ERP Requirements Analysis
The number 1 cause of failed ERP implementation projects is not defining requirements properly. Part way through the implementation, the requirements will reveal themselves and then it’s too late.
Critical Success Factors
Defining requirements should start with an understanding of Critical Success Factors defined as what your company must to well strategically to be successful. Then the question is how can a system help achieve these critical success factors
Define Requirements for Larger Companies
The best way to define requirements for larger companies is to conduct a business process review whereby the subject matter experts describe/show their existing business process and its problems. This leads to requirements based on what is currently being done well and is needed in the future and to requirements to fix the problems.
Define Requirements for Smaller Companies
The best way to define requirements for smaller companies is to conduct a requirements analysis to understand what works well and what doesn’t work well. This leads to requirements based on what works well and to requirements to fix the problems for what does not work well. This approach is a short cut to defining requirements, which is not as thorough as the business process review but avoids a costly selection project and can be justified based on reduced risk.
Best Practice Requirements
We base the requirements not just based on the requirements defined in the critical success factors discussion or the requirements analysis/business process review but also based on our extensive experience with similar clients. Our clients can’t be expected to know what they don’t know.