ERP implementation, ERP, Effective On Boarding

Tools for a Successful ERP Implementation

What makes an ERP implementation successful? There are many different factors that go into turning an implementation plan into a success. We’ve recently written about the topic of ERP implementation in various blogs, providing key steps for success and best practices.

In 5 Key Steps for a Successful ERP Implementation, we describe QAD’s scalable implementation process, which includes milestone review and the identification of deliverables and commitments. QAD has developed a strategic process called Effective On Boarding (EOB) that makes implementation rapid and effective. The EOB process utilizes accelerated implementation tools, pre-defined industry standard processes and work instructions.

What does go-live really look like? We identify the steps and key players in our blog, ERP Go-Live: Expecting the Unexpected. Over a typical go-live weekend, the ERP team has completed the Business Process Workshops and has an agreed-upon functional scope. Using Conference Room Pilots, the team has resolved any configuration issues. End users and shop floor operators have conducted User Acceptance Testing, and the team is ready for the dynamic data cut-over and go-live.

At QAD, we truly believe that ERP implementation is a joint partnership between the customer and our implementation experts. Our ethos is to tailor the implementation process to each individual situation, as we describe in our blog Working with QAD ERP Consultants and Implementers. For that reason, we offer three choices for implementation team membership:

From our vast experience in successful ERP implementation projects, we have developed a series of tools, starting with the EOB process, combined with an issue management tool, coaching and training, and a formal “lessons learned” process. QAD delivers executive oversight of projects to meet customer expectations.

QAD’s ERP Implementation Lessons Learned

With hundreds of successful implementations under our belts, we’ve learned some valuable lessons about ERP implementation. It’s important to consider all lessons learned.

1. Benefits, Justification and Realization

Follow full due diligence and include contingency planning. Overall, we know that projects are successful when the team has a full understanding of business requirements crossed with product capabilities. Projects fail when there is a mismatch in expectations on upgrade paths and a pressure to commit to unachievable timelines.

2. Stakeholder Commitment

Promote executive-level sponsorship/C-level champion involvement and a well-balanced customer/QAD partnership with QAD involvement on the steering committee. We’ve found that recent ERP implementation experience among project team members is a major contributor to success. We build those project implementation skills into the entire process.

3. Risks

Conduct regular risk reviews between the customer and QAD and maintain an executive level focus on big impact risks. Kick off the project with a full risk review, monitor risks actively and escalate.

4. Issues

Track issues regularly and manage them as they arise. Escalate issues early to the steering committee, allocate them and follow up.

5. Project Scope

Set a clear and mutually agreed upon scope, include scope change controls, challenge customizations, and create clear rules for data cleansing. Maintain scope stability, create detailed business process workbooks, and implement a change control process. When projects experience untracked and unmanaged scope changes, a high level of customization with related complex data cleansing, these are red flags that the implementation may be in trouble.

6. Progress Against Milestones

Create detailed project plans with a critical path. Make time for detailed planning and escalate red flags early. Projects are more likely to fail when they are managed to high level milestones, experience repeated re-planning of go-live or are pressured to keep to go-live dates despite red flags.

7. Change Management

Create an effective change management plan and ask for help. When the team has little or no experience in ERP implementation and change management plans are limited in scope, the implementation can go awry.

8. Project Resources

Include full-time customer resources coupled with QAD resources with appropriate experience. Free up resources early and flag any resource concerns. Projects fail when customer and QAD resources are constrained.

9. Costs

View QAD as a strategic supplier rather than a transactional one. Build in contingency funds for unexpected challenges. Projects are less successful when costs of change are underestimated, and the budget does not include contingency funds. Success comes from a collaborative approach with QAD.

10. Integration and Dependencies

Focus on technical integration and data migration. Avoid limited integration information and poor data cleansing.

11. Quality

Adopt a common project methodology that includes release management, develop a broad-based quality plan, and gather lessons learned from other projects. Avoid a mismatch of customizations to expectations.

12. Environment

Build a strong technical team, include change management planning, and collaborate with R&D on performance. Maintain good integration between QAD and the customer’s technical resources. Don’t underestimate the gap between legacy systems and QAD Adaptive ERP. Track any unresolved system performance issues.

Is it Time to Reassess Your ERP Implementation?

Learn from QAD’s implementation lessons to gain an effective implementation process.  Our highly experienced ERP implementation experts and global ERP and solution consulting services steer customers to implementation success.

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