Finance officers have been looking for signs of change in the economy during the mid-year re-forecast period. Interest rate pressures and inflationary impacts on everything from gas to food to rents can be felt across the board. While all that plays on the main stage, behind the scenes stands a technology improvement project with a digital transformation payback plugging along. During the process of installing a new ERP upgrade or a data warehouse project invariably the question of people and process issues are summoned to the front of the gantt charts. Getting alignment with people and managing change continues to persist as a major issue in the success of technology enhancement projects. The impact of the pandemic no doubt has taken a punch at company culture. What can be done? Start with a carefully orchestrated plan to manage change with recognition of the issues and constant communication around the benefits to be realized by the team. Aligning incentives to an outcome is helpful yet not enough. It's people first...communicate, communicate, communicate.

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