Recently TSI worked with a client who is going through a period of tremendous growth who asked us to look at their current ERP platform, and make a determination whether their current solution will meet their long-term needs.  During our project, a frequent question I was asked by the client staff was (or something very similar) “What new software are we going with?”  This struck me as odd because after doing several evaluations, I know there is a process and methodology to follow when performing a software evaluation.  However, what became clear is that most people in an organization have limited or no experience picking the right software for their organization.

When posed this question, there are some common analogies we like to use.  The analogy that seems to resonate the most is to think about buying a home.  I recently went through this process, and life would have been a whole lot easier at the time if I knew out of the gate which house I was going to buy.  We all know that this is not how it works.  When evaluating the houses during this process, my wife and I evaluated several things, including the functionality, structural stability (from what we could see), cleanliness and look (curb appeal) of that home. 

We did end up putting in an offer for a house, and like most wise homebuyers, we brought in a home inspector to evaluate the house itself.  It turns out that it was good that we did because of a rotting foundation, significant problems with the roof that needed to be repaired right away, as well as a raccoon infestation that would not be easy to resolve.  Needless to say, we did not purchase that home, but through our diligence, we did find the right home.  Not only does our new home check all of the boxes on our “requirements” list, it does not have a family of raccoons living in the attic!

The same can be said of doing a software evaluation for your organization.  Over the years, I have developed three key things to remember about the process of evaluating software:

1. There are many options out there, not just the one everyone talks about.

Just because everyone talks about the same 2-3 software vendors (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft for ERP), this does not mean that they are going to be the right one for your company. Granted these software vendors have a very good product, but each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, there are now hundreds of ERP software vendors, many offering cloud based solutions to choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, which brings me to my second point.

2. There is a process – Follow it.

How do you possibly find the right one while there are so many options to choose from?  Follow the process. TSI uses a proprietary four-step software evaluation approach to understand the need, define the future state, develop requirements and the RFP and finally run the finalists through vendor demonstrations.  Key to this is to understand how your company needs and wants your business processes to run, not to be confused with how they are performed today.  A common failure of any software evaluation (which leads to implementation failure) is not developing the future state process that will inform the vendors and you how the technology you are evaluating will get you there.  Technology is not the panacea to all pains, but a tool to utilize in conjunction with process and organizational policies that will make it work.  Lazy or uninformed evaluations will invariably bring unexpected and at times heavy costs/risks to you and your organization, which brings us to our final point.

3. Do the work, put data behind the decision.

The decision you will be making as to which software will take you into the next 8-10 years is a big one.  Even worse, an uninformed decision will likely cost you millions of dollars in implementation costs, likely cause you software adoption problems, interrupt the business and customers and may even cost you your job. To ensure you have made the best decision possible, and are able to defend it, put the work in, and get the data. Likely, your organization is complex, with some unique needs from a software system.  Your unique needs for a software system will reveal (if used correctly) which strengths and weaknesses are of significant consideration.  To get all of the information necessary will require an investment in time and resources from your organization.

One way TSI has used data to help inform the buying decision is to use the trusty radar chart.  Here is an example where we used the vendor evaluation scores from the company SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) to score two different software vendors for fit.  As you can see, each of the spokes (or functional areas) have varying degrees of fit.  It is then up to the organization to decide which of these spokes have a greater priority, and which need to have additional evaluation to bridge the functional gaps. 

To get to this point, the project required more than two months to develop requirements for each area, select two finalist vendors, develop demonstration scripts for each functional area, conduct the vendor demonstrations, and perform the score collection and analysis.

So remember, if you find someone in your organization making a decision on a piece of technology without doing the due diligence required, take them by the shoulders, give them a good shake, and shout my “three things to remember” right at them. Do that or whatever HR appropriate method you can use to get their attention. Either way, if you are feeling stuck on how to make this decision, feel free to give us a call – The TSI Team can help!

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Here are 3 key impacts of a modernized ERP:

1. Improved Planning and Reporting
2. Improved Management
3. Improved Customer Experience

Improved Planning and Reporting with an ERP

Planning and the use of data through reporting is key to the success of any organization, that’s not a secret. But the effectiveness of reporting and planning depends heavily on the reliability of your data and how you use it. Additionally, modern ERPs have the advantage of business intelligence built-in or inherent ability to interface with powerful BI tools to support more effective planning through advanced analytics and algorithms. 

