Unlike CRM, which primarily affects marketing and sales, ERP touches every part of your company. The value of ERP lies in the connection of data for your entire company, which means true ERP projects involve participation from multiple departments and functional areas. This blog offers four tips for deploying ERP software successfully.

1. Recognize the Business Value- Treat ERP as a major business investment rather than view it as a purely technical project. Even though ERP relies on technology, the primary function of any ERP system is delivering business value. Always ask, “What are the business benefits of this investment?” Without defining concrete and specific business benefits, any investment in ERP is a waste of money and time.

2. Define the Business Fit- It’s easy to get caught up in the technical aspects of software selection, but pay close attention to the business results you hope to achieve. Does your vendor have experience in your vertical and do they know the requirements your industry demands?

3. Prepare for Change- One of the great benefits of ERP is the opportunity to improve how your business operates. It’s a good idea to use the implementation as an opportunity to streamline processes and simplify, or improve, workflows. This will likely involve changing how people inside the organization perform their day-to-day work, which is usually one of the most difficult aspects of an ERP implementation. Get ready for these changes and don’t minimize their importance. Communicate project goals and status frequently out to the organization. And don’t forget training and documentation, which receive insufficient attention on many projects.

4. Seek Executive Support- An experienced and committed executive sponsor is an ERP project’s best friend. However, the sponsor must genuinely be engaged in the project as an active leader. Active leadership requires time and attention from a senior company executive; ideally, even the CEO should publicly get behind the project.

In the long run, consultants can help your implementation, but you are responsible for its success. If the project is too large and complicated for your organization to understand or digest, then scope back and simplify.

PANGEA is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with a ten-year track record of helping medium-size companies gain maximum results from their business and technology infrastructure investments, such as Microsoft Dynamics® ERP software. Contact us to learn more about transforming your business with Microsoft Dynamics ERP.

By Alexandra Gonzalez, PANGEA Business Solutions