You know your new enterprise software will streamline your processes and improve customer satisfaction, but you also know you have miles to go before this becomes a reality.
As the implementation stage looms before you, you must learn as much as possible so you can retain some control over the process.
This guide will give you the foundation you need to actively engage with your vendor, implementer, and consultant throughout the enterprise software implementation process.
The Enterprise Software Implementation Process
Create a Solid Team
Without the right team members working on your project, your enterprise software implementation process could go off-track. From project managers and executive sponsors to implementation partners, the skillsets and background of the people working on the project matter.
Consider the roles you need to fill, and decide who would be the ideal fit. Your final team should include members from across your organization.
The 2024 Top 10 ERP Systems Report
What vendors are considering for your ERP implementation? This list is a helpful starting point.
Make a Plan
To avoid ERP failure, an enterprise software implementation requires early planning. While it’s easy to underestimate how much time and attention this step requires, it’s one of the most important parts of the entire project.
This is when you’ll establish the business benefits you expect to see from the new system You’ll also set key performance indicators (KPIs), which define how you’ll measure success, so you know what to track once your system goes live.
Planning should be a group effort and should include input from project team members, department leaders, and your C-suite. Once this team has defined expected benefits, you can use these to guide your ERP selection.
Improve Your Business Processes
Business process mapping and process improvement can help you understand where pain points exist, and what you’d like the new system to achieve.
Once you’ve gathered your business requirements, you can more effectively communicate with potential ERP vendors.
Set a Realistic Timeline
An ERP implementation can take a few months to a few years to complete.
While you’re planning the project, resist the urge to be overly ambitious with timeline expectations. It’s better to plan for the project to take longer and complete it earlier versus the other way around.
Consult your list of business requirements to get a clear picture of how long the project will take and what your costs will include. Ask for input from the project team and make sure everyone is on board with the plans before moving forward.
Prioritize Change Management
Enterprise software implementations often go awry because organizations fail to anticipate how their workforce will react to the change. Even if the new ERP system will bring plenty of benefits, it can still be hard to make the switch.
Focusing on organizational change management (OCM) helps you view the change from the employee’s point of view. It involves structuring your communications to address concerns, ease worries, and build excitement around each phase of the project.
It’s also essential to conduct end-user training long before you go live and integrate your training program into your change management plan.
Conduct Testing
System testing can help you avoid bugs and issues down the road. You don’t want to get all the way to your go-live date and discover that something isn’t working.
Throughout this phase, it’s important to conduct quality test cases at each juncture, including:
• Process testing
• User acceptance testing
• Systems integration testing
• Performance testing
No matter how many tests you perform, the focus should always be on the percentage of passing cases you can achieve. If you can minimize the number of high-severity bugs that remain before go-live, you can improve your chances of project success.
Deploy Strategically
To prepare for go-live, create a detailed cutover plan that describes exactly which steps you need to complete to prepare the production environment. List tasks that need completion, and who is responsible for completing them.
Once everything is live, continue to monitor the system, track KPI progress, and look for ways to optimize the user experience. Continuous improvement is the key to achieving your ERP benefits and maximizing them for the long term.
A Plan for Success
The enterprise software implementation process isn’t always easy. There will be phases that will take more time than others and require more resources than expected.
To prepare your team, contact our ERP implementation consultants below. Your free consultation awaits.
