Why try to implement your ERP implementation with a phased approach? Why not just install the system and then educate the end-users in how to use it? The reason is that an ERP implementation is a huge undertaking. If done correctly, your company will benefit greatly. If done incorrectly, your company can throw away millions of dollars. Why do we say this?

Building your ERP implentation according to a phased approach will insure that you have set goals that can be accomplished along the way giving you way-markers to determine the effectiveness of the implementation. It is impossible to measure the success of your ERP implentation plan without having set way-markers to see how far along the project has come.

It is vital that these goals or way-markers be set before you begin the implementation. This sounds no doubt obvious to the business owner or CEO when reading this article. However, poorly planned ERP implementations occur more frequently then not. Often the approach made is to install the system and expect the end-users to quickly adapt to the changing business structure.

For example: Your company is divided into departments that each will need to be converted to the new ERP structure. Without a phased approach, your entire company will suffer; because, it will turn your company into a mess if you attempt to convert everyone at once. Businesses have failed completely with less of a reason than that. If you cannot stay organized when developing your implementation plan, then you will not succeed in implementing your ERP solution. Rather than ERP being a solution designed to solve company problems and accomplish objectives, the ERP software will simply either never be implemented or implemented unsuccessfully breaking your business infrastructure.

However, this is not the case with a planned implementation that has goals to be met. Setting down guidelines to measure the success of any ERP implementation is a requirement of any project manager. A project manager needs to have experience in developing and implementing ERP solutions. To be sure you have a good project manager, it may be necessary to bring in a consultant who has experience in ERP implementation. This way the goals set will be more guaranteed of success and you will more than likely be able to accomplish the goals in the prescribed order.

Prescribed order brings up another point. It is important to plan out the order in which ERP modules will be installed and switched over. There must be a prescribed order of tasks in order to successfully implement an ERP solution. Without it, you may as well scrub your ERP project right now.

Certain companies must meet certain guidelines of compliance for legal reasons not to mention the ability to benchmark an ERP solution to make sure you are on target with your business objectives. If this is the case with your company, then setting the required goals is even more essential. This insures your company stays in compliance with local laws. Since companies are working more and more in global market places, these local laws quickly become international laws.

You can see the need for not just a good ERP consultant, but you can see the need for a fantastic ERP consultant when considering the need for a phased implementation. The CIERP certification is definitely one indicator that a consultant has the skills to implement your ERP solution within required parameters. They know what the steps are and how to go about implementing them. It is unwise to attempt to set up an ERP solution without a great consultant. If you do not personally have ERP implementation experience, then contract with a great consultant.

The CIERP certification stands for certified implementor of ERP software. It was a certification fronted by CIBRES corporation over the last few years. CIBRES is no longer in business, but the examination that CIBRES put out was backed by college professors with years of experience in ERP. If you hold a CIERP certification, then you hold a valuable tool to show that you know how to be an ERP project leader. CIBRES is no longer in business, but the certification still holds a great deal of value.

Michael W Harleman (m.harleman@yahoo.com)
7278 E Old US 24
Logansport, IN 46947
(574) 732-0494
http://www.erpbusinesscenter.com