ERP Implementation

ERP System Implementation

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems may be difficult to implement, especially if you are a large enterprise.  Enterprise Resource Planning systems offer robust technology with complex applications and processes.  If you plan to implement an ERP system, customize an ERP system, or upgrade an ERP system you should definitely consider a third-party consulting firm.  These types of ERP consulting firms are experts in ERP implementations, ERP customizations and ERP upgrades.  Of course if you are a small shop implementing, customizing, or upgrading a small ERP solution, you may not need to hire a third-party consulting firm.  Typical ERP implementations take a little over a year to implement.  However, there are many things to consider when predicting implementation time.  One has to consider the number of modules being implementing, the detail of the customization and the amount of support or full time dedicated employees available to support the project. 

Once an ERP system is implemented, you must migrate data from your legacy system to the new ERP system.  Data migration can be very complex and is one of the last tasks before testing and going live.  To perform a data migration you must specify the data you want to migrate, decide upon the timing of the migration, and create data templates and tools or setups. You’ll want to have your database administrators handy, your third party consultants and your in-house folks for this task.

Once you have the data migrated, you can begin configuring your ERP system to function as you desire.  A configuration is not a customization.  A configuration is setting up functionality to behave in a specific manner.  You are not changing the underlying code base.  If you perform a customization you are changing the underlying code base.  Customizations are optional and configurations are necessary.  For example, a configuration will require you to setup organizational trees with your specific organizational data.  If you choose to customize then you have to keep in mind that there will be additional tasks to perform during upgrades.  Some customizations may live through an upgrade, but not always.  Configurations always live through upgrades.  However, it is best to test all functionality after an upgrade.

There are “extensions” available in some cases for ERP systems.  An extension might be a reporting capability or a bar scanner that integrates with your ERP system.  There is a plethora of options available to those who choose to do an ERP system implementation.
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Written by :

kristine H