ERP software implementation is a very challenging and complicated task, it requires deep business and technological experience, and the involvement of several types of skilled resources. You may know that a big percentage of ERP implementations failed due to a lack of experience.
Here are the top 5 tips for a successful ERP implementation:
1. Define your end results
Defining end results for your organisation is one of the important factors to start with, this includes defining the process and workflow and how your business will use the software internally.
The end results include the processes, responsibilities of every department and final reports.
In this definition, you should include the KPIs for every person and department to be able to measure the performance and success of the ERP implementation in your business.
2. Create a Change Management Plan
The second most important factor in a successful ERP implementation is to create a workable change management plan. Change is the most difficult in an organisation when the organisation’s culture resists the change.
The first tip is you should not reuse your organisation’s old workflow, it will keep the old process running as it is without any improvement and will not benefit from implementing a new ERP solution.
Therefore gap analysis is very important to define the difference between your old process and the new one which will be introduced by the new ERP solution, then you should work on the process reengineering, if you feel that you need help in this stage please listen to the experts who can help who will be a process reengineering consultant or your vendor ERP consultant.
3. Ensure a long-term plan
Ensure to have a long term plan for your ERP solution to cover your orgnisation’s future needs. Your long term plan should include a continuous gathering of end-user feedback and perform continious enhancements in your process, continuous support from your ERP vendor whether included in your subscription plan or with a separate contract.
On the level of the ERP software features, ensure there is an API that allow developing new extensions and integration with other future software.
4. Ensure getting the right data into the system
Focus on getting the right data into the ERP system to ensure the getting right output from the system, as recording wrong or incomplete data into the ERP system will not give you the right reports and output as you planned at the beginning which leads to the untrust in your new ERP system from the management and failed implementation at the end.
Work on engaging your employees more and clear KPIs and separate tasks ownership for the individuals and departments, and complete separation of workflow.
Empower your super-user to answer your employees ERP questions faster and ensure that there is a training plan in place to engage new employees in the system, and work on applying new organisation culture based on your new system.
5. Gather the right team
The project team is not only your ERP vendor team who directly work on the project from ERP consultants to developers, but you should think about your extendable team.
Important team players in the ERP implementation are your executives. Executive-level sponsorship is a key success factor for your ERP implementation project, and their inputs are very valuable.
Assemble the right project team from within your organisation, identify your super-users, last but not least choose the right ERP vendor that has the right experience.
Final thoughts
We had listed the top 5 tips for a successful ERP implementation, although there are several aspects you should take care of in such detailed project, as the ERP solution is very important to the organisation as it may considered the heart of any organisation and its information timeline history, so having a firm and workable plan for your ERP implementation is not an option. In the ERP implementation, experience matter, so if you don’t have enough experience to run such a detailed project you may hire an experienced consultant to help you.
When we designed iX ERP the implementation was one of risks that we need to mitigate, we developed several preset and built in functionality to help in the implementation phase for shorter implementation time and higher rate of success.