5 Things To Consider... Before Implementing a New ERP System:
1) Who needs to buy-in? Obviously there are the key stakeholders like finance and IT, but who else will be effected by the implementation? Bridge the gap between the project and the wider business early and keep the communication channels open.
2) Who needs to do what? There will be technical resource, likely to be in the form of a partner company implementing the system. There will also be the change team; representatives from the business that will help implement and prepare for the transition. End-users will also have to be identified for training. Deciding on the best people for each of these tasks is critical.
3) What you want the system to do? A simple question, that could take months of work to just to answer. This is also a two way process; it is very unlikely that any system will fulfill every requirement and quirk of the business so compromise must be reached (whilst also trying to keep everyone happy! See 1).
4) Train, Train and Train - Improving the productivity of End-users is usually the main incentive for the project in the first place and this will depend largely upon thorough, and timely, training.
5) Plan the Go-live... and beyond - Often overlooked, a carefully managed cut-over is vital as is considering the implications of bypassing legacy systems at each step.
For guidance through your implementation process, contact me to discuss further.