ERP Selection

Selecting Your ERP – Part 2

Another reason manufacturers are unhappy with their ERP selection is due to implementation issues.  These manufacturers didn’t budget enough money for implementation support services and had a difficult time with the task.  ERP implementations have been known to go on for years.  Time is money and you don’t want to be stuck in this situation.  Consider how you will integrate you new ERP solutions with your existing solution.  Consider how you will migrate data from your existing solution to your new ERP solution.  Work with your I.T. architects, technical implementation folks, and functional folks.  Being prepared is the best thing you can do for yourself, your company and your employees.

Before you become one of these unhappy customers, demo as many ERP products as you can, call current customers and see if they’re satisfied, and do your due diligence.  Although, even these tasks won’t ensure a successful ERP selection.  You need to define your critical requirements.  Make sure you weed out the ERP solutions that don’t meet these requirements.  Weed out the ERP solutions that don’t work for your business size.  Weed out the ERP vendors that you don’t feel you can work with.  Establishing a good relationship with your ERP vendor will help you out in the long run.

The whole reason you’re going through this ERP selection process is to purchase an ERP solution.  You want to purchase an ERP solution to save you time and money.  Enterprise Resource Planning solutions are known to make companies more profitable by making them more efficient.  However, if you decide at some point during your planning process that an onsite ERP solution will not work, then look at ERP SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions and ERP open source solutions.  Enterprise Resource Planning SaaS solutions are known to cost much less when compared to on-site solutions.  Enterprise Resource Planning open source solutions are free.  Yes, I did say free.  You have many different options open to you thanks to the situation in the market.  All of those ERP vendors need business and they are willing to wheel and deal with you thanks to this economy that is in the toilet.

In the end the success of your ERP solution will depend on the ERP selection process.  If you’ve done your job correctly, you will reap the rewards.  Otherwise, you may very well join the 73 percent of unhappy ERP clients.  And, we don’t want this!

Written by :

kristine H