Thursday, May 1, 2008

Meet Your ERP Implementation Goals and Objectives

It’s no secret that an ERP implementation gone wrong can lead to serious problems for any business. Cost overruns, an inability to meet client requirements and, in the worst case, - damage to client relationships, are just some of the negative side effects caused by a poorly deployed ERP system. I’ve seen several companies invest significant resources in various ERP implementations that have failed to takeoff. One of the fundamental reasons for this that I see time and again is a lack of user acceptance.
For the most part, the problem isn’t the ERP software itself the potentially leading cause of a failed implementation is limited user adoption – the failure to win over the people tasked with using the system on a daily basis. Other causes include improper user training and the quality of third-party support. What i recommend is why not go for phased wise implementation rather than going for one time implementation.
Because this gives time for the employee to understand the system well and gives time to adapt to the new technology...say for example, Your company is divided into departments that each will need to be converted to the new ERP structure. Without a phased approach, your entire company will suffer; because, it will turn your company into a mess if you attempt to convert everyone at once.
With a planned phase wise implementation you will have less problem Setting down guidelines to measure the success of any ERP implementation is a requirement of any project manager. A project manager needs to have experience in developing and implementing ERP solutions. To be sure you have a good project manager, it may be necessary to bring in a consultant who has experience in ERP implementation. This way the goals set will be more guaranteed of success and you will more than likely be able to accomplish the goals in the prescribed order.
Getting people to accept new processes and systems is probably the biggest challenge with any ERP implementation. However, with proper training, most employees will take to a new ERP system once everything is up and running and they start to experience the direct benefits brought on by the solution as a whole.
Implementing an ERP solution all at once can be overwhelming to employees. You can’t take an older employee who’s been doing their books the same way for the past 20 years and throw them into an advanced ERP. This can lead to serious problems!!!