If you’re in the midst of an ERP Selection Process, you have great expectations of a successful implementation done right: on time and on budget and wildly popular with all of your employees. Unfortunately, while this is always the goal, it is not always the reality. An article, "Avoiding ERP Selection Failure", by ERP industry expert , is a “must read”, preferably at the beginning of your search, but it’s never too late to act wisely.
Chewning states his strategy thus: “Rather than once again laying out a plan to achieve success, let’s approach the issue from a different perspective. Let’s identify the opportunities for failure and possibly avoid taking a wrong turn” and he proceeds to do just that.
From discussing who should be in on the selection process to how to determine what an ERP solution can do for your business, and what it can’t, there’s much good advice here.
As Chewning says, “While it’s important to create a road map that specifies each step you should take from first idea to full implementation, you must assume that there are going to be a significant number of opportunities to stray from the best path. Identifying these potential potholes is critical to your success. If you can see the potholes, you can avoid them.”
His bottom line is: “make sure you know what you are doing.” That’s sound advice for all of us and critical advice when selecting the right ERP system for your business.
"Before launching an ERP selection project, spend as much time as you can researching possibilities. Search the web for articles regarding software selection. Talk to people in the business. Search trade journals and even see what your competitors are doing. Attend seminars and conferences. You should even talk to potential vendors; not because you are interested in their products specifically, but to gain knowledge."
Speaking of using events as a good research tool, if you are in New England, we invite you to attend CAL Connect, . We just published our yesterday so you can really get a sense of what it is like.
Read the full article:
By CAL Business Solutions,
