Don’t know what to do with your legacy system? Legacy systems often contain functionality not found in ERP systems, and would be expensive to replace. As well, the legacy system often gets the job done, so many would argue that “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”. Introduction On the other hand, legacy systems lack the improvements made to software over the years such as a graphical user interface, ad-hoc reporting tools and easy customizations such as adding user defined fields. As well, the legacy systems are often maintained by aging boomers, who may not be readily available now and […]
ERP for Life
ERP for Life Not long ago, selecting a new ERP system every 5-10 years was the norm. Organizations did this to stay competitive and because ERP systems were still relatively new. Introduction Vendors were able to attract new customers because they leaped frogged the competition with new features. But now, the more successful products have matured and much of them offer the same basic functionality. Today, organizations typically don’t select and implement a new system unless they have no choice. They have no choice because they are using a legacy system that is no longer supported or their existing system […]
ERP contract Negotiation
How to negotiate software contracts It’s not just about negotiating the price. Vendors will negotiate on large contracts so take the time to get it right. Full article from CAmagazine published in January 2011 A major acquisition such as an ERP system should be considered a lifetime investment.It’s not just a software purchase; it’s a contract that includes maintenance fees, which will exceed the cost of the software in four to five years. A good dose of due diligence is in order not only in testing the software and assessing the vendor, but also in reading the contract. Pick the […]
ERP System Selection Done Right
ERP System Selection We have prepared a four part series on behalf of CAmagazine on best practice in selecting a new ERP System. System selection, done right — Part 1 Anyone who has been involved in selecting software knows the road is strewn with pitfalls — many of which we covered in “The top 10 software selection mistakes” . But how do you avoid those mistakes altogether? In the next few columns, we hope to shed some light on the subject… System selection, done right — Part 2 The whole selection process will take a minimum of three to four […]
ERP Case Studies
ERP Case Studies 180 Systems will be writing a series of case studies different than the paid-for marketing material available from vendors. Our case studies are unbiased based on our interviews, and we have not received any compensation for them. Blue Link […]
ERP Reviews
Some of our reviews are a few years old but they should still provide a good starting point in your evaluation. We are now in the process of updating our reviews. Stay tuned. Our reviews are unbiased and we are not compensated by the vendors for our analysis. Blue Link – 2013 NetSuite – 2012 […]
ERP Customer Survey
2013 CAmagazine Article A number of years ago we conducted a customer survey on behalf of CAmagazine to see how well users like their systems, as well as their views on the developers and implementation partners. We also asked for feedback about return on investment and future plans. The article is available by clicking here. But CAmagazine has been outsourced and rebranded to Pivot Magazine with different objectives such that we no longer publish articles for it. 2020 ERP Customer Survey We are now asking visitors to the site to rate their existing ERP system. By participating in this survey, we […]
ERP Whitepaper
How to Select and Implement an ERP System ERP is a term that is widely used but still not well understood. Although ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) was initially targeted to manufacturing companies, today it encompasses software that can be used across an enterprise. Table of Contents in the Whitepaper What is ERP? Analysis Vendor Selection Vendor Demonstrations Reference Calls Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Implementation Click here to obtain the ERP Whitepaper […]
Reference Checks
A Reference Check is a must for any software selection. It’s easy to do and you could be very surprised at the results Why You may think that there’s no point in doing a reference call as the references are coming from the vendor. You’re probably thinking that the vendor has only selected the customers that are happy. For all you know, there are only a few happy references. So you might decide to skip the reference call in the selection of a new system. That would be a big mistake. It’s my experience that reference calls provide useful information, […]
Business Process Improvement (BPI)
In the past, BPI was called Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), which many people think is a euphemism for layoffs. BPR was also supposed to involve radical change. Today, you hear less about BPR and more about BPI because BPR has bad connotations. BPI is not about layoffs or radical change. What is BPI BPI is about gradual improvement of business process. A business case should determine whether the change is warranted. BPI is not just for large organizations. There are opportunities for BPI everywhere in any sized organization. But often these opportunities are undetected or ignored. Why? One reason is […]