If you have implemented ERP and you are not realizing the return that you anticipated, you should consider optimizing your ERP system. When optimizing your ERP system, the focus must be aligning the application with your business processes and business rules.
Here are 4 tips on optimizing your ERP system:
1. Explore and understand your needs and capabilities
- Determine what your current business and operational objectives are, and examine what you are using in your current ERP package. Examine the features and functionality of the software. The organization should have examined the features and functionality of the software when it created the business plan and selected the ERP solution.
2. Prioritize your options
Rank each feature based on the following factors:
- timeline to implement
- cost to implement,
- organizational readiness to accept the feature, and
- expected benefits of implementing the feature
3. Don't forget about change management
- Since the direct results of an optimization effort are changed or new processes, change management should be an integral part of an optimization effort. Identify and involve impacted end-users early in the process.
4. Optimization is a continuous journey
- Government processes and applications will continually change over time. So should your ERP. ERP optimization assessments should be continually updated.
Companies that recognize the value of their ERP systems must be willing to make the investments of time and money required to transform their ERP system into a strategic tool that aligns the applications and business processes seamlessly. ERP is not a magic tool which will transform everything overnight. In fact, successful organizations have developed optimization efforts that over time allow them to become more agile and responsive to customers needs.
The Litcom Approach
Optimization projects should be planned and executed with the same diligence and accountability that was afforded the initial system implementation. Litcom helps companies work through the intricacies of post-implementation optimization projects. Our consultants have extensive experience managing both implementation and post-implementation ERP projects. We have worked with a wide variety of ERP products as well as the functional areas within them. We have a comprehensive methodology that ensures we achieve the desired results.
Want to find out more on ERP Solutions? Check out:
http://www.litcom.ca/2011/06/effective-selection-and-implementation-of-software-solutions/
http://www.litcom.ca/2012/09/the-need-for-erp-optimization/
