How to Make Your ERP Implementation a Success

How to Make Your ERP Implementation a Success

When planning for an ERP implementation, it is completely normal to wonder how to make such a daunting business decision and process be as successful as possible. Everyone has heard of the ERP implementation horror stories, but we are here to tell you that with the correct preparation, project team, company morale and collaboration, ERP implementations are not nearly as intimidating as they may seem.

Throughout today’s blog, learn 5 ways to put your best foot forward and achieve a long-term successful ERP implementation with minimal disruption to your daily business operations.

1. Clearly Define your Project Scope: One of the most important steps in the implementation process is a clearly defined project scope to follow and refer back to throughout the implementation. Taking the extra time to focus on the specific business requirements that are necessary to achieve from the ERP and staying consistent to those necessities is an integral factor to achieving a successful implementation that supports your business. Periodically referring back throughout the project to these requirements to ensure the process is on the right track will also prove incredibly beneficial when the time comes to go-live (1).

2. Get Employees Motivated and Involved in the Project: Having a team full of motivated and excited employees that are looking forward to going live with an ERP can make the world of a difference throughout the process. If your project team, comprised of the employees who know the most about your internal business processes, are not excited and involved throughout the entirety of the implementation, there is likely to be some communication discrepancies resulting in less than satisfactory results. When the entire team is on board and is excited to transform the internal business processes to perform business better, it is apparent by looking at the successfulness of the implementation project.

3. Select the Right ERP and Partner for your Business: With the many ERP solutions on the market for every type of business and requirements, this can be one of the most crucial choices made when looking to implement an ERP. Selecting the correct solution for your business is incredibly important, but equally as important is choosing a Partner that will support and guide you through the implementation and beyond. Choosing a partner and a solution that truly understands your business and will work to maximize your business process efficiency is integral. Here at Softengine, we have over two decades of experience implementing SAP Business One, the leading ERP solution for small to midsize businesses. With our client-first approach, we take the extra time to understand our customer’s specific business requirements to offer a world-class implementation experience and 24/7 accessible support after go-live.

4. Clean your Data: Entering the ERP implementation process with clean business data makes data migration to the new system go as smooth as possible. Also, if you are deciding to migrate months or years of historical data, it is incredibly important that the data is organized and accurate to put your best foot forward entering the project. Master data management is a key feature that ERP solutions provide customers, and it is the most effective when the data being transferred is clean, consistent and complete (2).

5. Take the Time to Train your Employees: Ensuring that your current employees understand their role using the ERP increases the ultimate success of the project. Establishing a solid and comprehensive training program for employees will not only result in greater success of the implementation after go-live, but will boost employee morale and overall performance. This is also where choosing a solid ERP partner is important because as employees run into issues with the software, having a reliable source to consult helps resolve those issues with ease and efficiency.

In conclusion, there are many factors that play a role in a successful ERP implementation. By sticking to these 5 pieces of advice, your business can position itself on path to success with your new ERP solution!

Here at Softengine, we pride ourselves in providing small to midsize businesses with streamlined efficiency, organization, real-time visibility and so much more with SAP Business One. To learn more about SAP Business One, check out our website and contact us at info@softengine.com for specific business inquiries.

More information about SAP Business One: https://softengine.com/product/sap-business-one/

About Softengine: https://softengine.com/about-softengine/the-softengine-advantage/

Resources:

1. https://sunrise.co/blog/successful-erp-implementation/
2. https://www.erpsoftwareblog.com/2021/03/7-best-practices-for-erp-implementation-success/