#Tips: 5 Tips to consider when implementing an ERP System
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) deployments can be a daunting task. How you select and implement an ERP system would determine the success and long-term prospect of how the ERP system will work with your business process. ERP projects are usually expensive in nature. Getting the process right must be a Company’s goal. ERPs can go a long way towards improving your operations and reducing your costs. Here are some tips below to help you successfully deploy your next ERP software solution:
Gather your ERP Requirements
An important step to an ERP selection process is gathering your business requirements. Carefully highlight and define your project scope. This would ensure proposed requirements are specific in proposals from consultants. A good upfront requirement gathering process relieves the implementation consultants and integrators with little or no assumptions about what your organisation requires.
This can help to reduce delayed timelines and extended budgets on ERP implementations. Start by focusing on your business processes and system requirements. Select an ERP system that fits into your business process. Otherwise, this would cause additional and more expensive customisations on the long term.
Appoint internal ERP champions
If you want to have the best ERP onboarding process, it is important that you appoint internal ERP champions to lead the ERP implementation and onboarding process in your company. Select staff who would manage the collection of user requirement process.
Having an ERP project champion can also boost the change management process. The champion takes responsibility to coordinate users on the need and how to use the ERP software. This process helps to make ERP adoption more seamless compared to leaving the responsibility wholly to consultants.
Customise your business requirements
Depending on the ERP, integrations are usually a core part of ERP implementations. Companies usually want to achieve full-scale ERP implementations. However, budget constraints can limit your ability to achieve maximal integrations. Select customisations that would focus on the “what” requirement.
Panorama Consulting provides a three grouped requirement framework that can guide companies to navigate their assessment process:
Mandatory– These are non-negotiable tasks or function that are required to execute a job function. They could also be subject to external influence such as regulations.
Value-added– These requirements help to initiate a more streamlined process for your operations. They have good importance but are not required to perform a task.
Nice to have– These are requirements that provide convenience to users. For example, a button that automatically links you to another page.
Source: Panorama Consulting
Create a change management process
A challenging part of the implementation process is getting the management and users to buy into the ERP project. Employees are usually accustomed to their old processes, and it would take a reorientation to change their mindset. A change management strategy helps companies to manage this challenge. A communication strategy should be formed as part of the change management process. This involves setting up workshops, meetings, and group sessions to better explain the importance of the new ERP system. Q&A session can also be developed to address issues that employees raise. It is essential that employees get acquainted with the change management process, to ensure that your ERP project is successful.
Improve your business process
ERP systems are created to help businesses improve their business processes into a more seamless and automated manner. It is expected that when implementing an ERP system, business processes would change in your organisation. An effective way of designing your ERP implementation would be to reengineer business processes within your organisation.
Every organisation wants to improve how they conduct their business. Performing this during an implementation process requires you to ask the tough questions: Are your processes redundant? What process can be introduced or eliminated? Evaluate your current process map and look at ways in which your business process can be improved upon. The redefined processes should then be captured into implementing your new ERP software.
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