Successfully managing intercultural projects with change management

After the successful implementation of the SAP Plant Maintenance Module (SAP PM) at Coroplast WeWire Poland, an overseas rollout with Mexico was on the agenda (to understand the technical background, you can read the following link: Implementation of SAP Plant Maintenance to read the success story).

Travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that this project was carried out completely remotely. Due to the time difference, precise scheduling was required to allow clear and effective communication between all project stakeholders.

Initially, online meetings were characterized by few requests to speak and weak momentum. In addition, cultural differences made project implementations difficult.

With the right change management tactics, our consultants successfully solved the existing problems. Among other things, a camera requirement was introduced and the project steps were scaled down. As a result, employees were better involved and the exchange among them was intensified. After each process change, time was scheduled for Q/A rounds to promote communication and clarify open questions.

In joint workshops, it was agreed to initially roll out only the fault notification, fault order and maintenance request processes. The maintenance process will be implemented in a follow-up project.

The successful PM rollout in Mexico impressively illustrated that not only technical implementation is important in the execution of projects, but that change management is also a key success factor. Remote projects require clear communication, good schedule coordination and individual coaching. In South America, the use of change management methods helped overcome cultural differences and increase cooperation and acceptance for the project.