SAP Fieldglass Compliance in the management of external workforce

The background

Implema played a key role in optimizing one of its client's sourcing and workforce management together with its partner SAP Fieldglass.

The client, a global telecom provider with operations in over 170 countries, has a high need to hire external labor and faced complex challenges. They needed efficient and consistent processes to manage thousands of consultants working in different countries and projects.

After an in-depth feasibility study, the customer chose to use SAP Fieldglass as their VMS platform (Vendor Management System) to improve the management of external resources. A platform that helps find, hire, manage, pay and evaluate external consultants as well as consulting suppliers. Up to 20,000 consultants are currently managed through the new platform with a coverage of 90% of total cost.

Mission

With compliance high on the agenda, the client brought in a senior project manager from Implema to lead a global change program. The program aimed to create structure and transparency over all external labor within the company. This was to minimize both legal and commercial risks that come with not having control over its external workforce.Implema led the effort to drive the change globally by creating awareness and knowledge in the organization.

Good results were achieved through the following:

Stakeholder mapping - Identifying gaps between different units and levels of the organization. Based on the gaps, work with targeted and customized communication to different stakeholders.
Communicate and train on correct processes and procedures. Hold workshops and Q&A sessions. The programme manager was a neutral party who brought together different functions and roles in the organization to ensure progress and reduce friction.
Simplify, simplify, simplify. Clean up material and clarify the purpose of the change. Create simple guides with standardized terminology and definitions to create the conditions to do the right thing.
Present facts to address and motivate doubting stakeholders about the need for the change. Explain the consequences of doing nothing.
Ensure tools and controls for increased process compliance even after the program ends.

Solution

The program was awarded as one of the most successful projects in sourcingin 2022.

The sponsors and steering group expressed great appreciation for the project's results and acknowledged that they had not initially believed that the change would work.
The project created the conditions for collaboration between different functions through common instructions and definitions instead of everyone having their own variations.
Establishment of cross-functional cooperation forums for knowledge sharing and anchoring on common issues.
The project highlighted shortcomings in existingprocesses and began work on further improvements.
The project succeeded with a broad communication that clarified expectations of stakeholders.