What Is An ERP Implementation
What Is An ERP Implementation
B.F.TECH
SEMESTER - 7
ERP
1
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 CHALLENGES OF ERP 9
CONCLUSION 10
3
1.) Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
1.1)Definition
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a process used by companies to manage and integrate
the important parts of their businesses. Many ERP software applications are important to
companies because they help them implement resource planning by integrating all of the
processes needed to run their companies with a single system. An ERP software system can
also integrate planning, purchasing inventory, sales, marketing, finance, human resources,
and more.
1.2)Benefits of ERP
Installing onsite software and/or contracting with a SaaS provider. Often, companies
seek help from the vendor or an implementation partner specializing in ERP, the
vertical industry or specialized use cases.
4
Migrating data from your previous system or systems into the new ERP.
Training the finance team to use the new software. That process may include
knowledge transfer from employees who previously used the system or formal
education from your implementation partner.
The success rate ERP implementations is improving thanks to a focus on user experience,
specifically simpler interfaces, more configuration flexibility, mobile functionality and
increased automation. In fact, IDC’s 2020 SaaSPath Survey (opens in a new tab) showed that
"ease of use" is the most important vendor selection criteria for those purchasing finance
applications.
Best practices to ensure success include organizing a strong implementation team of leaders
from all areas of your company, from sales to accounting to operations.
When choosing the ERP, it’s important to ensure it can easily integrate with other financial
systems, and those of your key partners, and that you can be up and running in a reasonable
timeframe, preferably 90 days or less. Finally, make sure your finance policies and
procedures are aligned to make the most of the new system.
As cloud-based solutions have grown in popularity in recent years, the traditional ERP
industry leaders have seen challenges from upstarts such as Bizowie and WorkWise. (For
related reading, see "Case Studies of Successful Enterprise Resource Planning")
5
2.) Successful ERP Implementation Case Studies
Fulton & Roark a retailer of men’s grooming products, is an example of a successful ERP
implementation.
Prior to upgrading to full-featured ERP, the North Carolina-based business tracked its
inventory in a spreadsheet and its financial data in desktop accounting software, Sage Live.
When the company began doubling sales year-over-year, leadership felt its current processes
weren’t keeping up. Spreadsheets couldn’t account for changing inventory costs, and the
accounting software didn’t have the workflows necessary to record the cost of goods sold
(COGS), an important financial metric.
As a result, the Fulton & Roark team did double data entry—manually.
To centralize all work in one place, the company’s co-founders implemented NetSuite ERP.
After a three-week implementation process, changes were immediate, according to team
members. Finally, the Fulton & Roark team was able to:
ERP implementations don’t have to drag on—Fulton & Roark’s team was up and
working in about 20 days.
The company’s story also emphasizes a major success factor: Getting management
committed to an ERP project. In this case, the co-founders initiated the project, which
consultants say often spurs employee adoption.
6
2.2) CASE STUDY 2: N&N Moving Supplies
Running on QuickBooks and a third-party payroll provider, it was nearly impossible to keep
accurate time records and reconcile payroll with general ledger accounts. So, N&N turned to
ERP to manage its accounting and payroll processes. During the implementation process for
NetSuite ERP, N&N worked with a NetSuite partner, NOVAtime (opens in a new tab), to add
a time-clock solution to the main system.
Give employees access to personalized ERP dashboards on iPads at each of its sites.
Key takeaways:
N&N’s case study nods to another major implementation success factor: managing
employee morale. ERP projects often fail when execs and other employees don’t feel
a sense of buy-in. By providing personalized dashboards—and ideally explaining
their benefits to employees before the implementation—N&N avoided this pitfall.
The case study also shows that a third-party partner can be helpful in tailoring the
ERP system to precisely fit your company’s needs.
7
2.3) CASESTUDY 3: Green Rabbit
Two friends launched a candy wholesale business, by the name of Green Rabbit. Then, they
ran into a problem: shipping melt-prone chocolate bars during summer months. After the pals
designed a heat-sensitive supply chain, other food companies turned to them for help. The
duo rebranded as Green Rabbit, a supply chain logistics provider specializing in fast delivery
of perishable goods.
That shift in strategy tested the company’s current processes, which relied on QuickBooks,
Excel and email. Green Rabbit’s multiple databases couldn’t communicate with one another,
making real-time data analysis impossible. The warehouse was often waiting on help from
the IT team, too.
Green Rabbit chose NetSuite ERP, and the NetSuite professional services team got the
company up and running on the system in three months.
Helps customers ship candy, snacks and more across the country in 24 hours from one
of three different warehouses, without inventory errors.
Delivers tens of thousands of orders per day, without delays.
Gets guaranteed error-free data from its ERP system, instead of risking errors from
manually entered data.
Could triple its order volume, if desired, without impact to its systems.
Key takeaways
8
3.) What are the Challenges of ERP?
Implementing an ERP can mean overcoming obstacles. Two of the most commonly cited
ERP challenges are:
Choosing the right vendor. Obviously, choosing an ERP system that doesn’t fit your
company’s needs will likely result in a failed implementation. Many advisers
recommend evaluating around five vendors before choosing which ERP to purchase.
Companies should choose a vendor that has experience with your company’s vertical,
type (product or service) and size; can provide a hands-on demo; understands the tax
laws and regulations that apply to your business; and is sure to be in business in five
years.
Getting employees to support the change. As mentioned, teams may resist the
transition to ERP if you don’t show them why the new system will be helpful to them.
Explain how ERP will make each team’s everyday tasks easier before the
implementation begins and ensure plenty of time for training during the process.
9
Conclusion
10