REPORT
The 2025 Top 10 ERP Systems Report
Our experts have highlighted ten vendors that can help your organization make data-driven decisions.
Learn more
The Downside Of ERP’s Increased Visibility to Data
One of the big advantages of ERP is visibility to enterprise data. Companies without ERP often times have fragmented silos with no knowledge of what is going on in other departments. For example, when a customer calls customer service to order a product, the CSR may...Closing the Gap Between New ERP Processes and the Old Way of Doing Things
For many companies we help implement enterprise systems for, the goal is to limit customization and leverage the ERP system’s “vanilla” out-of-the-box functionality as much as possible. However, even if an organization has identified a system that is...Ready When You Are: Assessing ERP Readiness
Much of our research and experience focuses on ways to increase your likelihood for ERP success. But this begs an even larger and more fundamental question: are you even ready for ERP? This is a question we ask all of our clients during their ERP software selection...Alternative ERP Implementation Strategies: What’s the Best Approach?
Last week, we cited an industry article about alternative ways of implementing ERP systems. The article gives an example of a large ERP implementation that challenged the traditional notion of going live via a “hard” cutover at go-live. Instead, the...ERP Training: More Than Software Transactions
In any ERP implementation, it is generally understood that training is a key component of organizational change management and of the overall success of the ERP implementation. However, there is a subtle and distinct difference between training and training...Pitfalls of ERP Software in SMBs
The challenges of ERP are well documented and we all know how risky these implementations can be. Risks such as global employee resistance and global supply disruptions may be common for larger organizations, but what about small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs)? ...ERP Risk Mitigation: Planning For ERP Success
Ensuring a smooth ERP migration is complex, and every implementation entails a certain level of business and technical risk. There are a number of factors that affect an ERP implementation’s level of risk, including the number of sites that you are going live...ERP and Business Processes: As-Is Or To-Be?
One of the most contentious issues in the world of ERP and IT is how much attention to give to as-is and to-be ERP business processes. Opinions on the issue run the whole spectrum on how this should be addressed; some people feel that companies should let their ERP...ERP Post-Implementation Audits Are Important
It’s easy to forget that successful ERP implementations don’t end at go-live. If anything, it’s after the system is implemented that makes or breaks the success of the system. However, most companies fail to conduct a post-implementation audit to...ERP Success Factor: The Importance of Communications
Most ERP project teams understand the value of training. Ensuring that employees understand how to complete transactions in a new ERP system is very important, and training in an ERP software package helps enable that level of understanding. However, much more than...ERP System Details: Don’t Let Them Slip Through the Cracks
We have published several pieces on what it takes to turn an ERP system purchase into a successful ERP implementation. However, there are several small details that our clients often forget. All of the details, although they seem minor in nature, can add up to big...Supporting Your ERP System After Go Live
Those of us that have been involved with ERP projects know what it’s like to experience the thrill of an ERP go-live. It’s exciting, confusing, difficult, and full of opportunity, all at the same time. While it may be a huge step in a long battle, it is by...First Step to Successful ERP Implementations: Get Your House in Order
I’ve posted quite a few articles on this blog about how common it is for companies to jump on the ERP bandwagon without first conducting the due diligence and planning required to make a project successful. Many companies do not get their houses in order before...ERP’s Big Bang Theory
One of the difficult decisions of an ERP implementation is the implementation strategy: do you take the big bang approach and get it done with quickly, or do you slowly phase in new processes and technology over time? The answer is that it depends. The appeal of the...Can Technology Hide a Flawed Corporate Strategy?
This may be more of a rhetorical question, but recent web-poll results on our web page begs the question: if a company is struggling with its overall corporate strategy, is technology going to help? First, a bit of background. Our company’s main page has been...ERP Benefits: Myth or Reality?
Many industry leaders, including this one, have published thoughts regarding the evasive nature of ERP benefits. But how real is the issue of ERP benefits realization? To find out, it helps to look into some key statistics from our ongoing ERP benchmark study....Overcoming an Organization’s Resistance to ERP and Change
It’s commonly perceived that people in general don’t like change, and ERP involves quite a bit of change. So that may explain why resistance to change is so common on ERP projects. But is there a way to resolve these change obstacles? The good news is that...Business Benefits of ERP Software
The purpose of this blog has been to focus on ERP benefits realization and ROI, and we’ve all heard stories of companies of all sizes that implement ERP software without realizing the anticipated tangible business benefits. Which led me to wonder: how big of a...Do Small Businesses Need ERP Software?
Ever since the early 1990s, Fortune 500 companies across the world have been on the ERP bandwagon. With millions of dollars required to implement and well-publicized coverage of ERP failures, many wonder if ERP is worth the cost and risk to small businesses. The topic...
