Business Change Management for Global Document Management System (GDMS)
Description of Project
We were initially invited to support the Change Management activity based on the AIM methodology within Europe, and in particular to the 27 European Client Country offices. In addition, the original remit included the setup and management of the EU GDMS Leadership forum with senior leaders across Europe.
As the program advanced into the full deployment phase, the Business Change Management team became global. Deborah Feakins was asked to become the Global Project Manager for the Change Management Team, and each team member was tasked with the responsibility for a geographical region as well as BCM responsibilities for some of the individual legacy system migrations.
Chaucer’s scope
BCM Strategy Development
Historically, the WPO Client Country Office organisation is not well understood by PGRD colleagues, so we began a significant data-gathering exercise in relation to EU sponsors and targets, PCO governance and setup (including legacy systems, users, communication channels and sponsors) to support and define BCM legacy strategy across Europe.
The exercise also provided us with input to cutover strategy and implementation plans.
BCM Strategy Implementation
Our team set up and ran dedicated European forums to bring together both the impacted business lines and program work streams, including communications, training, BCM, UAT and IT. A great success, the cross-functional forum pulled together often ‘siloed’ lines, ensuring that European implementation activity was fully incorporated into the broad GDMS program schedule.
We also worked to define and implement the process for on-boarding change agents, supporting the creation of communication materials and defining resistance management strategy, while identifying, preparing for and presenting at around 100 regional leadership meetings across the region.
BCM Strategy Implementation in Deployment Phase
Drawing up RACI profiles to illuminate handoffs and overlap as GDMS activity moved into the deployment phase, we worked as part of a number of system deployment teams to develop sponsorship strategy, deliver awareness sessions, manage resistance and activate change agents.
We also supported the client-wide system demonstrations by developing demonstration scripts and holding bi-weekly open-door demos for Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia.
Scoping and Planning
We started by establishing plans, deliverables and milestones, tracking the process for delivery assurance, and also completed resource profiling at regular intervals, ensuring targeted appropriate resource planning.
Issues and Risks
Our team managed and ran the risk process for the EU BCM element of the project, working with the other project work streams to highlight and manage the interdependencies and associated risks.
Reporting process
With information gathering and the development of reports for regular meetings, as well as continual monitoring and development for any new requirements as the project moved through phases, we also provided regular reporting for the LT and PMO.
Project Team Meetings
We prepared for LT and BCM meetings, also attending PMO meetings in order to have input on project strategy, most noytably the GDMS deployment model, nodal roled and the need for a global project approach. Our team was also responsible for recording and monitoring actions, additionally facilitating key meetings such as the migration and deployment manager workshop.
Other
Ensuring the project stayed aligned with its goals, we provided challenges to the overall processes, and maintained communication channels to keep all parties in the loop – crucial with a global project.
Cross-project Interdependency Change Management Activity
Scoping and Planning
At Chaucer, we were responsible for the original coordination and setup of the collaboration across two other BPI projects – CTRM and MBSS – and helped to identify areas of commonality and opportunities for shared work.
Delivery
Our team supported regular cross-project meetings and produced cross-project FAQs and a Business Case for Action, while working closely with the Operation Excellence Board Chair to assess the requirement for extending the work to other projects.
European Deployment Planning Support
Scoping and Planning
We were responsible, in coordination with the US GDMS Deployment Team, for the scheduling and tracking of the European activities associated with deployment of GDMS. Specifically, we were tasked with the delivery and maintenance of a detailed European Deployment Schedule, which reflected all key project activities, illustrated in sequence by country.
Issues and Risks
Members of Chaucer were to be in charge of noting, maintaining and raising both issues and risks that would impact the EU schedule.
Other
We also had a presence at the BCM meetings, in addition to weekly teleconferences with the US Deployment Team.
Benefits
With strong client buy-in to forthcoming systems change, our work minimised the resistance of stakeholders across the world.
Providing the client with leadership and a can-do team attitude, we also delivered system deployments on target despite our staff overcoming sometimes highly technical problems, both virtually and face-to-face. Our team was also able to identify and mitigate international cross-project interdependencies, with the Change Management work systematically setting the stage for success.
Our client recognised the critical role the Chaucer team played in the successful implementation of GDMS, indicating that they greatly valued our objectivity, pragmatism and flexibility, as well as our seamless integration with the in-house project team.
Regarding the quality of our presentation and ability to communicate complex topics clearly and succinctly as first class, our team established new links and understanding between sections of the client’s organisation that had not enjoyed adequate linkage previously.
With outsourcing sometimes highly political and internally sensitive, the support of a trusted partner throughout the process was regarded as a critical success factor.
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