February 2020 – Enable Professional Services

Herman Taljaard – Head of Smart Operations

February 16, 2020February 16, 2020
by Nicole Bailey

Herman is a seasoned professional with proven experience in setting up, expanding and managing technology and consulting businesses across 3 continents. He has held a number of senior positions during his 25+ year career, covering the entire spectrum of technology management. Prior roles included Director of Solution Consulting, Director of Channel Development, Head of Strategy and Innovation and General Manager – providing him with extensive experience across a range of industries and technology disciplines. His career started in South Africa managing projects across South Africa and in the UK, followed by a 5-year tenure in California prior to moving to Austalia in 2005.

He thrives in an environment where he is challenged and where he can roll up his sleeves and get the job done.

Herman joined Enable in June 2016 and has successfully established offices for Enable in Perth and in Brisbane, as well as setting up the Customer Success Management team for Enable. In his current role as Head of Smart Operations, he is establishing Enable’s IoT and Smart Operations practice, powered by ServiceNow. Prior to joining Enable Herman was the General Manager for Enterprise Service Management at another ServiceNow partner and he has been active in the ServiceNow ecosystem for the last 6 years.

When not at work you will find Herman with one of his Canon cameras in hand or cycling around Brisbane with his teenage daughters. His love for flying lead to a glider pilot’s license from the Gliding Federation of Australia and he is also an avid drone pilot.

News

How to find the right IoT Partner

February 12, 2020January 20, 2020
by Nicole Bailey

According to MachNation – an IoT industry research firm – worldwide IoT application enablement and device management revenue will be USD1.1 billion in 2016 and will grow to USD83.4 billion by 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 62% over the period. Companies big or small, public or private want to effectively implement Internet of Things solutions. Nowadays, companies are shifting to IoT, to gather data, analyse and make better business decisions. The adoption of IoT has become a necessity rather than an option in today’s technologically advanced world.

If your organisation is planning to adopt IoT solutions in 2020, we believe that the success of IoT implementation/adoption depends on the IoT application and devices, but also success and growth of a succesful IoT implementation depends on choosing the right IoT solution provider, a partner like Enable Professional Services.

Here are 5 things to consider while choosing your IoT provider.

Determine your business requirements: Just like any other IT project implementation, the first step is to identify the business problems that you want to solve and the ROI you want to achieve. To identify the problems. Once you have identified the problems, it’s important to go deep and explore more about the problem before jumping on to the solution. To pick the right solution for your organisation, prioritise the solutions based on the complexity of their implementation, the cost involved, and the ROI expected.
Scalability of the IoT Platform: While choosing the IoT partner/platform, a business should not only keep their current need in mind but should also consider future needs that might emerge. With the rapid growth and changes in the IoT technology, the solutions need to be augmented for future needs and the IoT provider should be able to provide scalability in software-application, security, data, cloud, reliability, user-experience, latency, and support levels as and when required.
End-to-end IoT Solution provider: Deploying IoT solutions is more than just technology & connectivity. Many pieces are required put together precisely for a smooth IoT deployment. Hardware, software, applications, connectivity, integrations, billing, security, data storage and support are some of the important IoT deployment components. Usually, companies procure these individually or develop them internally before deploying a solution leading to unexpected delay and cost. Many organizations are now shifting to “end-to-end IoT solution providers”. IoT providers are now giving end-to-end IoT solution ranging from hardware to software to applications to support. The one-stop IoT solution providers remove the complexity of the deployment, reduced go-to-market time, and is cost-effective.
Security: Security is one of the primary concerns for every organization looking forward to deploying IoT solutions. The IoT solution provider should be able to address the security of the data collected by the IoT solution which may include business & customer data. IoT solution provider must be able to incorporate the following level of securities:
- Network connectivity
- Data encryption
- Device security
- Device-to-cloud network security
- User app-to-wireless network security
- Cloud security and more
Flexibility: Before starting to deploy the IoT solution it is important for an organization to understand how the IoT solution will be integrated with their present legacy architecture. You must conduct a deep analysis of the present legacy architecture to understand which elements if the infrastructure is vital and which can be eliminated. The efficiency of the IoT deployment is judged by how well the latest technology can be integrated with the existing architecture/solutions/software/systems.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can benefit from our IoT solutions or want to discuss any customised solution, send an email to herman.t@enableps.com.

Resource

4 key times that OCM can be used to…

February 3, 2020February 10, 2020
by Mark Galgsdies

A successful ServiceNow transformation starts long before the build commences, and training is conducted.

Preparation and planning are two key factors.

From the People and Organisational Change Management (OCM) perspective, there are 4 key times that OCM can be used to improve project success.

