Background: The energy grid operator, referred to as “EGO” for anonymity, operates in two European countries, Country A and Country B. Each country has its own rules and energy market. The EGO’s main task is to secure electricity supply to almost 43 million people who live in the areas served. 

Challenge: The EGO initiated a comprehensive ERP harmonization project, with the goal to align and standardize its processes across the organisation. However, this task proved to be tricky because of the differences in rules and operational processes in each country. This is where our Transformation Manager, Herman van Dam, came in.  

Herman’s Role: Within the EGO IT team, his responsibilities were setting up the ERP infrastructure at the external service provider in Country B, establishing the application integration between various applications used within the EGO, and managing the seamless transition of the project to the support team.  

Challenges Faced: 

1. Inside the EGO’s IT team: Different views within management added complexity to the project. To solve this, Herman applied intensive stakeholder management by actively listening, gathering information and effectively communicating within the team.  

2. Dealing with the vendor: EGO’s relationship with its primary service provider faced challenges, leading to a complex environment to work in.

Approach: 

1. Getting stakeholders involved: By carefully mapping out the stakeholders, Herman was able to oversee and manage all expectations through continuous, transparent communication. 

2. Anticipate: He searched for possible risks before they happened and fixed them in the early stages. That way, the project could continue more smoothly.  

3. Getting support from executives: The managers in the EGO IT team and Herman’s project partners really backed him up. This gave him the authority to make decisions and deal with challenges effectively. 

4. Building collaborative ties: To bridge cultural gaps and improve cooperation with the software vendor, Herman initiated frequent, informal meetings and site visits, consistently communicating in the vendor’s native language to ensure approachability. 

5. Celebrating Successes: Herman made sure to celebrate both small and big wins in the project. This helped to keep everyone excited and motivated. 

6. Clarity and Accountability: Herman spent a lot of time making sure everyone in the EGO IT team knew what they needed to do and why it was important to stick to the project’s goals. 


Results: 
The ERP infrastructure was successfully implemented on schedule, and it continues to operate seamlessly, supporting EGO’s core operations. 


Key Takeaway: Keeping a clear goal, communicating well, and building strong relationships were all really important for getting the project done. However, getting strong support from Herman’s stakeholders and peers proved to be crucial for making the tricky ERP project work. Without the executive’s support, the project would have had serious problems.