Visual South Insights

A company can start a project with a solid plan, the right software, and a capable team and still find itself with slipping timelines. The project is still technically active, but it has lost its momentum. In almost every case, the root cause is the same: nobody was fully dedicated to managing the project. There was a person assigned to oversee it, but that person already had a full-time job. The project became something they got to when they could, which is not the same as someone whose entire job is to make sure it succeeds.

ERP support is often viewed as a break-fix service: something you use when an error appears or a process stops working. In practice, the most valuable support relationships are much broader than that.

What is an Application Process Review?

What we do in an Application Process Review (APR) is pretty straightforward, and we perform several for our clients over the course of a typical year. In the review, we observe how the ERP processes have been built to manage the business. Then, we make recommendations to streamline and improve the processes and procedures related to the flow of data in the company. For example, how to use the ERP to alert procurement of projected material shortages, as opposed to having them look for shortages in a spreadsheet that was manually updated. In essence, an ERP application process review is a gut check on how things are working, and what can be done to make them better.

Here is a closer look at how the process works from start to finish.

A little background on ERP consulting first

I have been in the ERP business since 1997. The first five years were spent as a consultant before I moved into a sales role in 2002. That time in the field gave me something I still draw on today: a real sense of what our customers are up against when they go through an implementation. At Visual South, we have always believed that the consultant you choose matters just as much as the software. If you want to dig into why that is, this blog covers it in more detail.

If you are here for the basics of ERP consulting, keep reading.

If you are a manufacturer, your business system either supports your operation or it fights it. There is not much middle ground.

Infor VISUAL 11 delivers meaningful upgrades that improve scheduling flexibility, shop floor efficiency, integration capabilities, and more.

Manufacturing companies implement ERP systems to centralize operations, streamline processes, and reduce reliance on spreadsheets. These systems do a great job managing core functions like production, inventory, and financials. But as you go further away from the actual production of the product, the story is different. Sales tax is a good example.

For small- and medium-sized manufacturers, growth brings complexity. A common and often overlooked example is sales tax. The moment a business starts selling into other states, it opens the door to a patchwork of tax rules, filing requirements, and exemption management challenges. Sales tax compliance doesn’t seem strategic until something goes wrong. Then it becomes a distraction for the team, pulling attention away from more valuable work.

In this guide, we break down what small and midsize manufacturers need to know about ERP systems, from core functionality to technology strategy and total cost of ownership.