Value Added Custom Extensions to ERP Systems
I had opportunity to work on more than 20 plus Custom Product Extensions to Financials, Supply Chain and CRM Modules in Oracle EBS with a strong Functional and Technical Team support and successively implemented those solutions in more than twenty sites. I was involved in development of Two major sub modules also and integrated with Oracle EBS applications. Kudos to the Functional and Technical Team involved in these Product Extensions.
Now, my concern is (a) anyone having more than 5-7 plus years of ERP experience would have come across in developing these kind of Solution, specific to the client or generic or the Industry Specific requirement or to meet some Quality Standards like ISO etc., But if these Custom Product extensions also has generic applications or Industry Specific, then Why does the ERP Product owners are not incorporating these solutions into their Product?. How much time, effort and energy of Functional, technical, DBA Resource efforts would have been spent in developing same solution across the world by various Implementation Partners?. The Funniest part is even these functionalities are not covered in higher versions of those ERP Systems.
Example: 1. A Letter of Credit Tracking Process or Bank Guarantee Process or Provision for Bad and Doubtful Debts Process Etc., which is common for many business. 2. Even if the ERP Product owners do not have sufficient resources or time, Why don't they view the development of Implementation Partner's solutions and choose which one qualify to their ERP standards and modify and adopt those solutions as part of Standard ERP Product. There could be definitely few challenges, which they can overcome, but if it comes as part of Standard Product, then acceptance by Customers will be huge, right?. But it never happens, I have seen this with atleast three ERP Products
(b) Few Customers, when I demonstrate these solutions, they like and love those solutions and they say it will be very much useful for their day to day business, but never shown interest to buy those extensions or take decisions and keep on saying it will be very good, if we have these features come as part of Standard Product
(c) Whenever we go and demo to Customers on upgrade or Re-implement new versions of ERP Product, and they don't find these Custom extensions solutions, they immediately ask why should I upgrade or Re-implement?
The List of Few Custom Product Extension generic usage.
- Letter of Credit Tracking on Import Purchases & Export Sales
- Bank Guarantee Management
- Provision for Bad and Doubtful Debts - Acceptable to meet Auditing Standards like US GAAP, UK GAAP, IFRS etc.,
- Period Close Approval Workflow control across all Sub modules and GL
- Asset Disposal Approval Workflow with Tendering Process for disposal of Assets.
- Material Indenting Process by Each Department
The List will be definitely very exhaustive across all modules
Even if we log Product Enhancement Requests with ERP Product Owners, it is never covered in Future releases by the ERP Product Companies.
How many of you agree with my Views - Type Yes, No or Partial in Comments.