CIO.com has a very funny (in a sad but true way) post by Thomas Wailgum outlining the 5 steps to ERP software success. From his post;
- Meet with ERP vendor, get taken to expensive sporting event/dinner by sales rep, and select appropriate software package. (And don't forget to send the check!)
- Install ERP system!
- Integrate with other systems. (Repeat as necessary.)
- Provide thick "How To" manuals—chock-full of Clipart—to users!
- Sit back, relax and enjoy your new ERP system!*
Thomas has included all sorts of “fine print” around step number 5. Check out his post to get the details.
I’d like to add a couple of points that Thomas may have overlooked (I’ve also posted this as a comment to Thomas’s article):
- 3b. Integrate with other components of the “Suite” (You don’t think that just because you bought software from the same vendor that you wouldn’t have to integrate it, do you?)
- 3c. Make sure that you use high priced integration consultants recommended by the ERP Vendor...this is WAAAAYYYYY to complicated to do yourself.
- 4b. Provide lot’s of “happy pills” to your executive team (they are NOT going to be happy with the loss of productivity as people stumble around trying to figure out the new system)
- 5b. Don’t forget to send in that annual extortion maintenance check. It’s important to pay so that your ERP vendor can fix their existing bugs – and add new bugs features.
- 5c. Invest in some earplugs...you really don’t want to hear the howls of anguish from your users.
Do you have other advice? Let’s hear it!