White Papers

The Beginner’s Guide to Digital Transformation

What is digital transformation, and how does it help organizations build competitive advantage? This white paper answers your most common questions about digital transformation and outlines best practices for transforming your organization.

SAP vs. Oracle: A Case Study

When organizations think ERP, they usually think SAP and Oracle. They know both have robust systems that can scale for global operations. They know both have their share of successes and failures. But, they don’t know how to differentiate between two ERP vendors that offer nearly identical functionality – at least on the surface. A large, fortune 500 company in the distribution industry was facing a similar challenge when they hired Panorama to assist in their ERP selection.

Evaluating SAP and Oracle requires an in-depth understanding of software functionality, deployment options and vendor and product viability.

Seven Pre-Implementation Steps for a Successful Implementation

Software implementations are extensive initiatives for any company. Implementations carry significant risks, including budget and duration overruns and implementation failures leading to less benefits realized. Panorama’s whitepaper discusses helpful pre-implementation tasks to ensure a seamless implementation. This whitepaper is helpful for teams that have selected ERP software or are ready to make their selection and begin implementation.

Click to download Seven Pre-Implementation Steps for a Successful Implementation.

Ten Tips for a Successful ERP Implementation

It is common for organizations to jump into an ERP project without first conducting the due diligence and planning required to make a successful ERP implementation. Though smooth ERP implementations are possible, every implementation entails a certain level of business and technical risk. This white paper outlines some of the most common ERP implementation challenges that organizations face as well as tips for avoiding unforeseen costs, timeline overruns and material operational disruptions.

Click to download Ten Tips for a Successful ERP Implementation.

An Expert’s Guide to Organizational Change Management: 10 Steps for Managing Change Resistance

Resistance is a natural human reaction to change. New processes and new technology can affect tremendous change to job duties and responsibilities for employees within your organization. Developing a proactive plan is essential to managing resistance to change. To receive the most benefit from new processes or technology, organizations should budget and plan for extensive resistance management.

Click to download An Expert’s Guide to Organizational Change Management.

10 Steps to Guide an ERP Software Selection

Now that you have decided it is time to invest in ERP software, it is time to make a huge decision that could greatly impact your business’s success and growth. Which ERP software system should you opt to use? Use this guide to your ERP software selection.

This is a decision that requires plenty of thought and effort. The truth is that this may be one of the most important business decisions you may ever make for your business.

Click to download 10 Steps to Guide an ERP Software Selection.

Predictions for 2020 in the ERP Industry: Nine Business and Technology Trends to Watch

While no one can predict the future with 100% certainty, there are a number of trends we see developing that will be important for CIOs, CFOs, project managers and implementation teams to navigate carefully into the future. By understanding, embracing and mitigating these various trends, organizations will be better equipped to ensure their ERP implementations are successful, rather than repeating the mistakes and failures of years past. Click to download 20/20 Panoramic View of the ERP Industry.

Where’s the ROI?

ERP implementation benefits can be elusive to identify and realize. In fact, according to Panorama’s independent research, most ERP implementations fail to deliver a positive ROI. This white paper explores key ERP benefits realization activities, organizational change management and project communications and presents a case study of ERP benefits in action as well as lessons learned from the front lines of ERP projects. Click to download Where’s the ROI?

Everything You Need to Know About Digital Transformation:
It’s the End of ERP Software as We Know It

When organizations embark on an enterprise software initiative, they need to ask one question: is this a relatively simple ERP implementation, or is it a broader digital transformation? It may sound like an unimportant, subtle difference in nomenclature, but the answer to this question has significant implications for the way the initiative is planned, the way decisions are made and the overall focus of the project. Click to download Everything You Need to Know About Digital Transformation.

The Importance of Independent Verification and Validation

Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) is a series of technical, managerial and financial activities performed by resources independent of the project team to provide management teams with an assessment of ongoing project health. IV&V can increase the financial value, operational efficiency and quality of your project. With an unbiased audit and assessment of processes and deliverables, IV&V mitigates risk and provides greater visibility at the financial, managerial and subject matter level. Click to download The Importance of Independent Verification and Validation.

