Have decided to implement ERP System? It is not too easy process. It needs lots of efforts. However ERP implementation failure is common. Hence before implementation process, you need to do a whole lot of planning. There are severe things that should be remembered but the first thing that you should know is:
What is the ERP implementation process?
Answer is ERP implementation process includes installation of your newly selected system that transfers all your data & provides training to employees to use the software.
ERP Software System is collection of software that combines all your business modules together & makes it more transparent in comparison to previous one. It makes your business online.
Now where do we start?
Now we will discuss step-by-step plan for erp implementation process. It will cover:
Creation of an effective management plan
Discussion about hidden erp implementation costs & how to forecast them
Being live & how to evaluate the success of project
The stages of ERP implementation methodology:
- Assemble an ERP Project Team
- Creating an ERP Change management Plan
- Estimation of ERP implementation cost
- Data migration
- Training to employees to use ERP Software
- Steps to take when ERP goes live
Assemble an ERP Project Team
An efficient & dedicated team is the key success of any project. It makes your job much easier. A project manager, application analyst, application developer, QA test engineer will be the major members of your ERP implementation team. To insure implementation ore smoothly, you will need a few more people senior manager, engineers & shop floor staffs, shop floor workers, sales department staffs, workshop staffs, etc.
Creating an ERP Change management Plan
ERP Change management plan includes
- Implementation cost forecasting & drawing up a budget
- Determination of ERP implementation schedule
- Data migration
- Training to ERP user base
- ERP testing & making it live
- Evaluation of success of project
Estimation of ERP implementation cost
Before implementation, it is good practice to estimate the total cost. You should include all factors in your implementation budget to avoid being hit by hidden cost. The major factors that affect implementation cost are Hardware/network upgrades, Staff overtime pay, Vendor training, customization and consultancy fees, Data backups and storage, etc. It is necessary to clear all doubts before finalizing the implementation deal.
Data Migration
This is the real time when your company goes into a new world. Data migration of your company to new ERP includes:
Data Trained employees are the key success of ERP implementation. A perfect user training plan is essential in achieving this.
- cleansing and verification
- Database setup
- Mapping legacy data to new database fields
- Data transfer to the new system
- Testing and verification of legacy data
- Testing and verification of new data inputs
Training to employees to use ERP Software
Steps to take when ERP goes live
This is major step towards erp implementation. The major things that should be cared include:
System testing pre implementation & post implementation.
Scheduling of staffs including overtime or temporary staff
Identifying metrics for project evaluation
Creating a communication strategy for system downtime
Network speed and reliability checks
Data backup processes
Evaluate the success of your ERP implementation project
Now erp system has successfully implemented & we have to evaluate the project. A successfully implemented ERP system minimizes the data errors due to process automation. The major features of successfully implemented ERP system are:
Increase in productivity levels
Increase in client satisfaction This is the step-by-step erp implementation methodology & it will help you when you are going to decide an erp system for your business process
