1. No top-level support
Senior management and anyone with the word "executive" in their job title, this one is for you: Every ERP implementation project needs to take ownership of a company-designated leader. If you don't care, then why should anyone else?
What does a high level of support look like? Attend implementation team meetings on time, participate in discussions, leave clear action items follow through, and make sure others do the same.
2. You don't have a sense of priority
No matter what project your company is working on, organizational discipline is key to accomplishing your goals, but know that if you let your ERP implementation rank too low on your list of top priorities, that decision will come back to haunt you.
Organizational discipline is essential to the achievement of goals.
The priority issue is the direct impact of poor support. Although project leaders must lead by example, they should also be relentless in instilling values and telling team members that what they are doing will make a difference and is worth the effort. This may mean picking key members, checking their overall workload, and letting them know which non-executive responsibilities are not as important until the project is over.
3. Having no real plan
Fight the instinct to jump straight into implementation without careful planning. You shouldn't go into a project of this size unless you've mapped out exactly what you want and how to get there. Spending a little more time in the planning phase will pay off, as it will help you avoid costly problems.
Our implementation experts recommend allocating one week of planning time for each month's expected deployment time. Do the numbers add up in your project? If not, correct them and repeat after us: the plan is not to sit back and wait. Planning is our friend.
4. No defense against range creep
When you don't plan your ERP implementation properly, it can lead to scope creep. If the goal is not set at the beginning, add-ons, extra features, and distractions will attach to your project until it becomes a mess. Even well-intentioned scope creep has the potential to undermine implementation.
To avoid scope creep, you need to remind team members why the project is being undertaken in the first place. Focus on the goal. Don't leave the planning stage without it.
Also, in terms of phases, it is always okay to take a phased approach to ERP implementation. Just don't see the later stages as a dumping ground for the work that must be done today.
5. No ERP implementation expert
The implementation of ERP requires experts in the organization, not the latest class of freshmen. You need to understand the inside and outside of the company, the before-and-after processes of the company, so they can design workflows and automate tasks in a way that improves performance. They must communicate concisely and act without fear.
But you try to get the most knowledgeable person in the company to work on a project and ignore everything else that's going on.
Our advice: Choose the core all-stars you want for the project, and then temporarily shift the work from them to someone else. Everyone wins: Your ERP implementation has its dream team, and less qualified employees get a chance to show you what they can do.
6. No end in sight
A race without a finish line has no finish line. This is not a Zen fable, but an illustration of a common implementation trap. When developing action items at the planning stage, be sure to include specific, agreed criteria that indicate when the task will be completed, both quantifiable and verifiable.
We're not asking you to take care of your team members. Instead, in our experience, we see teams overworking themselves because they don't know when to stop. Benchmarks ensure quick and complete implementation, respecting everyone's commitment to the cause.
Is your ERP implementation just a close call? ERP can assign your company its implementation team, made up of our top experts, to help you avoid disaster. Contact us today to find out more.