Lessons learned posting (last one)

Hello all,
Last time to write clever things...

There are choice to be done before an implementation. And These STRATEGIC IMP CHOICES are influenced above all by the core ERP team which is composed of

• key managers from the different implicated departments
• and people with experience

Those people will have a grat role because there are the ones who are able to take decision on processes (processes change or adaptation of the ERP to the specificity of the processes).

Super-users have also a certain influence on STRATEGIC IMP CHOICE. These SU must:

• have teaching, communication and leadership skills (Oh, Honestly!... and be an athlete too and a mastermind...)
• be respected within his department
• be intimate with precedent Information System and processes

So these Strategic IMP decisions concern the timeline, the origin of the empowered staff (internal or external), the customization level, the decentralization level, Knowledge management and training management.

There are many reasons either to outsource or to choose in-house specialists, as there are many reasons either to implement in one time (called a Big Bang... "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light") or to roll out the implementation, as there are also many reasons either to centralize or not.

Let's caricature the situation and assume there are two opposite type of firm:

• The first want to monitor everything in detail , to keep the highest control and take the less risk
• The second one need a fast implementation and external point of view

The first one will do a phased implementation to avoid comany wide bugs and to be able to control each phases. It will also choose staff from the inside to have a better control on them and to control information. At last it will obviously centralized the implementation because of the control need.

The second one will make a big bang IMP to save time and prevent from creating interfaces between the old and the new systems (which is compulsory for a phased IMP). It will choose external consultants for their expertize (and maybe their ability to work faster) and the new ideas they can bring. At last it will decentralized to save time again and to encourage initiatives.

This short sum-up of the Strategic IMP decision does not work for customization because it depends on several other factors like the knowledge in coding, the specific need of departments...

To conclude I want to say one more time that the implementation must be done with carefulness especially if it includes organization from different culture.

Good luck for tomorrow!