What to expect during a ERP project

Difference of opinion

Throughout any project from planning right through to post-go-live there will always be a difference of opinion. It will often cause friction between internal teams however you just have to be patient, listen to others and make a joint decision based on what is best for business and not a decision that is clouded by what may suit individuals. In most cases people voice their opinions as they are passionate about the business, this is something that should always be taken into consideration rather than allow it to drive a divide between people and departments.

Demand

The working demand for a project can certainly take its toll on people, you will often find your working hours are longer than usual. The run into go-live you may even find yourself in the office over the weekend, endless cups of coffee will get you there but you need to stick it out. Getting to go-live is often a slog but what you need to remember is the hard work of the project is to make things more efficient for all parties in the long run. Some members of the team will decide to leave under the pressures of the project. It’s then always a difficult sell to someone new when you have to explain its back’s against the wall so continue to reiterate the end goal from the outset.

Education

It's safe to say any ERP project will be a huge learning curve for most involved, each and every project is different and will have its individual difficulties. When speaking with people in the market those who have had the most success have gone into the project with a clear mindset with the insight to taking as much from external consultants and growing their knowledge and bettering their own skillset. We all go through times when we believe we know best when in fact listening and taking in from external consultants will go a long way when it comes to career development.

Go-live

Just when you think all the hard work has come to a halt, you and your team finally get it to go-live and it hits you… there is still work to do. After every project there are improvements and issues that need fixing that arise after the project. When there are no external consultants to look to its key to remember why you spent so much time getting here to improve processes. Continuous improvement and aligning processes are essential when it comes to ensuring the return of investment.