Factors To Consider Before Buying An ERP Software Package
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A well-played out rendition of Old MacDonald Had A Farm will have every aspect of the farm business included in its stanzas. First there’s Old MacDonald himself. Then his farm which includes cows, pigs, and chickens. Then all the variable products issuing from the same. Don’t forget to include the farm hands & milk maids and the various departments they head.
All this Old MacDonald inclusiveness is ERP software planning in a hen’s shell. When any company plans to implement ERP, failure to
address the needs of all aspects of the business, in advance of deployment, that
can make solution-oriented software problematic later on. Determine the challenges your business has now and weigh them against the value ERP software can provide later.This includes:
The problems ERP software will solve
What sort of opportunities it can create for your business
What needs it will fulfill within every department.
CF, CE, CIO… OH NO
Relatively speaking, the greater portion of productivity doesn’t come from CEO McDonald’s suite but from the ducks and cows and the farm heads and hands. MacDonald’s focus is on profit margins and revenue whilst the milk maids are organizing milk shipments, so a profit can be had. ERP planning certainly requires strong involvement and support from upper management but planning the software strictly around the top of the food chain ensures a fail fail there upon deployment.
A Cluck Cluck Here
The meat of an ERP implementation begins before it's built. Early on, have what will be the first of many in-depth hen parties (collaboration) with your software design teams to head off potential problems and fails. Collaboration should include what goals you’d like to achieve with ERP software within a few years’ time.
Or, rather, what does Old MacDonald want the Farm to look like in the future?
Since you already know that your old farm equipment (legacy software) is presently falling short of fulfilling your business needs, focus instead on about what you’d like to achieve with ERP software.
Make sure to count your eggs and include a realistic budget to bring to the discussion to the farm table.
Them There City Folks
Savvy software design teams will make sure discussions include:
Industry Specifics
Scalability
Deployment Options
Ease of Use
Also, be sure to find out what ERP systems competing farms have in use. This will better help you compete with the competition. If you raise dairy cows instead of market steers, you may share the same industry specifics, but your dairy ops will have somewhat different needs unique to your farm.
A Weather Eye
Early on in the project, turn an eye towards potential storm clouds and forge out an implementation and training plan to make for easier transitions and head off problems later during deployment. Even the most diligent employees can slow down ERP implementation software if they don’t have the leadership, support, and training they need to best use ERP to its fullest potential. Remember, ERP creates an entirely new business environment.
Don’t forget to include what sort of support your farm requires post-deployment
Know that things will change like the weather throughout development
Be assured that potential pitfalls don’t happen because the wrong software was chosen
Still, if you are concerned you may be overlooking some critical question or factor when choosing ERP software, don’t hesitate to bring your concerns to your software design teams throughout development. Click here for more detailed tips
If you feel lost like a needle in a haystack, contact The Intellection Group. They can help. Or give a call at 678-283-4283.