Enable’s approach to OCM has a laser-like focus on the People side of clients’ ServiceNow implementations in support of the technical aspects of Processes and Platform. Our OCM, adoption and training services align with The Enable Way – our project delivery methodology (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The Enable Way

Enable’s OCM adoption, and training activities run in parallel with, and across, the five delivery stages with inputs to and delivery outcomes from each stage.

Enable OCM adoption, and training efforts track across four key times of work (shown in Figure 2):

Readiness
Go Live Preparation
Go Live Transition
Sustainment

Figure 2: Enable’s 4 stages of OCM, adoption and training work

What Makes Enable Different?

We know that implementation occurs before, during and after Go Live. We also understand the importance of continued people support beyond Go Live, through Hypercare and Warranty periods. Mature organisations pay particular attention to supporting their staff 3, 6, 9 months or more after the implementation has moved from being a Project to being Business As Usual (BAU). Figure 4 depicts Enable’s OCM maturity model.

Enable can provide clients with the tools and support that assist with embedding and measuring the adoption rates of the new ways of working.

Figure 4: Enable’s OCM Maturity Progression

Experience Matters

So, what have we learnt over many years of successful ServiceNow solution installations?

Enable’s experience has highlighted seven fundamental key lessons learnt for successful ServiceNow implementations:

OCM starts BEFORE formally kicking off any deployment:

Dedicate a role(s) to designing and managing the OCM plan that considers all stakeholders and contexts
Research the organisational context (including the stakeholders, risks, etc.) to inform OCM planning
Use collected knowledge of the organisational change environment to design an OCM Plan that includes plans for how to communicate the organisational change with stakeholders, deliver needed training and enablement, and minimise the impact of organisational change

Assign a fully dedicated OCM lead + team. Ideally, the team would consist of:
- A communications person
- A systems trainer
- An administration person
OCM is a part of good governance and should be developed concurrently with any changes your work processes and policy. To ensure consistency, the OCM Program Team and Plan would be in alignment with, or a part of, the client’s governance program for the implementation
Enable and our clients agree on what “good” OCM looks like – expectations can be set at that point and then together we work in creating and driving the various Plans along with agreeing what the measures of success will be and how/when we will report them
Constant, visible, active sponsorship is the single most important factor in ensuring a successful implementation
Selection of Change Agents (eg SMEs) / Champions / Advocates / Stewards is the second most important factor. They are not selected just because they are available.
Change Agents need to be represented at every level of the organisational hierarchy to avoid ‘black holes’ of communication and support.

Written by –
Mark Galgsdies
Organisational Change Manager
Tribe – OCM

Resource

4 key questions to ask before your ServiceNow project

February 3, 2020February 10, 2020
by Mark Galgsdies

4 key questions to ask before you start your ServiceNow project. A successful ServiceNow transformation starts long before the build commences and training is conducted.

Preparation and planning are key.

What are the 4 key questions to ask before you start with a significant change your that can impact your business:

What typically causes changes to fail in our organisation?

Think about what your implementation history has been like in previous, have you conducted similar rollouts?

What are the “correct” answers? 😊 Sometimes the answer is to simply not repeat the mistakes of the past – learn from them. The answers may lie in:

Planning better.
Identifying the right stakeholders.
Collaborating with the right stakeholders at the right times.
Investing in OCM maturity by embedding OCM roles and responsibilities content into leadership and management programs.
Placing a fulltime OCM lead on the Project and establishing a complete OCM team within the PMO including:
- Training lead
- Communications lead
- Change lead

A good place to start to answer this question is to do a formal assessment and analysis of previous, similar rollouts. Need a tool for this? Ask us.

The second question follows on from the first. It focuses on the current organisational climate – what’s going on currently that may impact the success of this implementation.

2. What other projects, resources and organisational changes are there that will compete with this ServiceNow implementation?

Doing a “stress test” will provide you and others in the organisation a good understanding of the context within which your ServiceNow implementation will operate. It’s a good practice to look back into the past and filter through the three lenses of People, Process and Platform.

The third question revolves around understanding who is going to be impacted by the implementation.

3. Are we considering Organisational Readiness in the context of the company’s ServiceNow roadmap…do we even have a roadmap?

Does the roadmap include specific personas (view of the roadmap based on who will be impacted by what, by how much and when?

The answer here revolves around the three key OCM pillars: People, Process and Platform. Different people will be impacted in a number of different ways: the work they do may change, the business processes may change and certainly, the platform is changing. How do we communicate to, then train each of these people in ways that are relevant to them?

4. How do we break the habits formed over many years of working with the previous systems and processes?

The fourth question points to encouraging the new ways of working while ‘switching off’ the old ways. How do we break the habits formed over many years of working with the previous systems and processes?

