What are common conflicts with ERP team members, and how can you resolve them?

The ERP team should be clear on the project objective and each member given a role with responsibility and accountability. A regular review and inter dependent decisions clarified with clear communication like written comments will ensure that the conflicts are less and resolved on sitting face to face. Most important is that the realisation that completion is the goal of Team's objective, not who gets credit

Main reason of conflicts is lack of team coordination, lack of motivation and do the micromanagement where it is absolutely unnecessary. Also there are various factors such as. 1. To always blame. 2. Not giving enough support or helping to teammates. 3. Not understanding the situation and directly jumping to the conclusions. 4. Lack of empathy and compassion. As per my knowledge and experience all task and activities can be achieved by the team members who are motivated and willing to help each other succeed. Only the issue with Manager how they are handling the conflict or issues. It is all depends on the Manager leadership qualities.

Conflicts can arise when the teams becomes overly focused on their areas, neglecting broader project goals. The cornerstone of success in an ERP project is clear definition of roles and responsibilities. It falls on the ERP programme team to define clear roles, and responsibilities, establish communication practices. It is important to avoid working in isolation, and make is as collaborative. Regular meetings and status updates are pivotal in sustaining alignment. Next, encouraging team members to partake in cross-functional training encourages empathy and a more holistic perspective. The adoption of collaborative tools and software facilitates seamless information sharing and teamwork.

The solution is conceptually simple - of course people are complex. Make people the centre of the outcomes not business. Culture in the project or organisation is a key to success, creating a psychologically safe and supportive environment for people to raise concerns - and for constructive dialogue. This breaks away from he said/she said or the corridor whispers and politics. There will always be difficult individuals - the first step is to ask if they are ok, people show their less-best side when things are not ok. Additionally, giving training and development for healthy 'conflict' turning it into dialogue with different respective opinions - all likely wanting the same overall outcome - will also help leaders but also team members.

Along with role clarity, it is also very important to have the right size and skilled team to fill in each role(s). Have seen overly lean teams with each individual wearing multiple hats and running into bandwidth issues thus impacting the overall schedule.

There is often a healthy tension in ERP implementation projects between project management and the business. Project management wants the project to be on time and on budget. The business users and SME's want the best possible solution at go live. The ability for both teams to be collaborative and pragmatic throughout the project is a critical element of success.

I agree but in my experience for ERP projects, end goal is known to everyone, the real conflict comes on the ways of how to deliver that goal. To overcome that, business requirements should be linked with business outcomes, the design principles need to be agreed and high level milestones need to be determined with all the stakeholders including client and the project team, governance forums need to be established to take independent decisions based on the above. In some cases it is seen that program sponsor from client team defines the goal . A CFO would think more in terms of reducing cost, CIO would think of operational effectiveness of the IT landscape , but ultimately all these goals need to be agreed,aligned and communicated to all.

Very often you will face a situation where team members compete against each other, business and delivery want to show who is better, etc. There needs to be one vision for all, but special communication to the respective teams or specialists. It is also important to explain the engaged experts, that even if the solution in their eyes isn't perfect, the customer is more than happy with it and the saved time can be used effectively on other tasks. You will also have to respect, that many teams (or team members) means different view on what "success" means.

In my experience it's always the same story. Different departments, different goals, different technical backgrounds. Probably the only way of tackling these real-life challenges is by involving all the people from day-one having ERP as a driver to make day to day work easier for everybody. That's should be a common goal.

Clearly define the project scope from the outset and create a change control process. Ensure all stakeholders understand and agree to the scope. Any changes should be evaluated for their impact on timelines and budgets.

Low ERP Modules integration quality will lead to Communication breakdown, and to avoid that we need, 1- Convert and Mapp ERP terminologies to Customer terminologies. 2- Stand up meeting daily or at least every week to update stakeholders with every module status. 3- Insure to have clear integration points between business modules. 4- Alignment between company business process and ERP business process and git the gab 5- Internal ERPUAT and FIT. 6- Strong Project Management communication plan. 7- Maintain Strong quality gates check lists to make sure of closing End-To-End business cycles like OTC, P2P, ect...

Conflict may emerge due to miscommunication, language barriers, or inadequate communication, which can result in misunderstandings and project delays. To mitigate this, it's crucial to implement well-defined communication protocols, schedule regular meetings for progress discussions, and foster a culture of open and transparent communication. Utilizing collaboration tools can further enhance the effectiveness of communication efforts, ensuring smoother project coordination and reduced misunderstandings.

Poor communication between team members, leads to misunderstandings and frustration. Resolution: Establish clear communication channels, hold regular meetings to discuss progress and issues, and encourage open and honest feedback. Use collaboration tools to facilitate communication and document decisions.

Implementing an ERP affects multiple areas of an organization, requiring effective and constant communication between team members, departments, and often between different levels of the organizational hierarchy. Some conflicts are: -Lack of clarity (insufficient or misinterpreted information, generating errors in decision making) -Departmental silos -Resistance to change (due to not knowing objectives and benefits) -Rumors and speculation (in the absence of official and regular communication) -Conflict of priorities -Lack of commitment or understanding - Inadequate feedback It is not just about conveying information, but also ensuring understanding, fostering collaboration, and building a shared commitment to the success of the project

Interdepartmental meetings would helps break down barriers between different groups, would brings everyone in the company closer together and facilitate communication between different teams, identifying issues, learning from each other, brainstorming, especially when implementing a new ERP system. Of course proper training, roles clarification, clear cascading communication and finally accountability are key.

