From Delays to Control: HR, Finance, and Procurement Process Teams Up and Running
A university
Direct impact on organizational results
- The new ERP system went live on schedule thanks to rapid decision-making through the process task forces. Lead time was reduced to one week per issue, thereby minimizing delays in implementation.
- Twelve decisions were made and documented in Human Resources, Finance, and Procurement, which resolved or escalated critical issues in a timely manner.
- A clear decision-making framework with five defined roles and ten rules of engagement and conduct, which improves collaboration between the line organization and the program.
Context: ERP implementations require tightly organized decision-making between line management and the program
In early 2024, a university launched a program to implement a new ERP system, scheduled to go live in January 2026. Part of this involves establishing process tables for HR, Finance, and Procurement—a decision-making structure that brings together the line organization and the program. These process tables accelerate decision-making on complex issues, thereby preventing fragmentation and delays in the process.
Challenge: Organize decision-making processes (roles, rules, escalation) so that implementation is not delayed.
In the summer of 2024, it became clear that the concept of process tables would not work on its own due to a lack of attention, time, and experience. The challenge was to still establish a fast and effective decision-making process so that the necessary decisions could be made in a timely manner and the ERP implementation could succeed within the set deadline.
Turner's Approach
Between September and December 2024, Turner employed a phased, co-creative approach. Through targeted work sessions and kick-off meetings with the process team members, Turner designed a decision-making process that included clear roles, tasks, ground rules, and a standardized decision form. Turner then guided the process teams through a pilot phase to test the process in practice and implemented improvements based on evaluations (including in role definition, turnaround time, and information sharing). Finally, Turner moved the process teams into the “run” phase and conducted a final evaluation, offering five recommendations for sustaining and scaling up this approach.
Project Deliverables
- Designed and implemented a decision-making process for fast, efficient, and effective decision-making in the areas of HR, Finance, and Procurement (including an escalation procedure in the event of a lack of unanimous agreement).
- A clear division of roles and responsibilities for process team members (5 defined roles with corresponding responsibilities) and established guidelines and formats for consistent decision-making.
- Ten rules for gameplay and conduct were established, and the necessary tools (decision form and decision log) were set up to support the process table procedure.
- Final report, including an evaluation and five recommendations, has been submitted to ensure the continuation of the process tables at BAS and their expansion to other areas within the university.
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