In essence, we’re dealing with people needing to change their work habits and good sense would suggest we somehow reward working in the new ways and discourage working in the old ways. There are several things we can do to achieve this (once again keeping the People, Process, Platform pillars in mind):

Turn off or eliminate completely the old ways of working:
1. Decommission the old software
2. Eliminate the ability for workarounds
3. Harder, longer more difficult to do
Make the new ways a positive experience:
1. Easier, simpler, quicker platform
2. More efficient processes
3. More productive people

And do you know what? Even if people see this ServiceNow implementation as a wonderful thing there will still be a resistance of some sort. We’re human – it’s inevitable. There may be doubts over clarity or timing or some such, but there will be resistance. This resistance should be encouraged! Ask for it, raise it, encourage it.

Doing a Readiness Assessment early on allows a formal way for potential sources of resistance to be uncovered from a range of different perspectives: Managers, Change Agents, End Users, Fulfillers and so on.

Critical to answering this question is to ask another question: how DO we reward, recognise and encourage the new ServiceNow ways of working?

Choosing a capable ServiceNow partner like Enable Professional Services ensures project success, in all ServiceNow project implementations we offer a series of Organisational Change Management tools to help your management and employees transition smoothly, painlessly and with a positive change to workflows to help enable your work.

Contact Enable today for your own ServiceNow implementation

Written by –
Mark Galgsdies
Organisational Change Manager
Tribe – OCM

Resource

7 key ways to change behaviour at work –…

February 2, 2020February 3, 2020
by Mark Galgsdies

According to Culture Amp, if you strengthen your culture you can build a better company. If you want to change the behaviour or performance of your employees THE KEY PERSON is that person’s immediate, 1-up manager: their boss.

What is resistance management and reinforcement management strategies and how should you use to promote the migration to the new ServiceNow solution?
The goal here is to move the needle so that the organisational and individual motivation, of moving to the ServiceNow solution is greater than the motivation to remain using the old/current systems.

But how exactly do we do this? Well, this is where line managers and people leaders have the most important impact.

Motivation is a VERY personal thing.

What a manager thinks is a REWARD for a person may not, in fact, motivate that person. What motivates one person may not motivate the next.

Here are our top 7 ways to help change behaviour in your organisation.

There are dozens of ways to recognise and reward staff other than purely $, things such as:

Secondments and short term task reassignments
Training and Development opportunities
Increased responsibilities
Reduction of system and other controls – allowing more flexi-time
Recognition: public / private
Personal solutions
Intrinsic motivators – the challenge of doing a difficult task, doing interesting work

It’s critical therefore that line managers know what works for each employee. A Reinforcement Assessment is a great way to do this and can be done by the Manager and the staff member where they then sit and discuss similarities and differences in their responses.

If you would like to conduct a reinforcement assessment with your employees and don’t know where to start, contact Enable, we have an Organisational Change Management team who can step you through an impactful way to work with your staff.

Written by –
Mark Galgsdies
Organisational Change Manager
Tribe – OCM

News

A little bit about Enable’s approach to OCM

February 2, 2020February 3, 2020
by Mark Galgsdies

The key to Enable’s OCM approach is in our name – Enable – we work with our clients to:

enable their staff to adapt to, and be upskilled in, the new ways of working generated by their ServiceNow solution
generate a commitment to the new ways of working (rather than compliance)

Our goal is to eliminate or mitigate challenges, pain points and risks and to engage with our clients’ stakeholders who will be impacted by the change by:

making them aware of the changes
helping them understand the goals of the change
influencing them toward supporting, becoming involved in, and committing to the changes

We work with our clients to ensure relevant staff receive the appropriate, timely and ‘fit-for-purpose’ communications and training they need to reduce ‘time-to-capability’.

Enable has experience in a number of OCM implementation methodologies, such as:

PROSCI’s ADKAR
IMA’s Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM)
PCI – People Centred Implementation
Lewin’s Change Management Model
Kübler-Ross Five Stage Model
Change Management Book of Knowledge (CMBOK)

We work with our clients in understanding if there is a pre-existing change management framework being used and work within that framework. If there isn’t, we can help our client design an adaptive OCM, adoption and training strategy that fits with their organisation and culture.

Do you need to speak to an OCM Specialist about your ServiceNow implementation, contact Enable today.

Written by –
Mark Galgsdies
Organisational Change Manager
Tribe – OCM

Month: February 2020

Herman Taljaard – Head of Smart Operations

How to find the right IoT Partner

4 key times that OCM can be used to…

What Makes Enable Different?

Experience Matters

4 key questions to ask before your ServiceNow project

What typically causes changes to fail in our organisation?

2. What other projects, resources and organisational changes are there that will compete with this ServiceNow implementation?

3. Are we considering Organisational Readiness in the context of the company’s ServiceNow roadmap…do we even have a roadmap?

4. How do we break the habits formed over many years of working with the previous systems and processes?

7 key ways to change behaviour at work –…

Here are our top 7 ways to help change behaviour in your organisation.

A little bit about Enable’s approach to OCM