Best practice in selection and implementation of ERP Systems Software

Are ERP Implementations Doomed to Fail?

December 17, 2021 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

You have probably read something like the following: “A recent (2021) survey found that more than half of organizations deploying ERP strategies to modernize their legacy technology experienced failure.” “Research has found out that globally from 55% up to 75% of all ERP projects fail.” But have you ever wondered whether? The authority is exaggerating the facts to attract new clients Whether the facts are accurate Whether the organizations included in the research are very large companies with more risk What was the basis for failure? Our experience is that ERP selection and implementation projects are not doomed to failure. […]

Hitchhiker’s Guide to Technology Solutions

May 18, 2021 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

180 Systems is presenting a workshop for CPA Canada on June 16, 2021 from 1 pm to 4 pm EST with guidance and best practice for: Business Case System Optimization System Selection Contract Negotiation Implementation Transition Management Emerging Technology RPA Project Management Change Management You can register for this workshop by clicking here or contacting Michael at mburns@180systems.com if you have questions. […]

ERP Optimization

May 18, 2021 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

We have helped many clients in selecting a new system, but as you know it’s not an easy process. The risks and costs associated with a new ERP system are significant not just in payments for the software and external consultants, but also in internal costs. You need to assign your best people (the A team) to the implementation, and their daily contribution in their regular work will take a big hit. We recommend you explore ways to optimize your existing system before taking the plunge. Give us a call at 416-485-2200 if you want to talk about it or […]

ERP Training Tips

May 18, 2021 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

You will often hear that training is critical to the success of an ERP implementation. Despite its importance, training is often neglected until it’s too late. During the selection process, the focus is on features and functionality, roles and responsibilities, and contract negotiation; and training is assumed. The vendors are often vague about training as a detailed discussion about it will lead to concerns about whether it’s enough, who will be doing it, how it will be done, and what materials are provided. We highly recommend that a detailed training plan is included in the vendor’s Statement of Work. Assuming […]

National Technology Forum CPA (NTF)

October 6, 2020 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

[…]

Change Management in an ERP Implementation

October 6, 2020 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

The commonly held belief is that people are resistant to change, which is the leading cause for failed ERP implementations/changes. It is our opinion that the resistance to change is a symptom of the problem, and not the cause. The primary cause is not being prepared for the implementation, which will then lead to resistance as employees face huge, unexpected problems, work overtime for months or more, and question leadership who brought about the change. Change management experts focus on remedies that include support from leadership and communication plans, which don’t fix the primary problem. To fix the primary problem, organizations […]

Defining Scope in an ERP Selection Project

October 6, 2020 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

Vendors will define scope at the highest level possible to avoid contractual problems during the implementation. Ideally scope is defined at a low level (the requirements in an RFP) but vendors will resist this partly because they would now be contractually responsible to implement detailed requirements that may turn out to be more challenging than initially thought. So, if vendors are willing to define scope at the requirements level, they need to spend a lot of time during the sales cycle to make sure that they can actually do exactly what is required. They will try to qualify their response […]

Understanding ERP Deployment Options Continued

October 6, 2020 | 0 Comments | Michael Burns

Back in February, we tried to shed some light on the various ERP deployment options (https://www.180systems.com/understanding-erp-deployment-options/). One of the most confusing options was whether the vendor offered multi-tenant architecture, which allows one instance of the software to serve multiple companies at the same time, and brings down the costs of the hosting fees. Some vendors have not built multi-tenant from the ground-up or changed their code to accommodate it. Instead they have used middleware and Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) to get something equivalent. Sorry – I realize that these terms also lead to more confusion and so another approach is needed. We […]

Top 10 ERP Systems

March 25, 2020 | 0 Comments | 180systems

If you do a search on the Top 10 ERP systems, you will find lists of the most well-known systems developed and maintained by the largest vendors. These vendors do offer advantages over many of the smaller vendors, who are not as well funded and may not be able to invest as much R&D in their system. The largest vendors will often have extended functionality for bigger enterprises that could also be used by smaller companies with complex requirements. They will also have more resources including multiple business partners to implement the system. And the owners will perceive less risk […]

Beware of Roles and Responsibilities in an ERP Implementation

March 6, 2020 | 0 Comments | 180systems

Let’s assume you did a thorough job in evaluating the ERP systems/vendors and are in contract negotiations with the preferred vendor. You will be asked to agree to many things including their assumptions on roles and responsibilities for activities such as testing, integration, documenting business process design… The problem is that you have no idea whether the allocation of activity between the vendor and your organization is reasonable. Unfortunately, you may learn the hard way when the vendor issues change requests (and higher costs) for work that was assumed to be your responsibility but for which you need a lot […]