Twice a year, preventive maintenance is performed on my mountain bike. Everything is checked and adjusted if necessary, from brake cables and pads to the cassette and chain. If more expensive parts need replacing, I am contacted. The same applies to my car. Every few months I take it to the dealer for periodic maintenance. And periodic maintenance is also a familiar concept for the customers with whom I am in daily contact. The machines and equipment they deal with need maintenance after a certain amount of time or hours of operation. Our software solution tells the customer when it is time for a minor or major maintenance check, a calibration or an inspection, for example. With all the above periodic maintenance, you prevent breakdowns and failures and ensure the safety and functioning of the equipment.
What about my ERP software?
Whereas periodic maintenance on a bicycle, car or machine is generally accepted, it is different with many ERP systems. Often the alarm is only sounded after the problems have arisen and also the consequences are already having significant impact. And you can avoid that by performing regular maintenance together with your software partner. Walk through the system together, discuss certain processes, see how your people use the software and determine where it squeaks or creaks.
Responding to change
Besides spotting problems in time and responding to them appropriately, there is another aspect. The moment you go live with new software, the system should meet your most important requirements and wishes. But that is only a snapshot because changes happen quickly these days. Possibly your business has evolved, new markets have opened up or are in the pipeline. Developments in software also continue, caused in part by changes in your industry. As well as developments in the underlying technologies used, all kinds of things are changing there, too. In short, your requirements and wishes regarding your ERP system may change over time.
By performing periodic maintenance, you will easily be able to respond to all these developments and changes. Therefore, discuss with your software vendor, among other things:
- Which processes no longer run quite smoothly anyway because of certain changes.
- What features have been added to the standard over time and whether, therefore, you might be due for an upgrade.
- Whether you have new business plans and what impact they will have on the use of the software.
- What changes are happening in your industry and how you would like to respond to them.
Establish an action plan
Then together you determine what actions are needed to keep up with the changes. Perhaps you need to change processes, you need new modules or solutions, or an upgrade to the latest version is wise. Or maybe things are running smoothly. Define what actions are needed when to keep working optimally with your ERP system.
Your business software is too important not to maintain. So, just like you take your car to the garage for its MOT, visit your software partner on time for periodic maintenance.
Peter Gerhardt is Senior Lead Consultant Logistics at Dysel and helps customers achieve maximum results with its business software.