The Need for Public Sector Innovation: Facing the Challenges Posed by Public Sector IT Initiatives

Public sector technology initiatives have proven to be less successful than those in the private sector. Although they have been steadily improving in recent years, there is still much work to do. Because of this, we have combined our public sector experience with in-depth research to reveal the strong disconnect public sector IT initiatives face when beginning their implementation and what steps to take to avoid these challenges. Click to download The Need for Public Sector Innovation.

Ten Tips for a Successful Salesforce Implementation

This white paper outlines some of the most common Salesforce implementation challenges that organizations face as well as tips for avoiding unforeseen costs, timeline overruns and material operational disruptions. Click to download Ten Tips for a Successful Salesforce Implementation.

Five Signs That Your ERP is Past its Shelf Life:
Successful IT Strategies for the Food and Beverage Industry

Replacing an ERP system can be a long and expensive project so you need to have a clear understanding of what your organization wants to accomplish. This executive brief will outline five warning signs that your current ERP system is past its shelf life and it may be time to upgrade. Click to download Five Signs That Your ERP is Past its Shelf Life.

Organizational Change Management in the Manufacturing Industry

Manufacturing organizations often underestimate the effects that poor organizational change management can have on an ERP implementation. Organizations that understand the importance of a strong organizational change management methodology are more likely to achieve ERP success than organizations that neglect to communicate with stakeholders and provide training to end-users. Click to download Organizational Change Management in the Manufacturing Industry.

Ten Tips for a Successful Infor Implementation

Successfully implementing an Infor ERP system involves clear requirements, well-defined business processes and a clear strategic direction – this all begins before implementation. Even before selecting an ERP system, organizations should analyze exactly who they are as an organization and what they want to be in the future, as well as pinpoint their strengths, weaknesses and core competencies. Click to download Ten Tips for a Successful Infor Implementation.

Organizational Change Management in Public Sector ERP Implementations

As ERP software deployment and usage becomes more common in the public sector, government agencies find themselves facing widespread organizational change management issues related to the transformation. Written by Panorama Government Solutions’ managing member Z. Vanessa Giacoman, this white paper not only details the unique change management requirements of the public sector but also presents the five pillars of Panorama’s PERFECT Change™ organizational change management methodology. Click to download Organizational Change Management in Public Sector ERP Implementations.

Guide to Choosing a Digital Transformation Partner

Most organizations know that the key to ERP success is to leverage third-party ERP implementation experts to plan, manage and ensure benefits realization from their ERP software initiatives. But when it comes to evaluating implementation partners, the variables can become overwhelming. Panorama has developed this white paper to guide organizations through the process. It includes sections on the importance of independence, methodologies, industry experience, size, leadership and service offerings, as well as a checklist for evaluating implementation partners. Click to download Panorama’s Guide to Choosing a Digital Transformation Partner.

Ten Tips for a Successful SAP Implementation

There is no question that SAP is one of the superpowers of the ERP marketplace. But organizations who choose SAP ERP systems based simply on SAP’s reputation and prestige are doing themselves a great disservice. To ensure that SAP is the right enterprise software choice, organizations first need to analyze exactly who they are as an organization and what they want to be in the future, as well as pinpoint their strengths, weaknesses and core competencies. This white paper on SAP implementation success presents a list of top SAP implementation challenges and corresponding tactics for executing a successful SAP implementation. Click to download Ten Tips for a Successful SAP Implementation.

Lessons Learned From a Government ERP Failure

It’s no secret that ERP implementations fail at an alarmingly high rate. And government ERP implementations are no exception. A host of high-profile ERP failures have received significant media attention across the globe in recent years, with several of the failures leading to lengthy and costly courtroom battles. Panorama Consulting is frequently called upon to provide expert witness testimony for the more extreme failures in the public sector and have developed this white paper to share some of the lessons learned from implementation failure. While it is focused on a particular government case, the lessons are universally applicable to all ERP implementations. Click to download Lessons Learned From a Government ERP Failure.

