Here's how you can effectively solve problems and troubleshoot after an ERP failure.

Experience is the key have the immediate response. The minute the problem occurs, I call the person who encountered the issue, I contact the team in charge before communicating the problem to all in order not to cause a global panic. Once I know the cause, I gather impacted teams and communicate to a wider audience .

ERP Failure? Stay Calm and Take Charge: Assemble Your Team: Don't panic. Gather your team to assess the situation collaboratively. Define the Scope: Identify if the issue is system-wide or isolated to specific areas. Manage Expectations: Communicate with stakeholders to inform them of the problem and set realistic expectations. Protect Data: Ensure all users are logged out of the system to prevent data corruption. By following these steps, you initiate a calm and controlled response to the ERP failure. This minimizes disruption, protects data, and demonstrates your leadership in resolving the issue effectively.

Mistakes can and will happen. Stay calm and take full ownership when that happens. Avoid the blame game, and focus on identifying the issue and deliver the solutions as quickly as possible.

Following steps can be considered: Diagnose the Problem Identify the Root Cause Develop a Remediation Plan Implement Corrective Actions Communicate with Stakeholders Monitor and Validate Document Lessons Learned Prevent Recurrence Provide Training and Support Continuously Improve Processes

ERP Implementations fail because: 1) Improper selection of ERP emanating to an improper or totally missing RFI process. 2) The end-users not on-board with the proposed change (new ERP, new processes, additional work initially). 3) No ground work on the Raw Master data work. It needs to cleaned up to remove redundant data. 4) Improper and incomplete set of requirements given to the consultant during the Discovery or Requirement Gathering phase. 5) Attempt to implement the entire solution to the entire organization in a waterfall method. 6) Not analyzing the Discovery document to verify that it is a complete set of requirements. 7) A bad Piloting process (where the consultant walks the customer through the Solution Document. 8) Op. Bal. issu

Unveiling the Culprit: Root Cause Analysis in ERP Failures Scrutinize Error Logs & User Reports: Analyze error logs and user reports for recurring patterns or commonalities. Hardware, Software, or User Error? Distinguish between hardware malfunctions, software bugs, or user errors to guide repair efforts. Seek Expert Support: Engage your IT team or ERP vendor's support line for specialized troubleshooting and diagnosis. By meticulously examining error logs, user reports, and collaborating with technical experts, you'll systematically identify the root cause of the ERP failure. This targeted approach ensures efficient troubleshooting and a swift resolution to minimize downtime and disruption.

Safeguarding Your Data: Restoration in ERP Failures Prioritize Data Integrity: If data loss or corruption occurred, prioritize restoration from recent, verified backups. Thorough Testing: Test the restored data meticulously before reintegration to prevent further complications. By prioritizing data restoration from reliable backups and ensuring its accuracy through testing, you safeguard the integrity of your ERP system and minimize the long-term impact of the failure. This two-pronged approach ensures a successful recovery and protects your organization's critical data.

The total absence or an improperly conducted testing phase via a UAT cycle is a sure recipe for disaster. Ideally conducted in parallel and immediately after the end-user training, this process ensures that all the end-users have verified that: 1) They are able to use the application as taught to them. 2) They are able to generate documents like the Sales Orders, Invoices, Production Orders, Purchase Orders, etc. as is expected from them to perform their daily job. 3) They are able to generate printable / exportable reports based on the documents above. 4) They are able to generate BI dashboards to come up with intelligent information that makes their job easier and that of the management to be able to take informed decisions.

Safeguard Your System: Test Before You Fix in ERP Controlled Environment Testing: Replicate your ERP setup (if possible) to test solutions before applying them to the live system. Simulate & Validate: Simulate the failure and meticulously validate the effectiveness of your fix to prevent unintended consequences. Prioritize Caution Over Speed: Take the necessary time for thorough testing. Rushing a fix can cause more harm than good. By prioritizing controlled environment testing, you safeguard your live ERP system. Simulating the failure and rigorously testing your solution ensures it effectively resolves the issue without introducing new problems. This cautious approach minimizes downtime & protects the integrity of your critical ERP data.

Cautious Resolution: Implementing Fixes in ERP Meticulous Implementation: Following thorough testing, carefully apply the fixes to your live ERP system. Close Monitoring: Monitor the system for any unintended consequences or new issues arising post-fix implementation. Open Communication: Maintain open communication with your team and users to gather immediate feedback on system performance. By prioritizing a methodical approach with careful implementation, close monitoring, and open communication, you ensure a smooth transition back to normal operations and minimize the risk of further complications. This fosters trust within your team and users, demonstrating your commitment to a successful ERP recovery.

In my experience, there is no shame to occasionally take a step back, review, evaluate and correct the mistakes that have been made or expected to show up. Ideally, the most iterative process needs to be the Piloting phase where: 1) The consultant walks the individual departmental heads (power users) over the proposed solution using the ERP interface. The Power Users should keep their set of RFI points raised during the ERP procurement process and ensure that their departmental needs have been captured properly and the proposed solution addresses them in-toto. This is akin to verifying that the individual pieces of a jigsaw puzzle are correct. 2) The consultant, in a Conference Room Pilot, showcases the entire solution (the cmpleted jigsaw)

A formal "Lessons Learnt" is highly beneficial for both the customer and the service provider. 1) If the project is being taken up in phases (as, ideally, they should), the customer's Project Manager gets to take corrective actions on the planning front during this process after the first phase, as the true capabilities of the ERP solution (as applied to their business) and that of the service provider staff is better known. 2) For the service provider, the dynamics of the customer's operations are better understood, along with the condition of the Raw Master data and the workaround processes that the customer might have been using owing to the constraints of the legacy software or prejudice in the minds of the business managers.