3 keys to successfully deploying your ERP
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is at the heart of your business. Transversal, it brings together all the information you need for your business. Your different departments share it as a working tool. Properly implemented, it can save you a lot of time and energy. But you're afraid of unleashing a gas factory. So how do you go about it? Discover all our advice, tips and best practices on ERP.
1st key: the steps to follow
Designate the contact persons
As part of an ERP roll-out project, you will have a dedicated contact at the solution publisher. Their profile is that of integrator. Their role is to successfully implement the new tool in your organisation. Deploying an ERP solution involves the whole company. To meet the needs and expectations of each department, the project manager and his team must adopt a cross-functional vision. The ideal solution is to appoint a business contact for each department. Each person formulates their expectations and needs. And on the basis of this feedback, the ERP is co-constructed.
Defining the project properly
Preparation at the start of the project is essential. It determines the quality of the final solution. It involves carrying out a rigorous and exhaustive diagnosis of the various functionalities that the ERP will need to provide. The team in charge of the project mobilises to gather and reconcile information from the various departments. A critical eye is invaluable at this stage, because this reconciliation can highlight certain duplications or inefficiencies. Those who know how to identify and question them bring real added value to the project.
Opting for the right technical solution that's secure, simple and fast
SaaS or on-premise? SaaS (Software As A Service) is a Cloud solution. Whereas on-premise means installing the software locally on the company's servers. For a long time, people were wary of the Cloud in terms of data security and confidentiality. This is now obsolete. 100% web-based software has nothing to envy from local versions. Their access control and certificate systems offer every guarantee. Above all, the SaaS version makes installation much simpler. Faster, it's much less laborious to deploy than an on-premise version.
Configuration and final testing of the solution
Before deploying the ERP across the whole company, all its features need to be tested. These tests will save you time on the rest of the process. It's the opportunity to defuse any malfunctions and take an overall look at the entire business using the tool. It's the integrator 's role to check all the stumbling blocks for you, so that you get a turnkey solution that works straight away.
2nd key: integrate the human factor
Resistance to change: a variable to be taken into account
Now that you've gone through the various stages in the right order, your ERP is complete and operational. All your departments have to do is adopt it. Except that it means completely changing the way they work. Because you're replacing their day-to-day tool with another. We're touching on a sensitive subject here: the acceptance of change. You may have deployed the greatest technical intelligence in terms of Information Systems (IS) to build your ERP, but if the human factor gets in the way, it will be a failure.
Involve people upstream to encourage collective adoption
Aware of this decisive aspect, some software publishers integrate the human variable into the project from the outset. This is the case with the IOvision software solution, which creates buy-in for the ERP from the outset. The pool of people who will be using the software are all stakeholders from the outset. The publisher also helps the company to communicate internally about the project. Then there are the training sessions, which, if carried out properly, will ensure that all the teams adopt the tool.
3rd key: adaptability of the tool
SaaS: an advantage for having an up-to-date, upgradeable ERP system
Once installed, your ERP becomes your best ally. At the heart of everything you do, it evolves with you... or not. If it's stuck in one place, and has to be laboriously updated every now and then, it's holding back your development. Go for a solution that has this fluid adaptability. SaaS solutions have a huge advantage here. As the tool can be managed remotely, the service provider can update it for you without having to travel. IOcéan, the publisher of the IOvision solution, offers this monitoring service free of charge. So you can be sure of having an up-to-date tool, with the associated support if you need it.
IT services companies: complementary expertise at your service
When it comes to choosing one vendor over another, it's worth looking at their respective areas of expertise. ERP vendors all provide ERP. But not all of them are equally relevant from an analytical point of view. The analytical skills of the integrator in charge of your project will have an important role to play in the upstream phase. By choosing an IT services company, you can be sure of benefiting from its experience in building information systems. This is the case with IOvision, whose personal touch is recognisable in every ERP implementation.
Deploying an ERP is not rocket science. The key is to :
- do things in the right order
- remember that the future users of the tool are the first to be affected,
- Opt for scalable solutions offered by competent publishers.
So, are you reassured?
Article translated from French