What I have retained from the 10th of April

This day was for me a good overview of the main points of the ERP system that we saw this week.

-ERP is not a competitive advantage:

It is not a good system for all the firms because it is a question of needing a particular organization in the transaction of the data. It is just a tool that will improve the firm efficiency if the firm needs it really, and finally the return on investment will be visible on the very long term. The issues of the implementation and the difficult phase of transition can impede the profit of the firm during few weeks so comparing with the competition is not a good option.
But because it exists 5 major softwares, the firms can find the best solution for its own organisation. The firms can work with PeopleSoft, Oracle, SAP... with all the modules or only the one that are useful for them, can choose their own way of implementing or for example its own timeline (Big bang or phased or both)
I think that the results provide facilities for the employees when they have integrated the method of using the ERP but the transition and the adaptation will be very hard. People will feel very confuse and discomforted with a system that is changing their ways and habits of working. They will need trainee and open-mindedness to go up the human natural protection: the “resistance to change”.
Implementing an ERP system is a big and wearying decision that have to be taken in order to met precise objectives with a strategic goal and mission. The board of directors have to take in consideration that this implementation will involve and should imply all the staff, a number of external consultants, time, money, etc : all the resources of the firm at the external and internal level.

-Do we will become good business analysts?

Since of our school and professional formations, we have the capacity of adaptation. We can understand and explain a problem more than other actors of a company because we have now a global overview of the main basic sectors of a firm. From this idea, we can learn quickly because we know how and where to search information. We can improve our knowledge to understand a problem and after share it with the others by asking questions or communicate on the subject.
We should have a strength will power to document and be very deeply informed on the subject. We can make the difference by being a step ahead, by stepping up, by put in action our desire of being better every time and outperform what we did just good. To give the good message to the staff we have to be more than comfortable with the subject, we have to pass the motivation and the feeling that we are the specialists to ensure them of the rightness of the board of directors decision. We may be the precious link between them and the employees.