The company's decision-makers have to do a detailed, consistent and technically correct job of selecting a software package. They have to ensure that all the business's key personnel, in one way or another, are involved and committed to the project's implementation. The enterprise has to identify consulting firms that possess all the attributes necessary to conduct the implementation project successfully qualified professionals, proven methodology and excellent references. Is anything still lacking for the project to work, for it to be a success?
We have seen that an enterprise is a group of people with a common goal, which has certain resources at its disposal to achieve this goal. The group has some key functions to perform 'to achieve the goal. We have seen that an ERP implementation project consists of a lot of people and groups, each playing different roles of people are the company employees, the package vendors, the hardware vendors and the communications experts, the implementation consultants and so OII of them have a common goal- the successful implementation of the pr They have a lot of resources at their disposal for achieving this goal. This makes the RP implementation project an enterprise in its own right.
I have said that it is the duty of the organization to select the. package and the people. Since all the ingredients are present and have been carefully chosen, the results should be quite adequate. But as with any recipe, we must measure the quantity of each ingredient so that the mixture will create something that is more than a mere some of the parts. An ERP implementation project does not depend solely on the software vendor or on the consultants or the dedication of the company's personnel. Success for a project of this magnitude and scope, depends largely on each party playing its role well, because the roles are singular in nature; there dm be no substitution without there being a decline in the quality of the final outcome. It is in this task - the integration of the various components - that the enterprise has to playa vital role - the role of the facilitator and the success of the ERP implementation project depends on how well this is done.
Apart from playing the role of the integrator and facilitator, the organization has to playa number of other roles in the implementation. 'The company- represented in person by certain professionals - must act like the true owner of the project; the party most interested in the success of the work, the entity that will do anything and everything to comply with what was originally set forth in the schedule. It may sound ridiculous, but experience has shown that many a times, the company has lost sight of the final goal and has thus allowed the project to fail. Hence, it is a good ideal to get the help of consultants to clarify the role of the company representatives, the tasks that they have to do the activities that they have to perform and so on. The consultants have ,done the implementation before and have seen it succeeding and failing. They will know the warning signs and when to take corrective action. If the consultants can develop a job description of job profile and list out the .important and activities that the company has to perform, it will be of tremendous help for the company
The most important and critical activity that the comP8:ny management has to do is to designate the right people to lead the project: These people should be high up in the corporate ladder and should be willing to j dedicate themselves to learning how to operate the package correctly to provide for the business's needs. These individuals must acquire a reasonable dagree of knowledge about the ERP package. These people should also, be involy~d with all the aspects of the implementation and should be able the system after the consultants have left the company. The task of the employees could be made easier if the consultants document everything in great detail (including why a particular parameter has a particular value and why some option is disable and
so on, thus creating a knowledge-base). The vendor's documentation will also help in understanding the system and its working, but it is important that the employees know where to look and how to use the information. It is the responsibility of the organization to learn and to assimilate information about the information about the software package, in order to achieve a reasonable level of independence. Therefore, the success of the implementation depends partially on which employees are allocated to the project then, to what extent they can devote their time to the project and assimilate knowledge and successfully transfer it to their colleagues and subordinates. This means that the company personnel involved in the implementation project should attain a level of proficiency in managing the ERPpackage, and should request additional support only for problems that justify the cost of the consulting fees, that will be charged to resolve them.
In addition to understanding the package, the enterprise should assume additional responsibilities. For example, it must guarantee that all users who are supposed to participate in any way, or to participate in specific tasks or phases be made available at the necessary times established by the project schedule. This will involve reallocating these people's responsibilities (although temporarily). It also means putting on hold, for the time being, everyth~ng that is not of absolute priority. Finally, it is the company that should motivate its employees to change and to learn new technologies and prepare to assume their new responsibilities. In short, the company should create an environment where the ERP system can grow, thrive and produce the dramatic benefits it is capable. |
