How can you know when a complex procedure, such as a business software implementation, is going as expected? How do you ensure that every possible outcome is controlled or mitigated? And how can you value your provider’s results?
All these important questions and some tips to ensure a successful implementation strategy are going to be addressed briefly in this blog, so keep reading.
1. Identifying goals from the beginning
Before you even begin the project, it is essential to set the basis and the reasons why a business software, such as an Enterprise Resource Planner (ERP), must be implemented in the first place. Ask yourself a few questions:
- Why is the solution being implemented?
- Do I know what will be the deliverables from the implementation?
- It is clear how the solution will improve my business?
If you have the answers to these questions, then you can contact your solution provider with a clear mind and set the rules for what you will consider a positive implementation.
When the goals are clear, it is easier to focus and deliver a solution that will fit your company. However, do not forget that improvement opportunities can also surge in the middle of the process. It is recommended to know your goals beforehand, but as you go through the implementation, be open to innovative methods in process and procedures that you did not notice required optimization.
2. Evaluate options beforehand
Do not marry the first big solution that comes along; assess your options. If you are looking for an ERP, sit down with your stakeholders and brainstorm, which ERP applies better to the challenges you already stated. If the issue is that you need an easier way to do accounting and finance, then investigate which one is stronger in that area.
It is important to identify an expert to assist you. A consulting practice that can offer you a diagnosis of your business may help you choose the right solution. It must be someone that knows how to identify the key points that will benefit your company after the implementation of the business software
Read all you can about the solution’s features, look for testimonial case studies, success stories, and ERP comparison reports. But always keep in mind your goal and the challenge you wish to overcome.
3. Ensure change management possibilities
It is essential to understand how your solution will transform the way you manage operations, how effective the additional productivity will be, and, more importantly, if your team and employees will be able to understand the solution and use it correctly. Your solution providers should help you with this.
In our experience, a change of mindset is always the most difficult to accomplish. Our clients usually know what they need from an ERP, but we need to teach them a way to trust such a solution. The ideal route is through tests.
4. Measure implementation fidelity
Once the implementation has gone live, it is crucial to evaluate deliverables to ensure you received the functionality agreed upon. There are five ways to evaluate deliverables:
- Adherence: Was the business software delivered as planned?
- Exposure: Was the number of sessions, contact, money, and time used to accomplish the implementation precisely as offered and planned?
- Quality of delivery: How was the solution delivered? Does the software meet the original requirements?
- Participant responsiveness: How do you and your team reacted and engaged with the solution?
- Program differentiation: How do you and your team identify the different modules of the solution and the different integrated programs from each other?
5. Set rules for ongoing support
After checking that there are no issues, glitches, malfunctions, or any other matter that could affect the functionality of the business software and after several tests, the implementation is finally over we enter in the Operations phase of the project. Your and your company will now be transitioned to support.
The work of your implementation provider is to create multi-channel access that will communicate you with them to provide ongoing technical and functional support.
It is important to set ground rules, make sure your Service Level Agreement (SLA) states what is considered urgent and what is not, cost, response time, and more to avoid issues. You want to build a long term relationship with your partner; for that reason, it is recommended you hire a provider that you can trust.
Thank you for reading this blog! I hope it was useful to you and your future or current business software implementation process.