ERP Implementation

The ERP Implementation Service processes flow from Pre-implementation Analysis to GAAP Analysis to the Testing Requirements.

ERP is an acronym that stands for enterprise resource planning (ERP). It’s a business process management software that manages and integrates a company’s financials, supply chain, operations, commerce, reporting, manufacturing, and human resource activities. Most companies have some form of finance and operational system in place but most of the software that’s out there can’t go beyond everyday business processes or help with future business growth.

As a company’s needs change and they expand, their systems should keep up with them. We’ll define what ERP is and why it’s smart to have software in place that keeps up with your business needs.

Simply creating a phased implementation approach doesn’t guarantee success. It’s equally important to follow ERP implementation best practices within each phase. Overall, best practices include:

Don’t underestimate planning. While it may be tempting to plunge into design and development as soon as possible, it’s critical not to rush the initial planning and discovery phase. This phase should create a firm foundation for the entire implementation project by ensuring that the project has high-level backing, operates with a clear plan and is allocated adequate budget and personnel.

Don’t underestimate support and training. Some project team members may feel that the deployment date is the culmination of the implementation effort and fail to pay adequate attention to what happens afterwards. But for the system’s users, the deployment date is just the beginning; it’s what happens afterwards that is critical to the continued success of the project. It’s important to plan and allocate adequate resources to provide technical support, fix issues and provide updates. End user training is also a significant factor here. Employees need to be comfortable using the system and familiar with any new workflows, particularly if an outside consultant will no longer be around to help. Careful work in these areas will allow your organization to realize the full benefits of the system.

Plan data migration carefully. Organizations sometimes make the mistake of simply migrating all historical data to the new system. In reality, some of the information in older systems may be obsolete or unnecessary. Is 10-year-old order information really valuable? Does every supplier in your list still exist? The transition to an ERP system is an opportunity to clean up and rationalize the organization’s data, and it’s worth creating a clear plan for doing so. It makes sense to comb through legacy data carefully, weeding out old customer accounts and looking for data inaccuracies.

Communicate. This is essential throughout all phases of the implementation. The team should make it a priority to regularly communicate to everyone in the organization the reasons for the ERP implementation, the goals and benefits, and what to expect at each phase. Two-way communication is vital: The project team should listen carefully to user issues before and after deployment.