Ten Tips for a Successful Epicor Implementation

Epicor cannot be effectively implemented without clear requirements. By the same token, clear requirements cannot be defined until business processes are defined. And business processes cannot be defined until organizations establish a clear sense of strategic direction. Organizations must ensure that these areas are given careful consideration during the ERP assessment and software selection process. Click to download Ten Tips for a Successful Epicor Implementation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cloud ERP

There is no question that cloud-based ERP solutions have gained in both acceptance and popularity over the years. But while organizations enjoy the easier implementations and lowered upfront costs that cloud solutions provide, many too question its security and struggle with a lack of control over their own data. This white paper addresses many of the questions about the cloud that Panorama’s ERP consultants often field from clients uncertain about which ERP solution and deployment option to choose. Click to download Frequently Asked Questions About Cloud ERP.

A Guide to Increasing User Acceptance of ERP Systems

Many companies have realized impressive benefits by implementing ERP systems; however, the success of an ERP implementation is influenced by a great many factors. User involvement is one of the most cited, critical success factors in ERP implementation projects. Generally, when users are involved in the implementation, the end result will deliver a better fit in relation to business processes and acceptance between the end users and the ERP system. This white paper aims to identify specific actions required to make an ERP implementation successful from the perspective of user buy-in. It examines user awareness to change and user involvement and also looks at a comparison between user characteristics and related experiences. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of ERP success through leveraging user factors. Click to download A Guide to Increasing User Acceptance of ERP Systems.

Tips for Managing ERP Software Vendors During the Software Selection Process

It is often said that desperate times call for desperate measures. In recent months, this is certainly the case for some ERP vendors. Slowing corporate IT capital spending, a soft economy, and an extremely competitive ERP landscape have all made the jobs of ERP sales reps a little more difficult than normal, which often leads to peculiar behavior. The good news, however, is that there are ways to manage ERP software vendors to ensure a fair, consistent, and unbiased selection process for your organization. Click to download Tips for Managing ERP Software Vendors During the Software Selection Process.

Increasing Operational Effectiveness Through Performance Measurement Systems

This paper will give an overview of how organizations can effectively monitor and assess operational performance through a balanced performance measure system. This paper will discuss how to develop a set of critical operational measures, as well as how to deploy and use them. In addition, this paper will convey how managers may use a balanced set of measures to benchmark with industry competitors and cross-industry companies, use as a tool for continuous improvement, and use to ensure realization of potential benefits resulting from technological implementations. Click to download Increasing Operational Effectiveness Through Performance Measurement Systems.

ERP Assessment and Selection: Get it Right the First Time

ERP vendor selection can be a daunting task, and one that is often not given the appropriate attention. CIOs or other executives in charge of making such major decisions often make decisions based on perception, gut feel, or faulty information. For example, executives often choose ERP software vendors based on what competitors or other large companies have chosen. However, information such as this does not necessarily reflect what is appropriate or inappropriate for your specific company. Further, planning for a successful implementation involves more than choosing the right software; it also involves preparation to ensure that ERP enables measurable improvements to your business. Click to download ERP Assessment and Selection: Get it Right the First Time.

In Search of Business Value: How to Achieve the Benefits of ERP Technology

This paper will discuss the obstacles and drivers of technology benefits realization and focus on how managers can optimize the potential of information technology. In particular, this paper will outline the obstacles to technology benefits realization and the “levers” managers can use to realize IT benefits using their existing people, processes, and organizations. In addition, the paper will outline specific tools and approaches for leveraging the possibilities of technology, including performance measurement, organizational design, process improvement, training and communications. Click to download In Search of Business Value: How to Achieve the Benefits of ERP Technology.

Getting More Out of Your Current ERP System

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 an initial implementation may be a big victory in a long battle, it is by no means a final step. It seems that many project managers use the go-live date as their primary milestone and key measure of success. However, getting to the go-live date on-time and under budget is just one piece of the ERP benefits realization puzzle. This paper examines the ways organizations can leverage their existing ERP implementations to get a higher return on that investment. Click to download Getting More Out of Your Current ERP System.