ERP implementations are the most challenging affair you will almost certainly have to do. They're agonizing and they frequently tear a team apart (and then bring them back together) ahead of going live. Some proclaim that a sizeable ERP implementation project will go live under the third project manager! While this is extreme, it can be seen in large corporate environments. Augment the circumstance that ERP is not really one system; they are a series of systems including document management systems, barcode systems, report writers, inventory and other bolt-on's. The major challenge is change itself. The transition to new systems, processes and culture of the business are what make or break down the project.
Since ERP is the main repository of information within a business, the effects (positive and negative) ripple through all levels of a company. From strategic information management policies that should be determined day to day to warehouse operations to the shop employees, the ERP system touches every aspect of the operation. This is one of the key reasons why it is extraordinarily complicated endeavor. All that the workers do in your firm must be examined and defined for the system. Processes must be known, users must take training, and software ought to be validated.
In addition, reports to be reviewed and possibly new ones created. There are interfaces that should be written for all those bolt-on's. There are data conversions to be identified and tested. Oh, and do not forget the dreaded word "adaptation" Adjustments are avoidable depending on the mutability of the system. If you shortlisted the system meticulously in advance of the implementation, these customizations can be eliminated or minimized. The safest mechanism to create process work arounds creates an external adaptation to the system and exchanging of data back and forth. The difficulty with this is that you ought to check the interface with each new upgrade.
All of these changes in the processes rock the business in the center. However, There ARE things you can do to mitigate the problems that could occur with the implementation. Primarily, you absolutely ought to have top management approval. Management has to make ERP implementation a priority for the business. Lacking this affirmation, the implementation will have difficulty of divergent priorities and lack of user involvement.
Another success factor in implementation is to obtain the finest possible user team you can put together. These workers need to be the fundamental team for all divisions. "Wait, will this not hurt the business operations?" In the short term it can have an impact. But with the best team, you get people who understand their company and may make the configuration of the system and authenticate the system to fit your needs.
Another crucial area of victory is to have a nonpartisan third party to administer the implementation with internal project managers. This should not be a software supplier. The software seller sees the world through their tool, the ERP system. Third party project manager must manage change expertly and must be people who have led system implementations in the past. They are mutually your guide and a "devil's advocate." "They are the mediator to cry foul if the vendor is outside their boundaries and they are the person who holds the internal project manager and his team are responsible. They do not make policy decisions. That is for the internal team. What they do and do competently, is to assure that the system is a user-driven system, not a vendor-driven implementation. Make them to your trusted aide.
A more crucial proposal is that the inside project manager is a member of operational staff, not an IT director. ERP is not an IT project. This is a business process project. This is not a software system. Is a world-class processes enabled by software. Too many ERP projects have gone down the wrong way by allowing the project to be an IT project. ERP software is too messy and it affects far too many basic business processes. It is essential that folks involved from all areas of the business take ownership. They must be leaders who can commonly lead their operations. Further understanding their operations helps the company define processes better than IT.
These are just some of the essential strategies for successful implementation. As mentioned in advance, you need a trusted advisor ERP. Follow their guidance. He/She can and will lead you as you listen. Dig into their knowledge for other tools for the implementation and lessons learned. Doing so ahead of time will aid you in accomplishing your project with a lot less pain and allows achieving a higher degree of success.
