If you're prepping for an ERP project, you might not know how to plan for an ERP implementation...
Perhaps it's your first ERP implementation and you don't know how to get ready, or perhaps it's been a little while since you last implemented enterprise resource planning software.
In this article, we'll show you some of the best ways to ERP prep and get ready for your ERP project by planning your ERP implementation.
ERP prep should start with getting up to speed with ERP software. It's a market that is changing quickly, with new ERP vendors, trends and technologies radically changing the way ERP software is purchased, consumed, implemented and maintained. Refreshing or leveling up your ERP market knowledge is crucial preparation for an ERP implementation project.
There are some fantastic analysts and consulting firms such as Gartner who can provide libraries of content for a membership fee, or feel free to use our free ERP whitepaper library,
Our whitepapers and reports are used by 6000+ professionals per month who are planning their ERP implementation.
If your ERP project doesn't yet have a budget allocated or signed off, then it's a good idea to prepare by building an ERP business case that can be approved by your CFO, CEO, or investors.
Building a business case can take weeks of preparation as you'll need to quantify the benefits or your ERP implementation and project, generate costs and more. You can save yourself time by hiring an ERP consultant to do this for you, but if you'd like to save money and time, then use our free ERP Business Case template.
Preparing for an ERP project should include understanding how to run an effective and successful ERP project and the best way to do this is to read and absorb ERP implementation methodologies, ERP project plans and try to understand the various steps involved in an ERP project from evaluation to selection, design, build, testing and go-live.
Before you start an ERP project, you'll need to prepare by selecting the ERP software you are implementing and purchase it. The first part of that ERP selection process is to prepare for evaluation by building your ERP requirements document.
An ERP requirements document aims to define the outcomes your ERP is trying to achieve and the features and capabilities it needs to achieve them. This document is then distributed to ERP vendors such as Netsuite, Sage, Oracle, SAP and others. Spending time on your requirements building during ERP prep can help you to have a successful ERP implementation in the long run.
When preparing for an ERP project, it's great to research ERP vendors along the way to start to understand which ERP software could be a good fit for your business, based on who else is using it.
Some of the most commonly evaluated ERP vendors are:
We also recommend downloading our Top 10 ERP report to see how these solutions and more compare:
In the 21st century, very few companies implement ERP software on their own and mostly recruit outside help from knowledgable ERP consulting companies to help them prepare for an ERP project and derisk.