Air India Limited began operations in 1933 with two planes, one pilot, and a handful of engineering staff. Its ‘office’ was a palm-thatched shed. Today, Air India has a fleet of 45 aircraft, including Air India Express, a low-cost airline, and flies to around 44 destinations worldwide. Headquartered in Mumbai, the airline made a net profit of US$2 million (Rs.97 million) and increased revenue by 15% in the 2005 financial year.
In January 2006, Air India implemented a range of Oracle E-Business Suite applications as the basis of an integrated enterprise resource planning system. To ensure its business and technical staff could maintain and use the system, the company sent 40 employees to Oracle University.
The interactive training helped staff understand how an electronic business management system worked and gave them the knowledge and confidence to use the applications from the go-live date. The positive experience of staff promoted a cultural shift in the organization and encouraged management to consider extending the technology to other areas of its business.
A New Way of Working
Although Air India had used IT packages in the past, this was the first time the organization had implemented a commercial off-the-shelf enterprise resource planning solution. Although the concept of multiple users interacting on the same platform was not new to Air India, usage of a true ERP solution was new to the organization. In the past, the company had relied on manual, paper-based processes to manage its inventory, purchasing, and budgetary control and monitoring.
The airline sent around 40 people to Oracle University for training on Oracle Inventory and Oracle Purchasing, followed by training on Oracle Financials. Technical staff received Level 1 and Level 2 system administration training and attended patch installation courses.
The courses took place at Oracle’s premises in Mumbai and occasionally at Air India’s offices. The face-to-face classroom training included instruction on how to use the Oracle applications and basic exercises. Oracle trainers were on hand to help users when they ran into difficulties or had queries. Training notes were also provided. Courses ran from three to five days, depending on the subject.
Staff was happy with the quality and level of the training and instructors. The airline did not expect them to master the application after one week of training; the aim was to give them some reassurance on the system so they had the basic navigational routes and make it possible for them to explore other options. Training familiarized staff with the application and gave them the skills and confidence to use the system by themselves.
Without the Oracle University training, the airline believed it would not have been able to implement and use the Oracle solution effectively.
Air India had engaged an external company to implement the solution and found that training improved communications. After the training, staff could talk the same ‘language’ as the implementation partner. Risk was minimized because both organizations understood what the other was trying to achieve.
A Cultural Shift within the Organization
One of Air India’s objectives when sending users to Oracle University was to prove that the Oracle solution was workable. The airline believed that every failed attempt to implement an IT-based solution will make acceptance within the organization more difficult. People become more skeptical about such solutions so it was important to ensure that the first lot of trainees had a positive experience.
The airline reported that those who received training developed a better understanding of the system. Raising awareness of the system’s capabilities was a key objective and the organization believed it fulfilled that purpose.
The airline sent around 40 people to Oracle University for training on Oracle Inventory and Oracle Purchasing, followed by training on Oracle Financials. Technical staff received Level 1 and Level 2 system administration training and attended patch installation courses.
The courses took place at Oracle’s premises in Mumbai and occasionally at Air India’s offices. The face-to-face classroom training included instruction on how to use the Oracle applications and basic exercises. Oracle trainers were on hand to help users when they ran into difficulties or had queries. Training notes were also provided. Courses ran from three to five days, depending on the subject.
Staff was happy with the quality and level of the training and instructors. The airline did not expect them to master the application after one week of training; the aim was to give them some reassurance on the system so they had the basic navigational routes and make it possible for them to explore other options. Training familiarized staff with the application and gave them the skills and confidence to use the system by themselves.
Without the Oracle University training, the airline believed it would not have been able to implement and use the Oracle solution effectively.
Air India had engaged an external company to implement the solution and found that training improved communications. After the training, staff could talk the same ‘language’ as the implementation partner. Risk was minimized because both organizations understood what the other was trying to achieve.
A Cultural Shift within the Organization
One of Air India’s objectives when sending users to Oracle University was to prove that the Oracle solution was workable. The airline believed that every failed attempt to implement an IT-based solution will make acceptance within the organization more difficult. People become more skeptical about such solutions so it was important to ensure that the first lot of trainees had a positive experience.
