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28 Sep 2010CHANGE MANAGEMENT: Tasima Successfully Negotiates Changeover Process
Recent Gauteng Business News
Tasima, developers of the National Traffic Information System (eNaTIS) for the Department of Transport, have had a challenging year to date, with one of the companies involved in the original consortium being bought out by the other two, resulting in major shifts in the makeup of the organisation. The change of ownership and the resulting upheaval left skills gaps that needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
One of the areas most affected by the buyout was the software division, in particular with regard to the Oracle Database. In order to minimise the impact of the changeover in the short term, the company made the decision to bring in external consultants for a limited period and turned to experts RDB Consulting to provide the extra resources needed.
RDB Consulting was engaged to assist with the transfer of skills between staff who were leaving at the end of February and new staff who would be starting at the beginning of March. By providing support services to the company during this time of change RDB Consulting assisted Tasima to ensure that the transition ran as smoothly as possible.
"Ensuring a smooth change management process was of paramount importance to us as we did not want to have disruptions to the system or experience downtime. The outgoing team worked closely with our team, assisted by RDB, to ensure that the consultants had an extensive understanding of the system.
This knowledge was then transferred to the new team to ensure seamless transition," says Alida Hills, COO of Tasima.
From RDB's perspective the transition went well but was not without its challenges. Says Rudi Palvie, Senior Consultant at RDB Consulting: "The consultants had limited time to understand the existing system and had to get as much information from the outgoing staff as possible within a tight time frame. The system is quite a complex one as it has evolved over many years and undergone various iterations. Once we understood these idiosyncrasies, however, we were able to play our part in assisting the smooth transition so that Tasima could continue business as usual."
After the change management process was completed, the external consultants were retained to provide limited assistance where necessary. This allowed Tasima to dedicate permanent staff to the vital operational aspects of the Oracle Database, with the contractors troubleshooting the development side as and when necessary- an approach which is beginning to bear fruit for the company.
"We are very happy with the services provided to us by RDB Consulting; the consultants who have been working with us have been cooperative, knowledgeable and reliable and we are happy to continue this relationship,"
she adds.
"What began as an assignment to assist in the transfer of skills during a transition period for Tasima has turned into a beneficial relationship. We are proud to work with the team at Tasima to provide support services that deliver real value and business benefits for the company," says Jaroslav Cerny, CEO of RDB Consulting. "This is at the heart of what we do at RDB. We believe that adding value and solving issues that can help companies to become more efficient is of utmost importance, and we are dedicated to using our skill and expertise to achieve just this for our clients."
RDB Consulting continues to help Tasima to optimise processes such as reporting, as well as offering assistance on issues such as debugging software.
Business News Sector Tags: Management|
