4 Things To Consider When Building An ERP Project

When setting up your own project there should be many different considerations before you engage in a consultation with your chosen partner to implement your ERP solution. Here are a couple of considerations you should think about before you dive in with your scoping or implementation.

Don’t do it by yourself, use a Project Manager

When looking to implement your ERP solution you should either have an internal Project Manager to oversee the project or in the best case scenario your chosen partner should have a Project Manager that manages the implementation and timelines. It is preferable to have this managed from the partner as this will allow them to give you more accurate information and influence proceedings at a partner level should things need to change or be addressed.

Get as much knowledge as you can

Before proceeding with a project, get as much information from your company about your processes and ultimately what you want this system to do. What are your internal processes and ways of doing things? What ways do your team think things can improve? Who will be using this system and how often? Who will need training? When do you need this system to be in place for ideally? How will this implementation affect your day to day business? All these questions and others should be asked before you proceed.

Involve key decision makers from the start

Setting up a new ERP solution is sometimes a costly decision but also requires a lot of buy in from your company and leadership. There may be different processes needed to put in place company wise but beyond that, it will be important to educate and get buy in from your key decision makers and leadership early on. They must be confident of the benefits this solution will bring but also happy to be an evangelist of this change to the rest of the company and to those that will be using it. Make sure the key people know that this change is positive.

Set aside a realistic budget

When contemplating your implementation of your solution make sure you set aside a healthy budget that includes any miscellaneous changes and spend outside the basic cost of buying your ERP and implementation. Although the partner will endeavour to make sure everything is on time and on budget even the best laid plans sometimes come across forks in the road. Ensure you have breathing space for any unexpected changes both in terms of finances but also timelines. This will help things go much more smoothly and allow you to manage internal expectations, should things go ahead of schedule or quicker than the project buffer you have allowed for that is of course great news but consider that this is not always the case.

If you are ready to take the next step in your project in the move towards an ERP system such as Dynamics 365 Business Central then please do get in touch with our team of ERP experts who will be able to discuss your specific requirements in more depth.

Want to hear from us more often about all things Microsoft related? Why not sign up to our mailing list to get emails straight into your inbox?