We don’t think so. There are many excellent products built by small companies for specific industries that are worthy of consideration. But there are risks that the vendor will not be around for the long haul. There are a number of ways to evaluate long-term viability: The system is built with old technology that is getting really difficult to support by the boomers ripe for retirement. There is a lack of investment in the system. Ask to see the product roadmap and recent enhancements. The company is not profitable. Private companies will be reluctant to release this but it can […]
How to measure whether an ERP implementation is successful
It’s not time to celebrate when the system goes live. Nor is it time to celebrate even if it’s on time or on budget. It’s only time to celebrate if the benefits in the business case have been realized. Ideally the benefits are in the form of a measurable metric or a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) such as the time it takes to process an order. However many organizations don’t identify these measures of success and even if they do, they promptly forget about them as soon as the implementation starts as they have enough on their plates to consume […]
How to get an accurate estimate of ERP implementations costs
We ask the finalists in our ERP software selection projects for a detailed breakdown of implementation costs by module (g/l, a/r, a/p, purchasing…) and by task (customization, integration, conversion, project management, design…). We provide them with a lot of information to make the estimate possible: Detailed requirements Business process review which includes process, problems, type of problem, and impact of problem High level process maps Access to our client to get the tour and ask whatever questions are needed The finalists are asked to demonstrate a prototype of the to-be business process allowing them to validate assumptions. But sometimes, even with […]
ERP Cost Estimates
Buyer beware when estimating the costs of an ERP implementation. There are so many unknowns that make it really tough to avoid unpleasant surprises. The vendors are very reluctant to fix price anything when it comes to the services required because of the many unknowns – scope of work, who does what, capabilities and available time of buyer resources…. It’s especially difficult for the vendors in the early stages of the selection process. At the same time, the buyers want to have a decent ball park of costs before pursuing a potential solution. But there are guidelines that will help. […]
Technology Investment Survey
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Beyond ERP and new technology, new options
2014 from PwC – “The brave new world of business application software is rapidly transforming how corporate IT departments source and implement all kinds of critical systems. Perhaps nowhere is this truer than in the realm of ERP systems, the software that runs virtually every large company in the world. CIOs are rethinking their approach to ERP, thanks to modular, cloud-based business applications that offer viable alternatives to the unwieldy, inflexible, and expensive systems that have long dominated the sector” Read more 180 View – The idea is that you can stitch together best of breed cloud-based/Software as a Service […]
Would you select an ERP (or any) system from a small vendor?
We include small vendors in our system selection projects but only when we believe that they have a good client base, are really good for a specific industry and are using recent technology. A small company can also be a successful company and there are benefits to being a bigger fish in a smaller pond. You will see lots of small/unknown companies on our ERP portal at https://www.180systems.com/services/erp-business-case/. But what about the concern that a small vendor will be acquired or if the small vendor is facing financial difficulties? Financial problems may be temporary – for example the vendor might have just […]
Murphy’s Law
Murphy’s Law is alive and well thanks to ERP implementations. The problems that often arise can be avoided and/or the impact reduced by good planning in advance and strong project management. Here are a few ways to fight Murphy: Ensure you have the right people (your A team) on the project and enough of their time is allocated to the project. Some key operational team members will need to be backfilled on their day jobs. Talk to people who have gone through an implementation to get a sense of the time needed. Ensure the implementation plan proposed by the vendor is adequate. […]
ERP: Lessons From the Field
March 27, 2015 from CFO – “Senior finance executives share their advice on selecting and implementing enterprise resource planning systems.” Read more 180 View – CFO asked the executives a number of questions including about value, total cost of ownership, flexibility, how to evaluate ERP vendors and implementation advice. One piece of advice was “Invest your best people in the process.” […]
Cloud ERP
January 28, 2015 from InformationWeek – “Enterprise resource planning software is the ultimate legacy application. On the downside, ERP has earned a reputation for costly, time-consuming deployments and maintenance, outdated user interfaces, and general inflexibility.” Read more 180 View – The cloud is supposed to make ERP implementations a lot easier according to pundits and vendors alike. However the cloud is really just a different way of deploying the software and most of the tasks and risks in an implementation don’t vanish into the clouds. […]