ERP Systems

Six Best Practices for Implementing an ERP System

There are six best practices that should be followed if you’re thinking about implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.  Each of the six best practices consists of multiple tasks, which we will detail in this article.

The first best practice is to plan, plan, and plan.  Get executive buy-in, define the business processes you have and what you’d like to have, develop a project plan, analyze requirements, analyze risks, analyze recommended solutions, and review technical requirements.  You should also consider future needs for the installation to go as planned.  Consider the system design, how you will provide training for your employees and testing procedures before and after you implement your new ERP system.

The second best practice involves analysis and design.  Analyze the hardware you’ll need for your new ERP system.  Analyze additional software needs.  Design sessions should be held to match business process requirements.  Establish process flows and analyze current process flows.  Design a data migration plan to migrate your existing data to your new ERP system.

The third best practice involves having a complete understanding of the scope of the project, integration issues, and potential risks.  Tests plans and test scripts should be created.  Using these test plans and scripts you can make sure that your ERP system is functioning properly before you migrate your data.   Create test data that is similar to your existing data.

The fourth best practice involves testing the entire ERP system before you roll it out to the entire company.  Use as much test data as possible before you migrate vital data.  Train your end-users in preparation for system roll-out.  Make sure they are comfortable using the new system and proficient.

The fifth best practice is to roll-out or go-live with your new ERP system.  Make sure all users are proficient.  Validate that all processes and procedures are operating as planned.

The final best practice is to analyze the aftermath by performing a post-mortem, if you will.  Meet with all functional and technical folks involved affected by the new system.  Have them help you assess your entire Enterprise Resource Planning system and make sure it doesn’t need any fine-tuning.  Make sure it meets all pre-set goals.  Are you comfortable with your new solution?  Do you need further requirements to be met?  If you’re asking yourself these questions, you need to meet with your ERP vendor and reanalyze your businesses needs.

Written by :

kristine H