The new Change Management SOP

By Tumi Mphahlele

Effective communication is a vital tool for any business or organisation. It contributes towards the success of any changes that occur within the organisation. According to the change management principles every change should be communicated to eliminate change resistance. The change management Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be prepared and implemented to monitor compliance around changes that are implemented within SANParks. The ECM change management team is always working hard to ensure staff in all the regions and parks are informed about technological changes occurring within SANParks.

The Enterprise Applications Development team were busy with the Metastorm and ECM migration process during Quarter 1. During that process they managed to migrate SCM Travel Booking and the S&T process. This migration process was communicated through the SANParks intranet and the information broadcast. More SANParks business processes will also be migrated during Quarter 2. The Change Management team will organise more ECM refresher training sessions.

We would like to also thank all the ECM change agents who were fully involved in the ECM testing and piloting activities.

Now is the time to manage documents, records and files digitally within SANParks

Records Management is important and it is certain that information governance declares the authenticity and availability of records and files. This also supports compliance of the government laws and industry regulations. Records Manager always ensures that creation and retention of both paper and electronic records are correctly managed. This is where records are identified and preserved for historical and research purposes.

The EDRMS project is progressing very well and we have to speed up the process of transforming from a paper-based way of managing documents, records and files to a digitalised and advanced manner. During Quarter 1 the records management team was working towards the goal of finalising the permission model sessions. Colleagues, change is difficult but if we can work collectively as a team, we will definitely produce positive results. Therefore, it is always important to attend those EDRMS consultation sessions and workshops. Your input is valuable and needed.

Real change is difficult in the beginning, but gorgeous at the end. Change begins the moment you have the courage to step out from your comfort zone!

The advantages of EDRMS within SANParks

No. Advantage Description 1 Improve business efficiency EDRMS allows organisations to make use of their value through faster access and retrieval of information. 2 Support strategic direction EDRMS implementation will direct and support continual improvement throughout the organisation. 3 Maintain accountability EDRMS can be used to comply with different applicable laws and regulations since accountability is promoted. 4 Manage risk EDRMS will increase risk reduction. There will be a proper management of records since it contains the audit trails as part of evidence. 5 Optimise business continuity Providing SANParks with proper records and information management systems such as EDRMS will prevent the loss of vital records and information. This will also simplify the process of preparing the disaster recovery plan.

Colleagues, you are advised to liaise with the Records Manager related to all documents, records and files that are placed anywhere in your offices and he will advise you accordingly.

...continued from Page 9

desirous to co-operate and collaborate as partners in youth development to improve the socio and economic well-being of the youth in South Africa.

The Youth in Conservation of South Africa has a role to mobilise young people of South Africa behind biodiversity conservation, focusing more on the youth adjacent to the parks:

I. To promote economic participation of young people within the Biodiversity

Economy sector. II. To increase the participation and involvement of youth in conservation matters through awareness and capacity building programmes. III. To affiliate, monitor and evaluate youth development programs within the biodiversity conservation sector. SANParks’ business operations are founded on three important core pillars: Conservation, Responsible Tourism, and Socio-Economic Transformation. SANParks, through its SocioEconomic Transformation programmes promotes development in the rural areas adjacent to and in the vicinity of national parks. SANParks has taken a strategic decision to implement a youth focused development programme that will ensure youth access and participation in a number of opportunities for sustainable socioeconomic development including biodiversity economy, skills training, eco-tourism and business opportunities.

SANParks manages a system of 19 functional national parks in seven of the nine provinces of South Africa, with a total area of just over 4 million hectares comprising 67% of the protected areas under state management. The SANParks of today is recognised as a world leader in conservation and protected area management. In the last two decades, seven new national parks have been established, totalling over 700 000 hectares, with much of this being under conserved biomes such as the Succulent Karoo and Fynbos.