How can I verify if my ERP is good Is my ERP all it can be?

So, you took the leap and finally deployed your desperately needed ERP solution.  You want to service your clients better and manage your staff and resources more efficiently. Hurray for you! You are on top of your game and thinking about the future.

However, you are now asking yourself if you are seeing all the benefits such a solution should offer. Did you squeeze your processes into a tool or did you procure the tool that supports your processes? That is an important question to ask yourself and your team!

Ask yourself (and your team) some honest questions:

• Are our customers happier? Better serviced? Maybe do a survey!
• Is the team working better together? Or, are they complaining about the new processes?
• Are profit margins better or worse?
• What is our market position? Has it improved?
• Are our projects and deliverables on-time and on-budget compared to the time prior to ERP deployment?
• Are we measuring effectively?
• Do we actually read the reports we create… and understand them?
• Are tasks easier, more efficient?

The ability to measure your success is a core part of making your business work.  

ERP solutions are unique to each business and industry. The better you know your business and your client’s expectations, the better an ERP solution will benefit your business now and in the future. As part of your planning process for the roll out of an ERP system, allow a review of it after 6 months where you and your team can validate the success of the install or establish plan to make adjustments.

When you set out to procure and implement your ERP, did you:

1. Do extensive (and intensive) requirements gathering?
2. Involve your end users who will be affected by the new solution?
3. Know your budget and staff capacity needs?
4. Research all ERP options as they relate to your industry – speak to references from your vendor or read on-line White Papers
5. Get distracted by the ‘cool stuff’ and not focus on the functional requirements?
6. Implement correctly, with a realistic project plan and deliverable date? Would a phased approach have been more successful?
7. Avoid scope creep and adhere to all Change Management practices?
8. Communicate proactively and set realistic expectations?
9. Have a comprehensive training strategy?
10. Have a documented maintenance plan?
11. Limit who can make changes to the solution?
12. Forbid the use of ‘workarounds’ like Excel spreadsheets.

The intent of any ERP solution is to create a more cohesive business structure, which allows you to manage your clients and your internal processes more efficiently. Whether the solution resides as a SaaS solution or on premise, the initial planning and intent must be well thought out.

Any new solution must dovetail into the existing business culture or be met with serious resistance. By involving your people, they will have an emotional connection to the new solution and be more willing to make sure it works as designed.

The Herbst ERP solution is tailored to support your business processes and ensure success.