My previous blog I concluded by saying that you have to trust the consultant in an ERP implementation. But does that also mean you can trust the consultant blindly?
Knowledge and experience
When your organization is undergoing the implementation of an ERP system, you really can't do without the advice of consultants. An ERP implementation is something you as a company have to deal with perhaps every ten years. This makes it not a business-as-usual, but an activity that requires a lot of specific knowledge and experience. Most companies usually don't have that knowledge and experience in-house. You will have to get this from elsewhere. Your ERP partner's consultants are the right people to help and advise you during the implementation. During implementation, consultants and your core users (key users) work closely together. The key users lean on the knowledge and experience of the consultants. Trust must therefore be there. This promotes cooperation, creates a good atmosphere and will benefit the end result of your implementation.
The consultant is the specialist
Consultants know the market. Every day they guide and advise companies in a specific industry. Because they visit many companies in the same industry, they are the first to discover many industry trends. And otherwise, it is their fellow consultants who discover these trends and share this knowledge internally. Consultants also naturally know the ERP package to be implemented and how it can be optimally used at companies in your industry. Key users often don't have that experience. They know the company they work for and may take experience from previous employers with them. Maybe they also have experience with ERP software and have even been through an implementation before. But consultants' experience goes much further. They are the specialists you have to rely on.
Always remain critical!
So should you blindly follow the consultant? Take everything the consultant says for granted? No, of course not. You have to remain critical! After all, you and your colleagues will have to work with the new ERP package and therefore you must be 100% sure that it will actually work for your company. When the consultant says that something works a certain way, verify this. When the consultant says something works a certain way, verify it. Take their advice because it is based on extensive knowledge and experience. But do not take their advice one on one. As a key user, you represent your department and company in order to get maximum benefit from the new ERP system.
Peter Gerhardt is Senior Lead Consultant Logistics at Dysel and helps customers achieve maximum results with its business software.
