Unfortunately, many ERP implementations fail because they do not have an expert to guide their efforts leading to missed milestones and ill-prepared employees. Find out how leveraging a Client-Side Implementation Consultant can ensure your project gets on track and stays on track until you successfully go live. Don’t let your ERP implementation fall off the rails, tune into The ERP Advisor Podcast to hear from ERP expert Shawn Windle and learn why your business will be thankful for your Client-Side Implementation Consultant this year.
How Client-Side Implementation Consultants Ensure a Successful ERP Implementation
The vast majority of ERP projects go awry during their implementation. Every year, a startling 50-75% of ERP implementations fail. But why? Businesses undergoing an ERP migration often expect the implementation to be handled completely by their ERP software vendor or implementation partner. As a result of this common misunderstanding, organizations are ill-prepared (and often understaffed) for the internal responsibilities necessary to successfully go live.
What the Implementation Partners Cover and What They Don’t
Despite what you may have heard, there is no such thing as a “cookie cutter” implementation. No one has ever implemented your instance of your ERP with the people you have before. Your business is unique, and your implementation is no different.
If you have never undergone an ERP implementation, it is easy to assume that “the implementation partner will do everything.” Ultimately, they provide some basic blueprints and handle software configuration, but they won’t address the internal responsibilities standing in the way of ERP implementation success. Internally, you will need someone to manage schedules, plan for training, track integrations, prepare test cases, and more, not to mention the need for someone who can extract, validate, cleanse, and test your data. All these complex tasks are your responsibility, not the implementation partner’s.
As a result, vital tasks often slip through the cracks, leaving businesses to wonder where everything went wrong. Here is where a client-side implementation consultant comes in. Consultants can create the ideal scene for the project because they know what could be missed, what could go awry, and what is next on the to-do list. A consultant finds the gaps and fills them with the right resources, far in advance of when the client would otherwise realize they need them.
Common Factors Missed During ERP Implementation
There are four common internal tasks missed during ERP implementation that are covered when working with an experienced Client-Side Implementation Consultant.
Data Migration:
First and foremost, you can begin extracting and cleansing your data much sooner than you think! Starting early ensures that, when the time comes, your data is ready to be migrated to the new system. It can be as simple as cleansing duplicative or bad data, or as complicated as deciding what historical data you NEED to move to your new system. An experienced data migration consultant will provide your team with best practices while managing the technical aspects of data migration.
Integration:
The vendor will manage all your system integrations, right? Not likely. The prominent integrations will be easy to identify, especially if you have to integrate your core ERP with another solution, but it is easy to overlook how the smaller workflows will weave together. For example, your team needs to manage the integration that will connect your ERP to your bank and if that is not coordinated, you won’t be able to make or receive payments! This shows just how important it is to understand how all of your new software is integrated, and that planning begins early on so you have time to test the integration before go-live.
Change Management:
Your implementation partner will be busy configuring your software and won’t have extra time to heavily support your change management efforts. Meanwhile, your employees will be preoccupied with their day-to-day responsibilities, making it easy to overlook vital training steps. A consultant can help segment groups within the company, prepare specialized training programs, and develop documents to guide end-users. Without proper change management, your project will be doomed to fail.
Testing:
Your implementation partner will provide generic test scripts but will not create unique test cases for your business needs. While you are focused on what you need from your software, a consultant can document unique test case scenarios and have them ready in time for User Acceptance Testing. Your consultant will also help prepare who needs to test, when they will test, how they will be supported, and what passed or failed! The implementation partner does NOT oversee those client-specific tasks. So be prepared to cover that or have an outside party who can.
What Deliverables Do Client-Side Implementation Consultants Provide?
In order to address those commonly missed factors, your consultant will produce several key documents and trackers for your company throughout implementation. These include but are not limited to:
- Integration Maps: a map of your applications, how they connect, if they are manually or automatically connected, and how data flows between them.
- Change Management Plans: a plan detailing how your resources will adapt to the incoming changes and how those changes will be communicated across the business.
- Training Documentation: how and what training will occur, including use case walk-throughs, schedules, and more.
Mid-market implementation partners normally are not staffed and do not sell hours to cover this kind of work. Unfortunately, both sides typically assume the other party is handling these nebulous tasks, and that leads to disappointment and finger-pointing. An experienced client-side consultant will ensure that the right questions are asked of the right people, leaving no stone unturned.
How Client-Side Consultants Get to Know Your Business
To provide accurate deliverables and the best support possible to their clients, client-side implementation consultants will dig in to deeply understand your business. Implementations can take many, many months to complete. During this time, the consultant has ample time to get to know your team and how your business operates. With every meeting and session they attend, they will continue to understand and document not only your needs but who you and your business are at their core.
Consultants must know the business and its needs to guarantee every resource they interact with understands what is happening and how it is going to transform the business for the better. By knowing how the company operates, what changes each resource will face, and how demanding the incoming changes are, a consultant can better prepare your team for ERP implementation success.
The Most Important Role of a Client-Side Implementation Consultant
Our clients who have had our client-side implementation consultant guide them through their process have been thankful for our services for many reasons. Having a consultant on your side through the implementation process means having a proactive, do-it-all worker who will guide you to a successful go-live. They won’t sit and watch your team struggle; instead, they will offer solutions to problems and will step in to help implement those solutions. Consultants don’t have a “set in stone” role and our client-side implementation consultants will do anything to ensure our clients go live. They are not quite superheroes, but they are the closest thing to it in the world of ERP!
Conclusion
Undergoing an ERP implementation is a large investment and can feel daunting without support. To protect your implementation from failure, find a client-side consultant who will support you every step of the way. The consultants at ERP Advisors Group will go the extra mile to ensure your ERP software go-live is successful. Schedule your free consultation today!
