usually the
organizations who have copy writes of Books, Software or others makes
some restriction in use for the un authorized usage.
Access denied, stopping software functionality will increase your
implementation risk which had not been considered before, sudden damage,
stopping in software running; will affect your implementation which you
started with a highly ethics .
Don’t forget: “People are appreciating you and your team as well”.
Information Confidentiality
We talked about copy writes and how we should respect the other people
inventions, but he information confidentiality is one of the most important
ethically factor within the ERP Implementation.
People usually spends a lot of time to gain the others trust, the stakeholder
of your ERP implementation is trusting you because you have their
information, data, business cycles, business success factors which should be
considered as non-sharable information.
Try always to gain your implementation’s stake holder’s trust by keeping
their secrets which they trust you when they told you about.
One of the most important habits in ERP implementation:
“Implementation team members have to give some examples about different
ERP areas, so they have to tell about previous experiments, try always not
to tell the others of whom you are taking about or try to use X concept to
hide the names of your examples”.
The previous experiments and the other experiments are good lessons to
you and your team which should be utilized in the proper way to increase
your organizational assets processes.
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Baha’a Al- Thebyan