When you think of implementing a new solution for semiconductor manufacturing, it’s not just technology that is part of this change. Technology is a foundational piece of it and must be leveraged optimally by taking a hard look at the current and future business processes. Adoption of a new system in any organization big or small takes time and will initially result in a decrease in productivity as users learn and adapt to the new technology. The duration and amount of this productivity dip depends on how you manage the change associated with putting in this new technology. If you just put in a new technology without a rigorous change management process, you may never really benefit from the potential gains that are possible.
Change Management and Productivity
To get the biggest bang for your Implementation, it is important to have a comprehensive approach of technology, process, and roles and responsibilities. At Tensoft, we encourage organizations to look at the 360-degree view of their business processes as they get started with the implementation of Tensoft Solutions. From customers to suppliers to integrations to ERP system to internal processes for managing sales orders and the procure to pay process, they need to understand how it comes together and how these processes are executed in the Tensoft system and how best to leverage all that functionality and information.
A core component of a successful implementation is to document the new business processes and to ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, understood and enforced. Ongoing review and training of these processes are necessary to drive behavior for improved efficiencies. In the absence of a comprehensive change management process, user adoption can be slow, problematic and may result in extreme user frustration.
Dos and Don’ts of Managing Change
Do: Leverage Built-in Process Flows
To reduce ambiguity on how things are done and who does them, take advantage of the processes that are prebuilt into the new system. Often, this is an opportunity for organizations to simplify their processes.
Once you understand how the data is collected and the reporting activities fit into that core flow set, communicate these new processes to the team. Mapping of the processes and alignment of roles and responsibilities for data ownership and scalability is a critical element for successful adoption. This allows you to repurpose your resources to do other important tasks like focusing on your customers/suppliers instead of data collection/data validation/data reconciliation, etc.
Do: Have Regular Refresher Training Sessions for Users
Ongoing refresher training is important to improve productivity and to drive adoption of the new technology. These sessions are highly beneficial for all the users and should be a planned set of activities internally. As users get comfortable with the new system, these sessions can lead to identifying more ways of leveraging the information for ongoing operational improvements.
Don’t: Implement Current Processes in New System
Tensoft SemiOps and DemandOps systems are designed and built based on input and feedback from many customers. It has a fairly well-defined set of activities and streamlined processes for successful implementation. Avoid implementing your current processes in the new system. For successful change management leverage the strengths of the new system rather than trying to circumvent the as-built processes which will typically require additional efforts on the part of the users. Such an approach typically results in stakeholder frustrations that have a negative impact on adoption.
Don’t: Duplicate Data
Avoid duplicating the same data in multiple systems. Designate a single system of record and communicate it across the organization to treat it that way. Try to keep that data set clean and the data quality at the highest level possible.
To manage change successfully, it is important for executives and company management to drive this change. They need to lead it by constantly communicating with their teams on why they are making this change and how does it benefit the organization.
To learn about Tensoft and its Solutions, visit our website: https://tensoft.com/