By Mariyah Saifuddin
Carla Sarti, a former vice president at Lear and a transformational executive across multiple industries, joined host Mustansir Saifuddin in the most recent episode of our “Tech-Driven Business” podcast to share insights into what it takes to ensure the success of IT initiatives, from understanding business processes to fostering transparency and teamwork.
Sarti said that discovering IT and technology are her passion, and that the realization of its potential set her on her career path, which has included implementing tools across the SAP sector as well as Coupa, SharePoint, RPA and, in recent years, AI.
Key ingredients for project success
Sarti emphasized that understanding your business and its processes is paramount before implementing any technology. Here are some of the key factors she highlighted for successful IT projects:
Business understanding: Ensure you have a clear grasp of current business processes and what needs to be improved. Technology should address specific business needs rather than being adopted for its own sake.
Success criteria: Define what success looks like from the outset. Many projects fail because this isn’t clearly articulated. “I think a lot of people, a lot of companies don’t look at what success looks like at the very beginning,” Sarti said.
Right team: Assemble the right team with a mix of business and technical expertise. Having a business person lead can often result in quicker and more effective implementations.
Supplier collaboration: Engage the right suppliers who can complement your team’s skills and bring additional expertise.
Governance and transparency: Maintain open communication and transparency throughout the project. This helps address issues promptly and keeps everyone aligned.
Change management: Prepare and train your team for the changes that new technology will bring. Effective change management is crucial for adoption and success.
“You’ve got to explain to people how their job is going to change and give them the appropriate training to make it a true success,” Sarti said.
Saifuddin added his own reflection on the importance of change management after years of being part of project teams in the technology field.
“If there is no good change management in place, It doesn’t matter what technology, what kind of resources or what kind of supplier you’re using, it doesn’t go well,” he said. “The end user needs to be on board. They need to really be part of the whole implementation process in order for them to adapt, and then be the voice of the new tool because they are the ones who will be actually living with it.”
Supplier relationships
Finding the right supplier is crucial, Sarti emphasized.
“I’ve always looked for a valued, trusted business partner,” she said. “There’s a lot of ways to get there. And I think a lot of it is being up front in the initial RFP process.”
Transparency throughout the RFP process is critical, she said.
“You’ve got to have as much information for the supplier as possible to bid on,” she said. “What you don’t want is death by change order later because they didn’t understand the project, you didn’t understand the project as the business. That breaks down a relationship really, really fast.”
A successful project she recalled involved a supplier who had a clear roadmap and methodology, asking the right questions and maintaining open communication throughout.
Saifuddin provided a supplier perspective from the hundreds of projects he’s worked on over the years: “When you’re working with clients, transparency up front really helps,” he said. “It sets the stage and make sure that both the client and the supplier are on the same page.”
With that approach, things can go wrong — but you have a plan in place how to mitigate those issues by working collaboratively.
Staying ahead of technology
As a lifelong learner, Carla stays on top of technology trends through various means:
Podcasts: She recommends “All In,” “The AI Podcast” by Nvidia, and “AI Today.”
Reading: Articles on LinkedIn, the Wall Street Journal, and leadership books like “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni and “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Wilnick.
Reverse mentoring: Learning from younger colleagues to understand new perspectives and technologies.
Mitigating challenges
Challenges are inevitable in IT projects. Sarti advises being honest about your capabilities and ensuring suppliers ask the right questions to fully understand the project.
Transparency is crucial; addressing issues promptly rather than letting them fester ensures smoother project execution.
Interested in more Tech-Driven Business podcasts? You can listen here
About the podcast guest: Carla Sarti
Carla Sarti most recently was vice president of global business services for Lear Corp., taking on this role after serving as vice president of non-production purchasing and director of shared services.
Prior to Lear, Sarti was account executive at ACS, a Xerox company (now Conduent), where she acted as chief strategy officer and director of sales for many large accounts in the Finance and Accounting area. She spent five years at Delphi Corp. in numerous roles of increasing responsibility, including managing the SAP environment after implementation and working as a Lean expert for the Cockpits business. She also worked as a plant and divisional financial analyst at TRW and an operational auditor at the Budd Co.
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