© 2012 Financial Operations Networks LLC

Managing Change in AP Today — Today’s Climate and Challenges

Are Different

About Your PresenterJudi Thallas, APM Finance Change Management Leader,ConAgra Foods Business Services Center

Judi has been with ConAgra Foods for 14 years, originally hired as the Accounts Payable Supervisor for the Frozen Foods Group. In 2003, Judi helped establish a financial shared services center and served as the Accounts Payable Manager of the new center. Judi was also a key leader of the Concur automated online employee expense reporting tool and revision of the company’s credit card programs. In addition, Judi was a key player in the phased implementation of the company’s ERP Purchase to Pay module focusing on Accounts Payable. Concurrently, Judi was also managing an AP staff utilizing multiple legacy payable systems.

Since 2009, Judi has focused on change management and training of the ERP P2P processes for both the AP staff and the end users ranging from plant maintenance associates to senior vice presidents. Judi is also involved in company M&A activities, focusing on AP process assessment including: training, vendor onboarding, change management, and post go live support.

Change Management: The People Side

Change management is the process, tools and techniques for managing the people side of business change, to achieve the required business outcome of a change project or initiative. The better the people side of change is managed, the more successful a project will be.

ConAgra Foods Overview

• ConAgra Foods started in 1919 as Nebraska Consolidated Mills

• ConAgra Foods is a Fortune 500 company with more than 23,000 employees, with the company’s world headquarters located in Omaha, Nebraska

• ConAgra Foods had $12.3 billion net sales for FY 2011

• ConAgra Foods is one of North America’s leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America’s households

Internal Use

ConAgra Foods portfolio$12.3 billion in sales

our purpose: We deliver everyday food in extraordinary ways

Where we were . . . all over the board!

Our Journey

Establish a Shared Service Center • Consolidated

Transactional Accounting in Omaha, NE

• 30+ Consumer & 20+ Commercial Plants

• 3 HQ plants

Implemented a Single ERP System

~ 2004: Order to Cash

~ 2007: General Ledger

~ 2008 – 2011: Supply Chain (P2P)

~ 2010: Fixed Assets

Enhance ERP with Complimentary Applications > Invoice Imaging & Workflow

> Sales & Use Tax

> Purchase Card Integration

Our goal:

To Centralize, Standardize, & OptimizeTechnology & Business Processes

Change

The Change Curve

Change vs. Transition

Change is an event, external

Transition is a process, internal

Transition

Key Components

Communication

Skills Gap Analysis

Training

Manage Productivity

Communication

Skills Gap Analysis

Training

Manage Productivity

Communication

• Communicate change & goals

• Communicate often

• Display goals

• Project updates, milestones, surveys

• Communicate firsts & successes

Communicate multiple times, multiple ways

Listen, then

Communicate again

Skills Gap Analysis

Skills Inventory• Legacy systems• Input into mainframe• Vendor specific• File cabinet or index

documents• Singular role• Limited analysis or metrics

Skills Required• Integrated ERP system• Computer literate• Internal & external

collaboration• Imaging & workflow• Multi-dimensional role• Data analysis & validation

Get the Right People in the Right Chairs

Training: Before, During, & After

• Training: Pre-Implementation• Developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)

• Business users become testers, result was Subject Matter Experts (SME’s)

• Training : Wave Specific• AP Legacy users trained for each wave

• Weekly Q&A meetings

• War rooms created

• SME’s became bridge to end users

• Communicate end-to-end process

Training: Ongoing

• Interact• AP team bi-weekly meetings • Lunch ‘n Learns • Small group meetings – Open forum• Small group ‘Imagination’ sessions

• Stretch• TAPN AP Certification preparation & test• Job Shadow - Gain different perspective

• Sustainability• Simplify training materials as knowledge is gained• Communicate system updates, retrain/refresh

Manage Productivity During Change

• Lead change by example

• Focus on things that can be controlled

• Look for early wins & recognize them

• Reward/reinforce the right attitudes & behaviors

• Focus on results with metrics & publish

Accounts Payable Before Change

We didn’t know what

we didn’t know!

Lessons Learned

The Good, the Bad, the Lessons Learned

Good: Executive Sponsorship

Bad: Gap between senior management & those closest to the work

Lessons Learned: • Communicate to all levels with appropriate frequency

• Communicate the What, the Why, the How

• Communicate in the users’ language

• Target the communications based on the level & role of user

• Communicate with honesty, enthusiasm & positivity

Good: Change management tools were deployed

Bad: Change management not fully understood

Lessons Learned: • Ensure all affected users are included

• Communicate relevant information more frequently

• Provide honest & timely information

• Involve the business in the testing & training early

• Do not promise normalcy

• Collaborate knowledge cross-functionally

The Good, the Bad, the Lessons Learned

Good: Training team onsite

Bad: Training team not on site long enough

Lessons Learned: • Provide on site support until users are self sufficient

• Update training as lessons are learned

• Communicate new lessons to all users

• Ensure there are enough trainers – Invest in the people

• Ensure trainers understand legacy processes to create bridge

• Create & maintain support network, super users

The Good, the Bad, the Lessons Learned

Good: Training on the transactions

Bad: Training did not include process training

Lessons Learned: • Start training with the end to end process

• Ensure trainers understand the new system & processes

• Train to the user’s role & accountability in the process

• Train with reality based data, scenarios, business specific

• Include any necessary reporting tools in training

• Create sustainable training as lessons learned, maintain

The Good, the Bad, the Lessons Learned

Ongoing Reflection

Internal Use

Reinforce & embrace change; it does not stop

Involve users to gain commitment

Encourage imaginative solutions

Questions

© 2012 Financial Operations Networks LLC

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