When you start an ERP implementation, you quickly think of consultants, tight project plans and technical migrations. But at
Trust as a basis for success
Marjon aptly summarizes, “I really wonder: if you don’t have key users, who validates whether your system is ready for production? IT can say it works, but the business has to trust it. And you get that trust especially when key users have tested it themselves.”
Dat vertrouwen bleek een rode draad door de hele implementatie. Collega’s vertrouwden eerder op de validatie van een bekende key user dan op een bericht vanuit IT. Juist dat maakte hun rol zo krachtig.
The tension between operation and project
Fulfilling that role did present challenges. Because most key users performed their role in addition to their regular work, tension arose between project and operation. “The operation always comes first. In busy periods, like December for finance, it was really challenging to free up time. But because we had involved them early on and they felt the importance of their role, people even continued in the evening to finish everything.” says Marjon.
Practice as the basis for test scenarios
In addition to having sufficient capacity and commitment from the key users, it is crucial that test scenarios connect to daily practice. Marjon recalls an example with a smile: “A key user once reported that a test was not working properly. Panic in IT, we dove in. Until he said, ‘But we never actually do this in practice.’ Then you see how important it is that test scenarios are devised by the business itself. Otherwise you’re testing things that aren’t even relevant.”
The ideal key user
The experience also taught Solo midocean a lot about who the ideal key user is. According to Marjon, someone needs to have a good understanding of their own process and the system, as well as the trust of colleagues. “Think of an inside sales manager who oversees the entire sales process, or a group controller who knows exactly how finance is set up. But also someone colleagues trust and believe in, so they feel the space and freedom to ask questions and ask for help.”
Het belang van coördinatie
Besides the key users themselves, there was another linchpin: the test coordinator. At Solo midocean, Mariska Coppens filled that role. “She understood the processes, knew the people and kept an overview. She was really our lynchpin. The project would never have had the same structure and connection without her.”
What other organizations can learn
Marjon emphasizes that organizations should not view key users as a secondary role. Their involvement determines success. Her tips:
- Start designating key users early and make their roles clear immediately
- Make expectations concrete and involve key users in devising test scenarios
- Give ownership so key users feel responsible for quality
- Zorg voor een testcoördinator die overzicht houdt, verbindt en de samenwerking stroomlijnt
- Blijf continu afstemmen en bijsturen, zeker in internationale contexten waar verwachtingen verschillen
Conclusion
De ervaring van Solo midocean laat zien dat key users veel meer zijn dan testers. Ze zijn de kwaliteitsfilter, de brug naar de operatie en de ambassadeurs van verandering. Met Quinso als implementatiepartner en de betrokkenheid van key users wist Solo midocean het project met vertrouwen af te ronden. Of zoals Marjon het zegt: “Het project viel of stond met hun betrokkenheid. Zonder key users hadden we nooit dezelfde rust en zekerheid in de organisatie gehad.”
