PART A

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to examine and discuss the job of Implementation Officer, the qualifications,
skills, attributes and experience needed to fulfill the job. Information incorporated will be gathered from
an interview with employee that works a as an Implementation Officer. In addition, it will include
information from research online conducted about the same position.

Implementation Officer

An implementation officer is an officer whose main aim is to implement information systems into a
business environment, in the case of Al Amthal group they focus mainly on accounting information
systems. The implementation officer is tasked with guaranteeing the project adherence to the budget and
time frame put. Setting goals, planning and monitoring the teams progress are part of the implementation
process (Webopedia, n.d).

Interview

An interview was conducted with Fahad AlMansoor an Implementation Officer at Al-Amthal Group in
Bahrain. The aim of the interview is to gather information about the industry and the job itself. The
interview was supposed to take place at Starbucks Seef Mall on 10th of April 2018 at 8:00am but it was
later relocated to another branch because it was still closed, to Starbucks at Courtyard which is a five
minutes’ drive from the previously selected branch.

The first question asked in the interview is if AlAmthal group is actively recruiting new employees, the
interviewee mentioned that the company is always looking for new people to join their team as they
currently have four vacancies open for people to apply for. He also noted that the company displays the
positions they’re looking for on their own website.

Then the interviewee was asked about the possible opportunities to get promoted to a higher position,
he mentioned that as an implementation officer the next position is a project manager, he also added
that being an implementer gives a special perk opposed of being an accountant as I would be able to
develop both my relationships and experience across diverse industries which could possibly provide me
with favorable opportunities.

Thirdly the interviewee was asked about the skills and attributes needed to meet the job requirements.
He mentioned that implementing an Enterprise resource planning (ERP) with the use of three different
products ECnet, Wolke and Optimum requires a diverse set of skills. Communication is at the core of it, as
the implementation officer must conduct training sessions for end users, and these training sessions
would vary from industry to another, thus communication effectively and adapting is vital in making sure
the requirements of each industry is met. Moreover, people management is a key skill that an
implantation officer must acquire as the job requires the person to deal with various people during
implementing a project, from the bottom to the top management. Bottom being the end users, as they
would usually look to throw the blame whenever possible on the implementer, thus being organized and
using official means of communication is essential by for example sending emails and documentation. In
addition, top management must be involved and updated throughout the course of the project.
The interviewee was later asked about the qualifications needed for the job, he mentioned that an
accounting background is preferred because he stated that financials are in most modules involved in the
ERP

Lastly the interviewee was asked about the experience required for the position, he said that he does not
know generally, but their company tends to hire fresh graduates as there is a steep learning curve to fulfill
the job efficiently.

Research

The project implementation office reports to project manager and confirms that the projects are run
smoothly and in line with clients needs. He is also responsible for implementing SAP which is especially
known for its ERP and data management programs (Insular Oil Corporation, n.d).

The main duties of implementation officer are, to develop and sustain system plan, predominantly for SAP
B1 implementation including operation requirements and schedules. In addition, recommending business
process changes or application modifications to address gaps between business processes by designing
and developing new solutions. Moreover, conducting system testing, analyses integrity and consistency,
business acceptance testing of SAP data to make sure the system delivered meets the defined business
requirements. Furthermore, being responsible for the application team by monitoring and evaluating
their performance (Insular Oil Corporation, n.d).

According to the findings of research, there are a set of crucial skills required by an implementation officer.
The most important skills are as follows Organization, Problem Solving, negotiation, awareness, and the
most important skill to acquire if effective Communication. These set skills are required to fulfill the job
duties and responsibilities efficiently, that would make sure the job is done to an excellent standard
(Thinking Portfolio, n.d).

The qualification required to be an implementation officer varies from one organization to another, some
require bachelor’s degree in accountancy or information Technology and appropriate professional
qualifications (Insular Oil Corporation, n.d), others require Bachelor’s in Business management,
economics and appropriate professional qualifications (Ministry of Public Ministration, n.d). Moreover,
according to the research the experience required to obtain this job is three to five years.

PART B
Analysis

Rendering to the findings of the research and the interview the information was quite similar but not the
same. That is mainly attributed to the fact that and implementation officer has different set of
requirements from one organization to another. One of the differences is that the interviewee is operating
a different software when compared with the research findings, the interviewee company AlAmthal uses
three software’s ECnet, Wolke and Optimum while the research mention SAP which is a German software
even more specially SAP B1. The skills were similar, but the research gave more skills compared to the
interview, but they both mentioned that communication as it is a key factor in executing this job
professionally. When taking qualifications into consideration they seem to vary from one group to
another, depending on the organizations background and their field of work. But the main difference is in
the experience required, the interview mentioned that his organization prefers fresh graduates as there
is a steep learning curve while the research suggests that three to five years of experience is required.

Political Economic Social Technology

Currently there are no There are no significant
major threats to this technology threats
job, as the Bahraini towards this job, to the
economy continues to contrary technology
exceed expectations would flourish this field
according to EDB, the because as more
growth pace of non-oil technology is
sector has reached introduced to
4.8% in the first nine companies in Bahrain
months of 2017. The they are more likely to
momentum in the hire implementation
economy would rather officers to install their
encourage own information
employment (Bahrain systems into their
Economic Development business environment.
Board (EDB), 2018). As such systems
increase productivity,
save costs and more
consistent processes.

Reflection

To reflect on information gathered from both the interview and the research into the position of an
implementation officer. I have come to the conclusion that this job suits me, as it matches my needs, as I
always look for challenging tasks in my life, as the interviewee mentioned, there is a steep learning curve
in this job and I am looking forward to embark on this challenge and have this job as a starting point in my
career. I could later on possibly get promoted to a project manager in which I would take on more
responsibilities to execute my job to a good standard. In addition, working in this field would as well
develop both my relationships and experience across diverse industries which could possibly provide me
with favorable opportunities in my career. As accounting student at Bahrain Polytechnic, when I do
graduate I will be exempted from 9 ACCA papers of the total 14 paper that are needed to be CCA. Thus,
completing the remaining 4 papers will give me a competitive edge head of other potential employee’s.

Word Count: 1318

Appendix
Interview Questions

1. Is the company recruiting employees?

2. Are there opportunities to get promoted to a higher position?
3. What are the skills and attributes needed to meet the job requirements?
4. What are the needed qualifications for the job? are there any desired qualifications?
5. How much experience is required to have prior to having this job?

Email for Interview Request

Email Reply
Thank you Email
Consent Letter
References
Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB). (2018, February 12). Bahrain’s non-oil sector beats
expectations with 4.8% growth in the first nine months of 2017. Retrieved from EDB Bahrain:
http://bahrainedb.com/latest-news/bahrains-non-oil-sector-beats-expectations-4-8-growth-
first-nine-months-2017/

Insular Oil Corporation. (n.d). Project Implementation Officer. Retrieved from JobStreet.com:
https://www.jobstreet.com.ph/en/job/project-implementation-officer-7876625

Ministry of Public Ministration. (n.d). PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION OFFICER. Retrieved from Ministry of
Public Administration and Communications:
http://www.mpac.gov.tt/sites/default/files/file_upload/press-
ads/PROJECT%20IMPLEMENTATION%20OFFICER%20JD%20.pdf

Thinking Portfolio. (n.d). Top 5 skills of Project Management Officer. Retrieved from Thinking Protfolio:
https://thinkingportfolio.com/top-5-skills-of-a-project-management-officer/

Webopedia. (n.d). Implementation Manager. Retrieved from Webopedia:

https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/I/implementation_manager.html