There is an inevitable desire to get going as soon as possible but going too fast can lead to big problems. Keeping the first few days simple is the best approach; production-ready stock on site and starting with a simple, repetitive process is a good way to begin. Once that is established without any issues, you can begin to overlay more complex requirements; larger orders requiring complex dispensing is better scheduled for day three than day one.

If required products are not on site in advance, schedule the relevant production for weeks two or three. Allow more time for every process in the initial weeks to allow employees to get used to new ways or working, intricacies of the system and the final realisation of what they said they wanted to do and what that means when the operation is running.

There’s the human element too – it will become evident during this phase that it is no longer appropriate for someone to carry out a particular role in the same way, the system and new ways of working may change that.

What it cannot change, however, is the physical communication between individuals and teams and communications gaps may become evident during the ramp up; the handovers at the start and end of shifts, the flagging of supplier issues, those subtle elements that can’t be stored on the system.

These sessions can also be used to communicate changes in ways of working, what is going well, what needs attention. They should not only concentrate on the negative but also the positive and the benefits. Teams can become demoralised very quickly if all they are encouraged to report is the issues.

In the scenario where teams cannot be on-site, virtual meeting rooms, video cameras, photos, and screen cams all need to be utilised – people often need to see the issue so bringing them into the environment virtually will enable them to trouble shoot more effectively and to provide support to the end-users
Developing a ramp up plan and identifying the areas and processes that need to ramp up first is key to the deployment of the new system.

Potential bottlenecks need to be looked out for, for example, warehouses typically don’t get a slow ramp up, they need to receive product, supply production lines and ship products as well as make material movements all at the same time. Quality control inspections take time too, so inspected material needs be on site and released ready for production supply.

If you don’t have a product on site in advance, you shouldn’t be relying on it and production should be pushed to week two or three of the ramp up to ensure that the ramp up plan is not impacted.

All outputs such as purchase orders, packing lists, invoices and labels need to be checked to ensure compliance and that they meet market and customer requirements – mistakes here could cause delays to exports and getting the product to the customer.

Even though the system has been developed and tested across the environments, the final build into production and the data that is loaded will always have differences or even behaviours in the live environment than in the QAS landscape, therefore managing the ramp up is critical.

It is often week two or three, when volume and more complex business scenarios are being executed that will highlight either system or business process issues. A clear assessment of the issue and allowing time to analyse it correctly are the keys to success. With the right planning in place, there is no reason the cutover won’t be successful.

Poor planning will directly impact production and, ultimately, the customer – if you don’t get it right, it’s a mess. Support the areas where the issues are and don’t lose sight that the success of the business cutover isn’t in any one area alone.