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These are challenging times for businesses that provide contracting or other services to the Alberta oil industry. Overall, that sector is now – or will be – showing signs of a recession. Whether it’s a long-term recession or a short-lived one remains to be seen, however.

Fortunately, a number of contractors still have work in select specialties assigned to ongoing, long-term projects. The firms lucky enough to continue their services are doubtless drilling down into their internal operations to monitor expenses. The focus will, of course, be on the profitability of each project.

A recent game-changer in the oil sector is the declining price of oil, which puts a stranglehold on future growth for companies serving this sector.

The outlook is further darkened by Royal Dutch Shell PLC’s plan to cut hundreds of jobs at its oil sands operation in northern Alberta.

Now is the time for companies to start adjusting to changes impacting their revenue streams and to remain vigilant for opportunities – all while closely monitoring every project in their pipeline.

Service businesses face unique challenges when it comes to managing orders. Making some changes to the order management process could contribute to boosting productivity and providing clients with a better experience. However, implementing changes to the order management process requires careful planning.

Are you doing things because that’s the way you’ve always done them? Are you doing things because you don’t want to or don’t know how to change the process – even if you know you’d be more efficient if you did change?

It’s understanding the forest for the trees, so to speak. As you’re plugging along, running your business, don’t forget to look up from your tree cutting to make sure you’re following the right path. Maybe there’s a smoother path with smaller trees. Maybe there’s a straighter path. Maybe there’s a path with fewer trees to cut down!

Deal or No Deal - It's Down to Financials

The last stop on our business road map is purchasing your new business management software system for your business operations.

(Want to read the first four parts in this series? You’ll find the links at the bottom of the post.)

All four of the main drivers of your scope for change management – organizational culture, processes, people, and technology – can be encompassed into your financial budget. That is, financials are the final decision maker for a “go” or “no-go” sign off to purchasing a business management software system.

Choosing Your Tool of the Trade

You should never choose your business management software sytem vendor based on the brand. To get the software that will offer you the best return on investment while simultaneously creating a better work environment, you need to meticulously investigate what each provider has to offer.

A three-point checklist should drive your selection:

• culture
• processes
• people

Preparing the People for Change

We have tackled two of the five stops in our business roadmap of implementing a business management software system. (You can read part one here and part two here.) Organizational culture sets the pace on how you can smoothly insert technological and system changes to your business structure. There are also the operational processes that need to be accounted for so that when it comes time for migration, you will be assured that you’ve covered all bases.

The most critical unit that participates in the implementation of change in your business, however, is your people.

Reinventing Processes Made Easy

When setting up the requirements for the new and enhanced way of doing your businesses processes, it is important to ensure that all activities are accounted for and that all alignments will be addressed with corresponding action plans.

Once you’ve decided which functional areas of your business you will integrate into an enterprise resource planning system, you should proceed to detail your current operational procedures. Put it into writing so that you will capture the full scope of the technological changes you’re planning for the business.

Keeping What We Do Now – Just Bigger and Better

Whether you’re simply installing improvements to your business structure or going all out and reinventing the wheel, a variety of tools will be necessary. In addition, before launching a full-scale change management, you should consider two things: your business’s culture and your current operational processes.