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.

Recommendations

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Regards,

Baha’a Al- Thebyan