Managing an ERP implementation team involves dealing with a variety of personalities and work styles, which can lead to conflicts, such as: -Personality clashes (especially in stressful situations) -Differences in work style -Leadership conflicts (ambiguities and clashing styles) -Communication problems (absence or misunderstandings) Burnout or exhaustion (long and stressful projects). Lack of commitment or motivation Effectively managing an ERP team requires strong leadership skills, the ability to manage diverse personalities, and the ability to foster a collaborative and respectful work environment. Understanding and properly managing personality dynamics within the team are essential to project success.

It's essential a strong leadership, creating good culture of collaboration and development because something common is Personality problems, that can be particularly damaging in an ERP team, where close collaboration is essential and can lead to a decrease in the quality of work, as team members may be more focused on winning arguments than on producing high-quality work. Other important key issue is personal insecurities: Team members who are insecure may be more likely to perceive others as threats. This can lead to conflict, even when there is no real disagreement. It is essential to create a safe environment for everyone to share and collaborate on project actions.

Conflict: Team members may feel inadequate due to skill gaps or the perception that others are not contributing equally. Resolution: Provide training and professional development opportunities to address skill gaps. Encourage team members to share knowledge and mentor each other. Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and aligned with individuals' strengths.

You really need to have a team that is as diverse as possible. You want to hear the perspective of as many different voices as you can. You will benefit from this enormously, & so will your team. It is your role as the leader to have a culture of inclusion & zero tolerance of any form of negativity towards others. ERP is broad & deep, & truly has a place for every personality & behavioural type. I seek out difference. Plus there is one thing - we aren't the same, we are all unique, so create a team & empower them to be themselves. Your reward will be the success of your team, and that's why this is worth doing. Inclusive, diverse, fair & balanced leaders thrive in ERP, come work with us, we will enable you too.

Differing opinions and priorities within the team can lead to conflicts when team members hold conflicting views on project decisions or prioritize different aspects of the project. To resolve these conflicts, it is essential to foster open discussions where team members can address and reconcile their differing opinions. Seeking consensus and alignment on project priorities and objectives is key to resolving these conflicts, and in cases of deadlock, involving higher management can provide a decisive way forward.

Biggest problem I have seen working in huge ERP development teams is understanding of what are a module’s ownership areas and boundaries. Scaled up ERP products are huge, complex and very modular. Sometimes it’s not clear to which module area a problem belongs and hence items move from one team to other without any resolution. One thing that can solve this problem is providing a holistic training of the entire ERP product that inculcates ownership of various modules rather than sub products working in an insular fashion and sometimes defensive fashion

Create a culture that engages and enables everyone. My moniker here is simple - "We are better together, there is no problem or challenge we can't solve, we just have to find the solution, there always is one, and that means collaborating as a team to find it" Create an environment and atmosphere where you celebrate everyone's strengths and what they bring to the team. Afterall - none of us are perfect are we?

To resolve these conflicts, it's crucial to establish clear communication channels and ensure all team members understand the common objectives and how their roles contribute to the overall success of the ERP project. Regular meetings and collaborative decision-making processes can help in aligning different departmental goals. Additionally, providing training and support eases the transition and reduces resistance to new systems. It's also beneficial to involve key stakeholders in the planning and implementation phases to ensure their needs and concerns are addressed, fostering a sense of ownership & collaboration across the team.

While solving any conflict it is important to separate the problem from the person. Time and again we are so focused on problems that we forget that there is a human involved. There could have been a major error in the 1st pay-run cycle but unless you dive into the why and separate the person from the problem you would problem end up with a culture of blame game end end up throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

We should enable people give honest feedback, focusing on the content not the person. Respect, empathy and active listening form always a nice approach towards problem solving and conflict management.

Timeline pressure can trigger stress and disputes as the team strives to meet demanding deadlines. To address this, it's crucial to establish achievable project timelines and consistently track progress. When needed, be willing to adapt deadlines to prevent undue stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance for team members.

One very common source of conflict is deciding which functionalities/needs have to be addressed by the system and which ones will have to be dealt by the users outside the system. I have seen huge discussions between members of a project because one side thought a certain feature was mandatory and critical while others did not want to configure such a feature in the system due to increased maintenance efforts in the long run.

Sometimes I sound repetitive but I must reinforce Management is very often the key to solve most of (if not all) problems. With good and efficient management colleagues are not put into unnecessary pressure, deadlines are feasible and the team gets committed as well as conflicts are either inexistent or lowered to acceptable levels.

Following points must also be considered by implementation team Addressing uneven resource distribution and its impact on team harmony. The role of change management in ERP-related conflicts. Impacts of different levels of technical expertise and training among team members. How leadership styles and management approaches can influence team dynamics. Balancing workloads and managing unrealistic project expectations to prevent conflicts. Recognizing the influence of external stakeholder pressures on team cohesion.

Conflict: In multinational or diverse teams, cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. Resolution: Promote cultural awareness and sensitivity within the team. Encourage open discussions about cultural differences and how they might impact communication and collaboration.