Whitepaper: Business Champion Journey

Introduction

We explore the crucial role of business champions in enterprise transformations, detailing a structured journey through Familiarisation, Immersion, User Acceptance Testing, Cut Over, Go Live, and Post Go Live phases. By breaking down each stage, we aim to illustrate how involving business champions boosts project outcomes, contributing to increased success rates and sustainable growth.

In the dynamic world of enterprise transformations, business champions play a pivotal role in ensuring success. As catalysts for success, business champions are the glue between project aspirations and tangible outcomes. This paper delves into the journey of a business champion, showcasing how this approach positively influences overall project success.water

Defining Business Champions

Business champions are more than mere enthusiasts; they are the driving force behind the success of a specific project or initiative within an organisation. These individuals bridge the communication gap between project teams and end-users, ensuring a seamless flow of understanding and collaboration. Essentially, they have the ability to lead the change, testing, and training for their specific area

The Role of Business Champions

Business champions play a multifaceted role within organisations, acting as catalysts for change, advocates for innovation, and champions of best practices.

They serve as liaisons between executive leadership and operational teams, translating strategic directives into actionable plans and ensuring alignment with organisational goals.From leading cross-functional teams to fostering a culture of continuous improvement, business champions embody the ethos of organisational excellence and serve as role models for their peers.

Importance of Business Champions

Despite their contributions, organisations may undermine the importance of business champions due to a variety of factors. This could stem from a lack of awareness regarding the role and value of champions, a failure to recognise their efforts and accomplishments, or a reluctance to empower individuals outside of traditional leadership hierarchies.

By overlooking the importance of business champions in digital transformation projects, organisations risk losing valuable talent and innovation, Consequently, failing to recognise and empower these key players could significantly undermine an organisation’s digital transformation efforts, leading to missed opportunities for growth and success.

The Business Champion Journey

business champion journey flowchart

Familiarisation

  • Orientation sessions: Participate in orientation sessions to learn about the vision, objectives, and expected outcomes of the transformation initiative.
  • Stakeholder analysis: Champions identify key stakeholders and understand their roles, responsibilities, and perspectives regarding the transformation.
  • Training and education: Champions receive training on relevant tools, technologies, processes, and methodologies to prepare them for their roles as change agents.

Immersion

  • Conduct hands-on training sessions tailored to different roles within the organisation.
  • Facilitate workshops to map current processes to the new system, identifying changes and adjustments needed.
  • Establish a feedback loop where participants can share thoughts and concerns,

User-Acceptance Testing

  • Develop test cases that cover all use cases and scenarios.
  • Train Business Champions and end-users on the UAT process, emphasising the importance of thorough testing.
  • Collect and prioritise feedback for adjustments.

Cut Over

  • Develop a detailed plan, outlining all tasks, responsible parties, and timelines.
  • Conduct a final data migration and ensure integrity checks are in place.
  • Implement a support structure to address immediate issues as they arise.

Go Live

  • Establish a command center to monitor the system performance and address issues in real-time.
  • Communicate openly with all stakeholders about progress and any emerging issues.
  • Continuously gather feedback for adjustments.

Post Go Live

  • Conduct post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned and best practices.
  • Provide ongoing training and support to address skill gaps and enhance system usage.
  • Initiate continuous improvement processes to refine and enhance system capabilities.

BR One

The integration of BR One’s capabilities into the process of identifying, empowering, and supporting business champions culminates in an environment conducive to enhanced user-adoption. The synergy between BR One’s commitment to bridging the gap between people and technology as well as the strategic role of business champions creates a dynamic that promotes collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement.

This joint effort not only facilitates successful enterprise transformations but also ensures a user-centric approach that significantly contributes to increased confidence and proficiency in embracing change.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the journey through the role of business champions in enterprise transformations illuminates their indispensable impact on project success. As instrumental figures bridging the gap between vision and implementation, business champions emerge not only as advocates but as catalysts for organisational growth. Their involvement from Familiarisation to Post Go Live stages is not merely supportive but fundamental, fostering a culture of collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation and let’s talk through how we can help you move your organisation forwards.