Steps for ERP System Selection

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Selecting the right ERP system for your business is critical. We often lovingly use the phrase, “the right tool, for the right job”. This may sound cliche, but it is exceedingly true with enterprise software. ERP system selection is different for every business. Your businesses BPM’s, quirks, and unique characteristics will fundamentally decide which system is best for your organization. And as we all know, it’s here that even businesses within the same industry can significantly diverge.

Our video above briefly lays out Datix’s ERP system selection best practices in 8 easy steps. If you’d like to download a copy of our free ERP system selection template; which breaks out the steps further, simply click the image below.

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What else should we be considering?

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A question we often get in our ERP consulting practice is, “what are we missing, and what else should we be considering”? During the ERP system selection process in particular, the most dramatic error that we see many businesses make is focusing so much on the ERP software that they don’t give enough proper attention to things like implementation, customization, training, and change management until after they’ve made selections, or are in stage 1 of the implementation.

Your ERP system selection is very important, but remember, the software is only supporting and supplementing the way your business operates. Modeling processes, creating the right customization’s, and best understanding how to train and equip future users is vitally more important than the software itself.

For example, imagine your business is replacing an out-dated method or practice — let’s says Quickbooks or spreadsheets — and replacing it with an ERP system. If your business decides to retain all current business processes, then your business just upgraded the software, it hasn’t done anything to ensure ROI on the project. For a business to maximize their software investment they must look at what the software will support and invest in how it’s implemented and configured; as well as how end-users are trained and equipped to use the new system. These are the things we find that many businesses fail to take in to account when they go through the ERP system selection process until it’s too late.

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Interested in learning more about ERP selection and implementation? Contact the Datix team today, we specialize in helping businesses on the front end of their decision making process.