The airline reported that those who received training developed a better understanding of the system. Raising awareness of the system’s capabilities was a key objective and the organization believed it fulfilled that purpose.
In January 2006, Air India implemented a range of Oracle E-Business Suite applications as the basis of an integrated enterprise resource planning system. To ensure its business and technical staff could maintain and use the system, the company sent 40 employees to Oracle University.
The interactive training helped staff understand how an electronic business management system worked and gave them the knowledge and confidence to use the applications from the go-live date. The positive experience of staff promoted a cultural shift in the organization and encouraged management to consider extending the technology to other areas of its business.
A New Way of Working
Although Air India had used IT packages in the past, this was the first time the organization had implemented a commercial off-the-shelf enterprise resource planning solution. Although the concept of multiple users interacting on the same platform was not new to Air India, usage of a true ERP solution was new to the organization. In the past, the company had relied on manual, paper-based processes to manage its inventory, purchasing, and budgetary control and monitoring.
The airline sent around 40 people to Oracle University for training on Oracle Inventory and Oracle Purchasing, followed by training on Oracle Financials. Technical staff received Level 1 and Level 2 system administration training and attended patch installation courses.
The courses took place at Oracle’s premises in Mumbai and occasionally at Air India’s offices. The face-to-face classroom training included instruction on how to use the Oracle applications and basic exercises. Oracle trainers were on hand to help users when they ran into difficulties or had queries. Training notes were also provided. Courses ran from three to five days, depending on the subject.
Staff was happy with the quality and level of the training and instructors. The airline did not expect them to master the application after one week of training; the aim was to give them some reassurance on the system so they had the basic navigational routes and make it possible for them to explore other options. Training familiarized staff with the application and gave them the skills and confidence to use the system by themselves.
Without the Oracle University training, the airline believed it would not have been able to implement and use the Oracle solution effectively.
Air India had engaged an external company to implement the solution and found that training improved communications. After the training, staff could talk the same ‘language’ as the implementation partner. Risk was minimized because both organizations understood what the other was trying to achieve.
A Cultural Shift within the Organization
One of Air India’s objectives when sending users to Oracle University was to prove that the Oracle solution was workable. The airline believed that every failed attempt to implement an IT-based solution will make acceptance within the organization more difficult. People become more skeptical about such solutions so it was important to ensure that the first lot of trainees had a positive experience.
The airline reported that those who received training developed a better understanding of the system. Raising awareness of the system’s capabilities was a key objective and the organization believed it fulfilled that purpose.
The airline sent around 40 people to Oracle University for training on Oracle Inventory and Oracle Purchasing, followed by training on Oracle Financials. Technical staff received Level 1 and Level 2 system administration training and attended patch installation courses.
The courses took place at Oracle’s premises in Mumbai and occasionally at Air India’s offices. The face-to-face classroom training included instruction on how to use the Oracle applications and basic exercises. Oracle trainers were on hand to help users when they ran into difficulties or had queries. Training notes were also provided. Courses ran from three to five days, depending on the subject.
Staff was happy with the quality and level of the training and instructors. The airline did not expect them to master the application after one week of training; the aim was to give them some reassurance on the system so they had the basic navigational routes and make it possible for them to explore other options. Training familiarized staff with the application and gave them the skills and confidence to use the system by themselves.
Without the Oracle University training, the airline believed it would not have been able to implement and use the Oracle solution effectively.
Air India had engaged an external company to implement the solution and found that training improved communications. After the training, staff could talk the same ‘language’ as the implementation partner. Risk was minimized because both organizations understood what the other was trying to achieve.
A Cultural Shift within the Organization
One of Air India’s objectives when sending users to Oracle University was to prove that the Oracle solution was workable. The airline believed that every failed attempt to implement an IT-based solution will make acceptance within the organization more difficult. People become more skeptical about such solutions so it was important to ensure that the first lot of trainees had a positive experience.
The airline reported that those who received training developed a better understanding of the system. Raising awareness of the system’s capabilities was a key objective and the organization believed it fulfilled that purpose.