The test of a strong company is their ability to adapt during unforeseen crises. Nobody could’ve expected a global pandemic to occur and put a pause on the global economy. Here at MIBAR we face challenges like this head on and reassure our clients that the quality of work we provide would not diminish under any circumstances. I was the lead in a NetSuite implementation for a wholesale food company, and before leaving my last onsite UAT session with them, the quarantine order was issued throughout NYC. Since their business was in the food industry and considered an essential service, they would be remaining open during the quarantine. The go live date was previously set for April 20, the team and the client were determined to meet this date even if we had to pivot our methods into uncharted territory.
About three quarters of the project was already done and everything that was configured was put under a microscope because we had limited time for errors. The stakes were even higher as during the Go-Live process we would normally have at least one consultant on site to assess any issues and assist new users with the any growing pains they may have with the new system. With the quarantine restricting my colleagues and I from ever being on site, the training had to be rock solid. Everyone needed to be engaged in the training sessions and familiarize themselves with the software afterword to reinforce what they were trained on. This was easier said then done as my training sessions had to be done through Zoom and the users were not able to follow along on their own devices. Thankfully, all users were properly trained due to management’s ability budget the correct amount of time for training (without the consideration of a pandemic), Zoom giving me the ability to train the users remotely, and the client accepting the nature of the situation and trusting MIBAR would get the job done no matter what.
With training out of the way, the final steps were to import open AR, update historical sales orders, and add any new customers to the system. We were able to get sign off on all data in the current system and were given the approval to proceed with Go-Live on the previously agreed upon date. Through diligent work and attentive project management the Go-Live process went smoothly, and the business was able to fully transition to NetSuite without any issues affecting their ability to receive orders and send invoices. Consultants can’t prepare themselves for the unknown, but great consultants can succeed in any situation with faith in their abilities, experience, and their colleagues.
