An ERP implementation is not an IT project, but a change of your business in project form. You embark on this project to serve your customers better and thus achieve growth of the organization. It requires the entire business to change its way of thinking and acting, and thus its willingness to change. It is therefore important that your entire organization is behind the project. Without buy-in from the rest of the organization, it is better not to embark on it. There are three main groups that must see the added value of the new ERP system and support the project.
Management
Management constitutes the leadership of the organization. They don't have to be involved in every step of the implementation process. But when your organization's leadership is strongly supportive of the new ERP system, it can contribute to the success of the implementation in countless ways. These include assigning the right resources and people to the project and removing internal barriers and objections that stand in the way of a successful project. Buy-in from management helps you get prerequisites in place for a successful implementation.
Key users
In ERP implementation, key users play a crucial role. They are closely involved in shaping the processes, make decisions regarding how to work, test the system and are responsible for transferring knowledge within their own departments. A key-user who reluctantly begins an ERP project poses a major threat. Positive energy, the will to change, taking initiative and a sense of responsibility are required. Therefore, when selecting, look not only at what an employee knows about the processes, but also at the employee's mindset and attitude. For example, while an experienced employee may be very knowledgeable about the processes, if the will to change is not there it is not going to work. A younger employee who does have the right spirit (and perhaps can free up more time for the project) may be more suitable as a key user. By the way, don't shy away from changing your project team during implementation. Is a key user not what you expected or hoped for? Choose someone else, this project is crucial and must succeed.
End users
Ultimately, everyone in the organization will be working with the new software. So acceptance or rather embrace of the ERP package by all employees is important. Inform the entire organization of the plans you have in a timely manner and keep them informed of the progress. Make everyone understand that this is a move that is going to move the organization forward and make daily tasks easier in all departments.
Alex Bouwmeester is Project Manager Europe at Dysel and accompanies the customer from start to finish in the implementation.
