4 steps towards successful assessment, selection … · of typical enterprise systems and work...

How do you find a solution that meets all or most of your current and future requirements?

4 STEPS TOWARDS SUCCESSFUL ASSESSMENT, SELECTION AND IMPLEMENTATION

A Business Management Solution is a fully integrated, real-time system that gives you the information you need to grow your business. It enables agility by collecting and connecting information from everyone, every department and every pro-cess throughout your entire business. This means a seamless flow of information throughout the company - manufacturing, sales, marketing, distribution, accounting, financial, human resource management, project management, inventory management, service and maintenance, and transportation —within a single system.

Business Management Solutions:Getting it right the first time

What is a Business Management Solution?

2 Gartner, CEO and Senior Executive Survey 2013: CFO Turns to Growth

And how will it help my business?

Overall, Business Management Solutions deliver flexibility, functionality and security, without the complexity and cost of typical enterprise systems and work towards accelerating a continuous process of growth and improvement within the organisation. Therefore, moving away from ERP towards Business Management Solutions can empower the entire organisation to become leaner, more efficient and ultimately, more profitable.

According to a Gartner Study 2, top business priorities have shifted in recent years, from cost-saving to growth and profitability. For no less than 41% of companies, growth is now one of the top three priorities and IT solutions play a pivotal role in making this happen.

Reasons for Implementing Business Management Solution

Source: Panorama’s 2015 ERP Report

BusinessManagement

System

BusinessAlerts

HumanResources

BusinessContinuity

Planning

FinanceManagementReports

DocumentLibrary

WebViewing

Portal

ProjectPlanning

CaseManagement

SystemTracking

17% 18%

16%

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%

2%

Other

Replace old ERP/legacy system

12%

Improve business perfo

rmance

12%

Integrate systems across locatio

ns

11%

Position company fo

r growth

10%

Reporting/re

gulatory compliance

10%

Standardize global o

perations

7%

Appease parent company/s

takeholders

7%

Better serve customers

7%

Make employee jobs easier

5%

Reduce working capita

l

1%

Other c

ompanies have ERP

Whether you are looking for your first Business Management Solution or looking to move away from the typical complexity of ERP, and upgrade to a more cohesive system, keep in mind that the entire process represents a serious investment for any organisation and is crucial for its future success.

The progression from evaluation to selection and then implementation is an important, long-term decision for your organisation. Consequently, the entire selection process should be considered a priority, with proper time and resources devoted to it.

Here are the top 4 steps to help you towards successful assessment, selection and implementation of a Business Management Solution:


The assessment and selection process: Starting out on the right foot

It all begins with you!

The wide adoption of internet has changed the way we do business, and over the years, the effect has trickled down to customers, who now have higher expectations. Therefore, whether you are a growing business or an established enterprise, you need a proven method to streamline your operations, drive growth, improve customer experience, enhance your competitive position and be in control of your business. Business Management Solution is the answer to all your wishes.

STEP 1

Determine your reason and objective

By being realistic about your goals, management and problems, you can find the best software that will help streamline your entire business. Just ask yourself what you really want and why, and work towards establishing your current and future objectives. Make sure that your corporate goals align with your Business Management Solution and that youhave the necessary infrastructure in place prior to the implementation process. The more focused you are in identifying your business need, the better your software selection would be.

STEP 2

Freedom in terms of flexibility and choice

Available in the cloud, SaaS or on-premise, Business Management Solutions are ideal for growing or enterprise businesses, especially those in the manufacturing,distribution or service industry. Moreo-ver, as Business Management Solutions are faster, simpler and more flexible than typical ERP solutions, companies achieve greater insight into their business processes by bringing everything together in one simple solution.According to the size and need of your business, determine whether your company needs specific industry functio-nality, or whether it will work better with a more flexible, standardised software. Irrespective of which software or method you chose, make sure the entire process is divided into steps and each step has specific timelines for completion. To guarantee a seamless implementation, assign someone responsible for ensuring those deadlines are met.

STEP 3


Standardised implementation = minimum amount of time

As with most implementations, the success of your Business Management Solution will depend on following a systematic approach from start to finish. Sometimes, the implementation process runs into minor bumps, and the timeline falls a bit off the track to accommodate those unforeseen circumstances. However, with standardised implementation, the process is supported with templated documentation, so the chances of hitting such bumps is close to nil. Such pre-worked documentation shared by the provider ensures that as a business, you are able to hit the ground running, and zero in on opportunities instantly.

STEP 4

The assessment and selection process: Starting out on the right foot...continued

As seen in this graph, only 45% of respondents are satisfied or very satisfied with their overall ERP vendor experience. This is a relatively low percentage, given the increase in reported ERP failures and decrease in overall software satisfaction. Nearly half of respondent organisations are neutral about their overall experience with ERP vendors (44%), hence signalling that many businesses have evolved beyond the traditional ERP technology and capabilities.

As a result, it is paramount that you work with a partner who understands your business needs, undertakes relevant and required planning and provides you with training and implementation documentation.

The easy way to evaluate the right solution provider is to look for the following 4C’s: Company history, Consultant experience, Customer references and the overall Culture of the company. Once you have shortlisted the potential providers on these bases, you are ready to dig deeper into your discovery of finding the perfect partner.


Steps to choosing the right vendor

Source: Panorama’s 2015 ERP Report Copyright © 2015 Panorama Consulting Solutions

Choosing the right partner

With the objectives and requirements of your Business Management Solution nearly sorted, it is time to look for the right vendor or partner who will meet your expectations. Having the right partner on-board is one of the main reasons why some companies have a dream deployment, while others have an unnerving experience.

Neutral Satisfied Very Satisfied

Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied

37%

8%

6%5%

44%


Conclusion

The walls of ERP are crumbling.With flexibility and ease of use becoming critical to business competitiveness, ERP is gradually being replaced by Business Management Solutions that are faster, simpler and more flexible. These solutions offer increased satisfaction and security, without the complexity and cost of typical enterprise systems.

While choosing the right Business Management Solution can be challenging, it is worth the time spent. In long-term, the right solution will pay for itself in business success, employee satisfaction* and company growth.

*The 2013 Aberdeen report on Best-in-class strategies for selecting an ERP solution revealed that a massive 56% best-in-class businesses look for solutions that are easy to use. That is because even the most functional of ERP solutions are a waste of money if employees can’t use it. A user friendly solution will lead to a higher employee usage rate and the solutions benefits will more quickly and profoundly manifest themselves throughout an organisation. Business Management Solutions are clear, easy to use and come with an intuitive interface that helps decrease user confusion and increase overall productivity.

With good preparation and planning, the decision may be easier than you think. It will bring benefits such as faster optimised processes, lower costs and greater transparency, which in turn will enable the company to quickly and flexibly adapt to market requirements.

To simplify, think of this whole selection and implementation process as going on a road trip. You need to be willing and ready to undertake that trip, find the best route possible that takes you to your destination and make full use of all your packed resources. You might hit a few bumps in between, but with proper planning, you will most likely have a smooth ride.

Let’s hit the road.

4 steps towards successful assessment, selection … · of typical enterprise systems and work...

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