The vast majority of ERP projects are successful. There are obstacles and challenges associated with any large project, but good teams always succeed. That means you understood the specific steps in the ERP project, built a strong ERP implementation team, and ensured that business objectives drove the primary deliverables for the expected new and improved functionality.
Implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can be a humbling challenge for any company. Four critical factors will determine the success of your new ERP implementation:
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.
In manufacturing and distribution environments, few things impact profitability as much as how materials are planned, tracked, and managed. Yet for many organizations, material management is still reactive, plagued by stockouts, excess inventory, and disconnected systems.
Implementing a new ERP system is a transformative initiative for any organization. But it’s also one of the most complex. It requires a sound strategy, realistic expectations, and the right implementation approach. Your chosen methodology directly impacts cost, user adoption, risk, and the overall success of the project. In this article, we break down the key ERP implementation methodologies with examples, pros and cons, and guidance on which approach might be right for your organization.
When manufacturers start exploring ERP systems, they often hear the term “ERP architecture.” It can sound technical and abstract, but the reality is much simpler. ERP architecture is really about how an ERP system is structured and how well it supports the way your business operates.
As someone who has spent decades helping manufacturers evaluate and implement ERP systems, I know how difficult it is for companies to sort through competing vendor claims. Every ERP vendor has a polished website, compelling demos, and a long list of features. What most manufacturers really want to know is simple:
If you are in the market for a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, don’t just focus on the software’s functionality. Limiting your search criteria to just the ERP is like shopping for a new house and not factoring in the location. Not paying attention to or discounting the importance of other critical factors can narrow your choices, but increase your chance of being unhappy with what you ultimately choose – whether that’s a nice house in a bad location or new ERP that isn’t working for your company. The good news is this can be avoided. In the case of ERP, it comes down to closely evaluating the ERP implementation consultants you’ll be working with just as much as evaluating the ERP itself.
The right ERP can transform a company by providing data which wasn’t previously available. In many cases, life before ERP consisted of looking for problems and then figuring out how to solve them. A good example of this is the production meeting, where supervisors and managers sit in a room and go over every job. Most of the meeting is spent looking for problems. Imagine going into the meeting knowing the problems—and starting with possible solutions. That’s what ERP can do. But getting there is a process.
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