Are you looking for an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system? Or perhaps, you want to upgrade your current system? If so, you’ll be aiming to successfully implement it across your business without too much headache for everyone involved.

Here are five steps that can help lead your company to a successful ERP implementation:

Communication and involvement

If you’ve been tasked with leading the ERP project, you’ll most likely have to justify how the new system will help your company immediately and in the long run. Your execs will want to know whether the expenditure will be worth it and if they’ll see a significant ROI (return of investment). Plus, your colleagues will want to know how it will affect their day-to-day working lives, change is important, and as we all know, no-one truly likes it. 

Therefore, it’s important that when you want to implement your new Enterprise Resource Planning system, you understand;

• The benefits of the system
• Have a clear vision/timeframe for the project
• Maintain focus to help keep your project on track

But most of all:

Keep everyone involved

Configuring the system to your company’s needs should be a collaborative project, be involved in the test phase and be sure that all users are sufficiently trained with the system before it goes live.

Understand and document the whole process

Many company managers/directors are not always familiar with their own processes, as they may have changed and adapted over time. Before you begin your ERP selection process, set aside some time in your working week to really understand your firm’s procedures, and document them.

Documentation will be pivotal to a successful implementation; it will help you select the ERP system that is best for your business.

Challenge the “because we’ve always done it that way” stigma

You’ll want to find out why your business processes are the way they are, but don’t accept “because we’ve always done it that way”. This will not help you to find the right system or implement it successfully.

Your firm may have invented workarounds because of limitations of your current systems, but the processes for your new system may be different than what you’re used to.

Before you go through the time, effort and expense to change them, make sure you’re choosing the right system that will help your company’s workflow and choose a software that will reduce the time, effort and expense of this process. Holded is a perfect example of an ERP software that will do just that.

Change is coming. Manage it

It’s important to not underestimate how much change can intimidate most people, whether it be in their personal lives or at work. Have you ever passed by your favourite coffee shop and it was closed? Who’s going to make your much-needed morning latte? Sure, you can go to the other coffee shop 2-minutes away, but is the barista going to be as good as Sarah? Sarah knows that you like your skimmed milk heated just shy of 65 degrees. If only the coffee shop had put up an announcement the day before, you could have been prepared.

I think you get my point; communication is the key to success. Here are a few tips to ensure everyone is comfortable when implementing your new ERP system;

• Praise the benefits of the new system and share the vision and goals of the project.
• Talk to and receive feedback from members of the team who are most apprehensive, listen to their concerns and find a way to address them.
• Be honest. If there are concerns you can’t immediately address, communicate what the plans are to solve them and when.
• Schedule plenty of training time for end users.

Choosing the right ERP system

A new ERP implementation represents a great change, and yours can be successful. Holded offers the latest technology in business management in a single platform. From billing and accounting, to inventory management, projects and CRM, you can choose the best plan that suits your company’s needs.