Here's how you can optimize your productivity with ERP professionals' essential tools and software.

For your ERP System to effectively support your company, you need to reflect and accept that the teams upstream and downstream of you in the business process are working towards the same goal. Your business process needs to ensure that some teams do not carry more of a burden to capture and provide accurate information than is required. Only some data points are worth tracking - some things are more troublesome to track than the potential benefit of the data that you want to capture.

Following tools & strategies can be considered: 1. ERP Software Utilization 2. Data Analytics Tools 3. Project Management Platforms 4. Communication and Collaboration Tools 5. Document Management Systems 6. Training and Learning Management Systems 7. Workflow Automation Tools 8. Integration Platforms 9. Mobile Apps 10. Cybersecurity Tools

ERP has circumvented the suboptimal goals of functional heads to have their own silo or isolated systems with separate databases of inconsistent or outdated data to satisfy their specific needs at the expense of the firm's optimal goals. With a common database having an integrated and standardized relational schema for the whole enterprise information needs, an ERP gives a single source of real-time truth with business transactions processed as and when they occur. This enables effective cross-functional collaboration and decision-making enhanced with analytical insights based on ERP and other data. ERP automation improves the productivity and the quality of products and services of the firm. An ERP can be on premise, cloud-based or hybrid.

An ERP system is developed according to the concept of business processes which are sequences of work activities conditioned by business events and decisions. A firm can be seen as the interconnection of various processes like procure-to-pay, order-to-cash, recruit-to-retire, manufacturing and accounting. Processes are streamlined by eliminating bottlenecks and redundant tasks and automating repetitive tasks to increase productivity, reduce errors and provide more time to employees for exceptional transaction processing and improved decision-making based on analytical insights. ERP automation is enabled by technologies like robotic process automation, machine learning, GenAI, communications mining and low-code/no-code development platforms.

Technologies like data streaming and column-oriented in-memory database enable advanced analytics of real-time and historical ERP data combined with other data sources for accurate analytical insights and predictions. Real-time analytics supports operational, tactical and strategic decision-making. With timely and precise demand predictions, the sales, procurement, inventory management, logistics, manufacturing and finance functions can better collaborate and coordinate their business process activities to fulfill every customer order as promised with a lean management approach. Therefore, customer satisfaction, revenue, profit margin and carbon footprint can be significantly improved for sustainable business growth.

ERP custom reporting is a must. Financial data can be reported in diverse formats and contents required by accountants, departmental heads, business managers, top executives and other stakeholders. Customized income statement, statement of financial position, cash flow statement, operating or budget statement by company, department or business unit and other finance reports empower employees to make better decisions about every element of revenue, expense, asset, liability and equity to improve profitability and business growth. Other useful custom reports are aged inventory, sales analysis and specific exception reports. Advanced analytics of combined ERP and other data sources provides insights, predictions and key performance indicators.

Mobile ERP enables sales, after sale, warehouse and other employees to view information and input data in the ERP system even where it is not convenient to use a laptop or a desktop. The mobile app can be used offline with a local data store and synchronized with the ERP database as soon as Internet connectivity is available again. Mobile ERP reinforces the ERP concept of a single source of real-time truth for effective and efficient cross-functional collaboration and improved decision-making with an extension of ERP ubiquity.

By centralizing data, ERP minimizes redundancy and improves interdepartmental communication, enabling swift and informed decision-making. Utilizing the appropriate tools within an ERP can revolutionize your daily operations, resulting in greater efficiency and an improved bottom line.