Top 5 tips to avoid major operational disruptions – Pt II

Estimated read time 5 min read

From being a mere business management software program to being an integral part of a business, the ERP solution has come a long way not only in terms of smoothing the business process but also with boosting the business’ overall growth. The complexities and multiple activities of businesses, cutting across all country and time zone borders inflict unwarranted chaos. It is here where an effective job card  software solution with its far-reaching effect irons out chaos into a systemic design for continuous delivery of positive output for the company. It streamlines and accelerates the business process providing a competitive edge to the company. It is said, “first right move leads to half of the war won”; thus, it’s fundamental to have a correct implementation of ERP for optimal utilization. Below we present the “10 Must-Follow Steps” for successful implementation of the ERP solution.

Identify the problems / Set the objective(s)

ERP provides a vast solution to many issues faced by companies. However, it is very important to identify the real objective for implementing ERP. The question is less about “should we implement” and but more about “what should apps for repair and maintenance be implemented for”. The Key Performance Indicators (KPI) have to be analyzed in order to understand the necessity of the software intervention. Key objectives are necessary; not only with respect to the present but also because future projections are included in the requisition list, which allows a business to factor in the scalability and accommodating changes in the future of the business/industry. So again, it is essential to identify the problem or the exact necessity motivating the ERP.

Define scope/team

The objectives can be many, ranging from bringing in the transparency of operations to having financial control, supporting organic expansion, supporting acquisition or supporting common processes. As per Panorama study, 61.1% of free job card management software  implementations take longer than expectedand 74.1% of ERP projects exceed budget. The primary cause of the delays and over budgeting is the unclear definition of the ERP requirement. The ERP features must be evaluated in accordance with the barometer of synchronization within the needs of company. Depending upon the budget and core necessity, the ERP demand list should be generated which achieves a smooth and hurdle less ERP implementation.

Brainstorm/evaluate the options

As per Capterra, approximately 33% of ERP buyers did not demo a product before buying it and approximately 22% of companies surveyed reported they bought the first system they looked at. These are dangerous statistics, not only for those who implement the ngo accounting software but also for the vendors, as optimal utilization of ERP software remains a dream. For successful utilization of ERP software, the management of the company has to invest its time in evaluating the options available. In the 2015 ERP report, it was found that 93% of the companies customized their ERP software to some degree according to their intended use.

The customization could sometimes lead to an increase in the failure of the ERP system as it may increase the complexities. The organization needs to understand the difference between ERP package configuration and customization clearly because many times the requirement is fulfilled by the purchased of the field service management software system and no customization is needed. Evaluating ERP options is a very important task, as options are to be evaluated based on current needs, as well as against future requirements.  New additions, like cloud ERP solution or SaaS ERP, are the current preference of customers, as these options –are available in different scope and flexibilities to accommodate future requirements. Thus, a company needs to brainstorm with the ERP vendors/ consultants to bring in the best system in the organization.

Data migration

Once an ERP solution is identified, the next biggest and most important step is of data migration, which provides for a smooth transition and future utilization of the software. Implementing an ERP Software can be a huge change, especially if the company is trying the software for the first time. Identifying which data are necessary for successful transition to the common software problem is very important. Most software allows the input of data but entire data shifting may burden the software. Therefore, only the necessary and most important data should be transferred to the software, and great care should be taken to ensure that the data is retrieved from the software, whenever required.

Check infrastructure

Preparing the company for the ERP implementation is at the core of all of the steps of manufacturing software implementation and plays a vital role in the process, be it a success or failure. After detailed brainstorming between the vendor and its management, the requisite infrastructure is installed. According to Mint Jutras, 23% are unable to grow their business as quickly as they would like and believe this to be because they lack the tools they need in their current ERP system. The infrastructure on which the software will run, has to have the scope of scalability along with options to update as per the demand.  Such requirement should not be limited.

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