Seven Secrets to Selecting a New ERP System

If your company has decided to evaluate new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, the process can be a long and complex one. As an independent ERP consultant, I have learned many lessons through providing ERP Evaluation and Selection and ERP Requirements Definition services to my clients. My firm has come up with some tips that all companies can use to make their ERP Selection process more successful.

Tips for Selecting the "Right" System at the "Right" Price

Tip #1: Define your business needs by sitting down with all of the business areas that will be affected by the new system. Your business requirements need to be defined prior to starting the software selection process.

Tip #2: Establish a realistic budget for the project so that you can pre-qualify vendor solutions that should be evaluated. Check out the RJMC ERP Budget Calculator to help you determine your budget, or use other online tools to help you determine a reasonable project budget.

Tip #3: With the needs of stakeholders in mind, determine what features and functions you need as opposed to those that you want.

Tip #4: Don't let your people get locked in to the way they do their jobs today. Prepare your staff to evaluate based on how the new software could work for them, rather than how it differs from today's procedures.

Tip #5: Secure upper management buy-in before you start the selection project. Without this buy-in, your project will stall.

Tip #6: Ensure that your selection project has a Beginning, Middle, and an End. Your project team needs to know where the project is headed and how long it will take to get there.

Tip #7: Evaluate the system integrators that will be responsible for making the software work for your company. There is a great article on evaluating ERP system integrators at this link A selection process that results in the "right" software must also be implemented by the "right" system integrator. A very important secret to success!

Invite RJMC in to work with your company to take maximum advantage of the RJMC expertise that led to the Seven Secrets of Successful System Selections.

As larger software providers continue to gobble up smaller firms, it is more important than ever to have an informed perspective on what these large solutions offer as compared to the value that smaller but often-times no less robust packages can provide to your business. RJMC will help you match your business needs with these offerings - the key to success in any selection project!

To find out how RJMC can help your company, go to RJMC's Website to see how RJMC’s ERP Evaluation and Selection services can help you select the right software at the right price.