How do you manage external consultants for ERP implementation?

1.Make sure the external consultants understand the overall business strategy and how the ERP system aligns with it. 2. Carefully select consultants with expertise in the specific ERP system you're implementing. 3.Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of both your internal team and external consultants. 4. Develop a comprehensive project plan that outlines the key milestones, timelines, and deliverables. Collaborate with the consultants to create a realistic schedule and allocate resources appropriately. 5. Facilitate knowledge transfer between consultants and your internal team.

Clear objectives save time and money. Before engaging consultants, understand exactly what you want. Clearly articulated goals prevent misunderstandings, reduce the potential for scope creep, and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

1st Ensure external consultants grasp the overarching business strategy and its alignment with the ERP system. 2nd Thoughtfully choose consultants well-versed in the specific ERP system you're adopting. 3rd Clearly delineate roles and responsibilities for your internal team and external consultants. 4th Craft a thorough project plan detailing key milestones, timelines, and deliverables. Collaborate with consultants to establish a realistic schedule and allocate resources effectively. And always remember to Foster knowledge transfer between consultants and your internal team.

In my view the consultant should have strong business process knowledge and current industry best practice as it influence the decision making process quickly and a right approach is decided. Once the approach is decided the solution blueprint is ready to implement.

Most have little choice on ERP for many reasons, the consultants absolutely require contextual industry knowledge and the assumed ERP Solution Expertise.I have found an invaluable addition is investing in your people prior to your Service Integrators BA and EA sessions. Invest in YOUR people early, your SME's ( Functional Operational Leads,not managment ) by getting them out of thier daily roles, learn the ERP version / tool to a functional level. Then, collaboratively define a north star goal/artifact/outcome which is then tweaked by ledership and conduct your BA/EA sessions to get there. The Best ERP consultants cannot know every nuance of YOUR business, even they will miss some fundamental elements to your success, not the ERP's.

I would suggest finding outside consultants to backfill your key employees. Giving these employees the right amount of time will ensure better requirements are given, better user adoption is found and more accountability to the end product.

Your ERP's success depends largely on the consultants you choose. Look beyond credentials; consider their experience with similar projects and their compatibility with your team. The right fit can make the difference between a smooth implementation and a challenging one.

It is really important to have a blend of people in the team. Internal resources will add core business knowledge and understanding, be the continuity after the project is delivered, and be the internal agents of change to create belief in the system. External consultants add a very different dynamic. I believe consultants with experience of different ERP solutions can also give great support in defining scope and defining the art of the possible. I would guard against looking for experts solely in the specific ERP solution you have chosen (or better still engage consultants ahead of any decision being taken). Internal experts will always be constrained by what they know and how things work - and you are likely to want more than that.

Often, companies tend to overlook cost-benefit analysis and opt for solutions that appear cheaper initially, without thoroughly evaluating the long-term implications. Before boarding on any project, it is crucial to assess the key resources required for our system and the expertise offered by potential partners. A comprehensive review of their past projects can provide insights into their capabilities. Additionally, factors such as experience, team strength, reputation, convenience, and overall service should be considered in the decision-making process

The only way that the program will be a success and cross the line is with collaborative top down, one team approach. You chose the system integrator so don't blame them but instead manage the system integrator effectively, be pragmatic and open and above all foster honesty across the programme and don’t create a finger pointing blame culture. Instead learn from errors, work together and don’t view these as threats When you identify errors, jointly acknowledge them and take actions to prevent them in the future – that is when we learn from our mistakes.

Avoid overlaps and gaps in responsibilities. Assign an in-house project manager to streamline communications. Clearly defining boundaries ensures efficiency and prevents potential disputes, creating a smoother project flow.

Establishing clear role and responsibilities along with collaboration between internal teams and external consultants is essential. Foster an environment of teamwork, where both parties work towards a common goal – successful ERP implementation based on roles and responsibilities

Clearly defined boundaries, responsibilities, deliverables that are time bound, single ownership, escalation path etc are very essential.

En mi caso yo establezco la organización de roles y responsabilidades; así cómo, la matriz de escalación y comunicación para cada uno de ellos. Dejando claro como tiene que ser la comunicación y escalación.

This has to be done with the Job Description & it is really important that all needs are explained clearly or at least mentioned in the JD so that you can hire the right person. Its important to mention the budget fixed for hiring the consultant & what is expected to be brought out of them. Verifying their credentials & past work experience is an advantage.

Regular checks keep the project on track. Timely feedback, both positive and constructive, can guide consultants, ensuring they align with your vision. Recognize their achievements—it boosts morale and reinforces desired outcomes.

Do regular monitoring - ask the team about their performance - are they helping others to solve their issues, are they able to solve their issues on their own a majority of the time etc. Its important to get feedback from the other side too to understand if anything has not been up to their expectations or if their needs are / are not being met.

Set milestones to track the progress of the ERP implementation. This allows you to identify potential issues early and make necessary adjustments.

Daily stand-ups works charm, keeps focus, surfaces issues/blockers much faster, lot easier to steer course, ask for help etc etc.

En mi caso yo aplico a los consultores externos los mismos mecanismos de seguimiento y control que mi equipo; así cómo, las reuniones de seguimiento de entregables y ayuda que llegaran a requerir.

Key roles from the organization must be involved right from the start. Handover at the end is simply not effective,... lots of tacit knowledge simply cannot be documented and handed over. The sooner the organization roles get involved, much better would be the acquired knowledge.

Aim to build internal expertise alongside consultants. This ensures that once the consultants leave, the organization can independently manage and optimize the ERP system.

Project managers should ensure there is no knowledge gap between external and internal consultants since it leads to bottlenecks after the solution is live. Also, KT sessions should be structured efficiently so that all aspects such as configuration, integrations and customizations are covered.

Es importante que el consultor entienda las herramients, procesos y flujos de trabajo que tiene que realizar para poder ejecutar sus tareas. En este sentido, importante que comprenda cómo se genera la documentación, capacitación y transferencia de conocimiento dentro del proyecto asignado.

Knowledge transfers form an important part of the training process. Ensure that the right person who understands the business process well is assigned to give KT to the hired consultant so that there is no knowledge gap when consultant starts working & isn't always depending on someone to finish the work assigned. Remember - A consultant who understands the business well & is able to give a workaround solution forms an integral part of the project.

Always utilize a Statement of Work (SoW) to document the Scope, SLA, Pricing, Work Location, potential Incentives/Penalties, and expected Term/Timeline. The SoW can be at a higher, more summarized level, but then, it should also reference a Project Plan that is agreed upon by the Customer and Consulting Company. This project plan is used to maintain all of the work breakdown structure (WBS) the detailed Version of the work that is expected to be performed It is usually impossible to get the SoW and Project Plan exactly right ahead of time so there should be some language included in these documents to allow for adjustments along the way. A change order template can be included in the SoW to facilitate updates to the Scope or Timeline.

Nothing helps more than open 2-way communication. This is the best way to avoid unplanned for roadblocks and disruptive surprises!