At Pemeco, we’ve learned and evolved over our 44-plus year history of leading ERP implementation projects. To help you learn from and build on our collective experience, our consultants have compiled ERP implementation tips to guide you from project initiation and governance to post go-live support. You might want to bookmark this page as a handy reference for your project.
ERP Implementation Tip #1: Set-Up Your ERP Project Structure Like a Mini-Business
A well-defined ERP project structure is crucial to success. Learn about the three key layers to effective ERP project teams and governance structure.
ERP Implementation Tip #2: The ERP Steering Committee: It Has That Name for a Reason
Every ERP project must have a steering committee that leads the project toward success. Learn about the makeup, roles, and responsibilities of the ERP steering committee.
ERP Implementation Tip #3: ERP Project Managers: Your Allegiance Is to the Project
ERP project managers should be laser-focused on successful project delivery. Learn about the unique roles and responsibilities of ERP project management, and why they’re critical to completing the project on time, within budget, and in a manner that delivers the promised business value.
ERP Implementation Tip #4: ERP Project Communications – Avoid Broken Telephone
Miscommunication can derail an ERP project. The ERP project manager is tasked with bridging the gap between senior management and project teams, and to ensure that communications are clear.
ERP Implementation Tip #5: Build Your ERP Core Team to Win
Pick the most skilled, experienced, and qualified members for your project’s core team. They need a healthy combination of leadership and communication skills, and appropriate functional, cross-functional, and technical capabilities.
ERP Implementation Tip #6: ERP Project Kickoffs with a Pep Rally
Kick off the project with a formal meeting between the steering committee, ERP project team members, executives, and staff. This is the time to align the team to the ERP project’s scope and plan, to motivate the ERP team members, and to focus their efforts on tactical execution.
ERP Implementation Tip #7: ERP Project Planning – Plan your ERP Project Like a GPS Plans a Road Trip
Clearly define a roadmap with key milestones to track progress and identify where you need to course -correct.
ERP Implementation Tip #8: 5 Steps to Building a Formalized ERP Project Plan
An ERP project plan that is actionable, measurable and easy-to-follow reduces the risk of failure. Follow Pemeco’s 5 steps to building a formalized ERP Project Plan.
ERP Implementation Tip #9: Train Your ERP Core Team with a 4 Course ProgramPrior to mapping and testing, your ERP core team should undergo a short and intensive training to gain application-specific expertise. Structuring a tailored program (and avoiding generic workshops) is crucial to ensure that your ERP team gains knowledge appropriate to your business’ needs.
ERP Implementation Tip #10: Business Process Mapping: Know Where You’re At, Know Where You’re Going
ERP is a transformational project, and business process mapping is the exercise that precisely defines how your organization, data, business processes, and work will change. Learn 6 steps to manage the process mapping phase of your ERP project.
ERP Implementation Tip #11: 7 Steps to Building an ERP Business Scenarios Matrix
The business scenarios matrix is a tool that tracks each and every data record, business process, report, cross-functional touchpoint, and technical requirement that need to be mapped and tested. If you build your matrix properly, you’ll be able to effectively track the status of process mapping, test scripting, and validations.
ERP Implementation Tip #12: 7-Part Structure to ERP Blueprint Whitepapers
ERP blueprint whitepapers contain the business process blueprints for your business’s future state architecture. Follow Pemeco’s 7-part structure to draft effective blueprint whitepapers.
ERP Implementation Tip #13: 5-Steps to ERP Risk Management
You need to Unforeseen risks and issues are inevitable in projects. Creating a Gaps and Issues Database can help you prioritize and manage issues in a more methodical and productive way.
ERP Implementation Tip #14: Change Resistors and ERP Change Management
Earning the support of key stakeholders is necessary to keep them from holding back or even sabotaging the project. Start by identifying pockets of resistance in the organization and developing a change management strategy to convert detractors into champions.
ERP Implementation Tip #15: ERP Change Management Plan | Six-Stage Surgical Approach
ERP projects often involve changes to the organizational chart and even job roles and descriptions. Transitioning employees to the organization’s future state requires a well-conceived organizational change management plan.
ERP Implementation Tip #16: 4 Steps to Managing Walkthrough Presentations
Before configuring the system and getting lost in the weeds of specific features and functions, it is important for each department to demonstrate the conceptual business process flow within and across departments. Successful walkthroughs prepare the project team to move from a theoretical business blueprint to an implemented system.
ERP Implementation Tip #17: ERP System Testing #1 |Conference Room Pilot
During the Conference Room Pilot (CRP) test phase, the project team must ensure that the ERP software can handle the most probable business scenarios. Learn about the 6 tasks that need to be successfully completed during the first CRP.
ERP Implementation Tip #18: System Test #2 | Departmental Pilot Stress Test
In the Departmental Pilot (DP) Stress Test phase – aka Systems Integration Test (SIT) – the core team members perform stress tests for all business scenarios in all departments, including both updated scenarios from CRP1 and as-of-yet untested scenarios. Follow our 6-stage process for the SIT testing phase.
ERP Implementation #19: System Test #3 | Integrated Pilot Simulation
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) – aka Integrated Pilot Simulated Testing – is the final testing phase and the last chance to detect any remaining errors before the system goes live. Effective integrated pilot testing involves creating a realistic day-in the-life test environment and is an opportunity to involve select end-users in the testing phase. Be extra meticulous, as the consequences of any undetected errors can be significant.
ERP Implementation Tip #20: Cutover Countdown | End-User Training
Poor end-user training is a leading cause of IT Implementation failure. Comprehensive work instructions and training guides, and a deliberate training plan will prepare the end-users and drive end-user adoption.
ERP Implementation Tip #21: Data Migration | Key Concepts
Improper data migration can cripple operations and cause damage that may require significant time and resources to resolve. This article defines fundamental key Data Migration concepts required for an actionable data migration plan.
ERP Implementation Tip #22: Four Components of a Data Migration Plan
With your knowledge of fundamental data migration concepts, you’re in a good position to build a solid migration strategy plan that includes these critical components: testing and quality control, general migration strategies, static and dynamic data strategies, and migration timing.
ERP Implementation Tip #23: Modifications, Customizations, Personalizations & Interface Projects
In most cases, you will need to extend base software functionality and reports to deliver last-mile business requirements. Often called RICEF (reports, interfaces, customizations, extensions, and forms), it is important to properly plan and execute the technical projects to align with critical testing phases.
