The Project
Starting in October 2024, Lucy Paton-Brown led the rollout of Dynamics 365 Business Central across nearly ten departments within in the defence and space industry, specialising in the manufacture of advanced countermeasure systems designed to protect military assets from threats such as radar-guided and infrared-seeking missiles. Their work is critical to national security, and ensuring seamless operations across departments is essential for maintaining high levels of efficiency, precision, and compliance. The ERP project aimed to implement Dynamics 365 Business Central—a cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system—to streamline business efficiency, enhance data centralisation, and improve overall organisational collaboration. Covering over 200 employees and users, the project sought to replace outdated legacy systems with a modern, integrated solution that would support better decision-making, automation, and cross-departmental collaboration. The rollout was particularly complex due to the highly regulated nature of the defence industry, requiring careful planning, communication, and engagement across various functions, from manufacturing and finance to supply chain and quality control. Lucy played a pivotal role in ensuring the successful implementation of Business Central, overcoming key challenges related to communication, project timelines, and user engagement, ultimately driving the transformation forward.
The Challenges
During this project, Lucy encountered several challenges, with communication being the most significant. During her persona study, she received numerous comments about internal communication issues and the lingering effects they had across departments. This raised concerns among users, who feared that the Business Central rollout would not be effectively communicated to them. Another major challenge Lucy faced was the project timeline. She joined the initiative later than a typical Change Manager would, finding that crucial elements such as process maps, plans, and strategies had not yet been developed. With the project already underway and a tight deadline before go-live, she had to build these foundational components from scratch. Finally, as the intended go-live date approached, Lucy encountered unexpected resistance from users who had initially been supportive. This ultimately led to a Chala session across the entire business, providing a platform for employees to voice concerns and criticisms. While a Chala is typically a last resort in project rollouts, it proved to be a valuable and cleansing exercise, allowing all impacted users to express their frustrations and engage in the process.
The Solutions
Lucy tackled these challenges with a strategic and proactive approach. To address communication concerns, she implemented a monthly Business Central Bulletin, providing regular updates on project progress. She also visited sites multiple times to record informative videos, explaining different aspects of Business Central and its impact on each department. Additionally, she established a Champion network, which held weekly stand-ups and connect sessions, ensuring continuous engagement. This was further reinforced with posters, emails, and meetings, creating multiple touch points to keep employees informed and involved. Regarding the tight project timeline, the initial go-live date was postponed—a common occurrence in large-scale projects. While this could have been a setback, it instead provided Lucy with a valuable opportunity to deepen engagement with users. She used this extra time to build meaningful relationships with the transformation team, leadership, and employees, fostering trust and openness. Over time, this trust led to greater cooperation and a more receptive environment for change. By implementing these measures, Lucy was able to overcome the initial resistance, establish clear communication channels, and build a strong foundation for the successful rollout of Business Central.