Furthermore, these data-based algorithms and analytics are often industry-based, further expanding the power of the tool. The result of all of these factors is empowering an organization with the ability to truly plan and operate proactively and not reactively.

Improved Management with an ERP

So you’ve improved your planning and data analytics, now how do you leverage your daily operations? The benefits of a modern ERP are applicable in day-to-day operations as well. Often, legacy systems require “bolt-on” or many different systems that connect via data exchange to complete a set of tasks. Take distribution for example. There may be one system for order entry, another for pricing application, another for route management, another for warehouse management and picking, and yet another for delivery management. WHEW! That’s a lot of data transfer!

Perhaps the greatest downside to the multiple systems model is the lack of real-time transparency across the organization. Sales don’t know when an order is on a truck and warehouse managers don’t have insight into when sales are finalized. As a result, teams are required to query for information, adjust planning frequently, and spend extra effort posting status’ to message boards. Modern ERPs solve this issue through 2 key functions: 1. real-time information available to users across functional areas and 2. end-to-end management of the process via a single technology.

Improved Customer Experience with an ERP

Planning and execution are great, but what is the real value add result? What is the real benefit for the organization that will help drive it forward? Advantageous planning and careful execution have a direct impact on many areas. Key amongst them is an improved customer experience. Planning allows you to tailor your efforts towards key groups of customers that will drive growth. Once onboard, these clients will also benefit from the transparency of information and the internet of things. A client no longer has to wonder where their shipment is, they can access a portal, view the status of their order, and submit requests or claims through a single point of entry. 

So What?

There are many organizations currently operating on legacy systems. Are they surviving? Maybe. Are they excelling and maximizing their growth potential? Most likely not. These 3 advantages are just a few of the key impacts of a modern ERP. The bottom line is that an organization will benefit greatly from a single source of truth that improves decision-making, makes operations more efficient and improves the customer experience.

If your organization is considering a modern ERP selection, it’s important to make the right choice. Check out TSI’s service offering and how we can help with selecting the right solution, as well as the aspect of implementation management and organizational change management that are important to the success of any software project.

The post 3 Key Impacts of Implementing a Modernized ERP appeared first on Transforming Solutions Inc..

Dan Feely, Founder and President, TSI – Transforming Solutions, Inc., a leader in ERP implementation strategy consulting, will discuss (with whom?) the key components of successful ERP implementation. Drawing from expertise across a spectrum of industries and size, spanning 27 countries, Dan will share vital drivers of success, including practices leveraged by one of the fastest growing companies in history. Learn how an ERP implementation done right enhances a company’s agility and capacity to thrive in a high growth environment.

After attending our ERP Investment Webinar, you will be able to:

Understand key differentiators of best-in-class ERP implementations

Discover actionable advice for the proper alignment of people and processes in executing an ERP implementation plan

Understand how to avoid inherent barriers to ERP implementation success

The webinar will be Mar. 20, 2014 at 1:00 – 2:00 PM CST.

Click HERE to register for the Webinar.

The post Ten Best Practices for Optimizing your ERP Investment Webinar appeared first on Transforming Solutions Inc..

TSI was fortunate to have been selected from many consultants to work with the fastest growing company in history to complete its ERP evaluation and implementation.  TSI started by performing an inventory of this organization’s technology architecture since the number of acquisitions caused the number of disparate software projects to become excessive.

TSI then led the evaluation, selection and implementation of, what we have been told, is the fastest project of this nature that any of our colleagues has heard of.  TSI, presented with Groupon at NetSuite OneWorld in 2011.

Within just six weeks, Groupon went live with NetSuite OneWorld in five international markets. In three months, twenty-six international markets are expected to be live, replacing hundreds of spreadsheets with a single cloud ERP system to achieve real-time global financial consolidation/management, as well as support for multi-currency management, local taxation compliance, reporting and analytics.

Click here for more information –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDztlcvEwYg

Check out TSI’s experienced team of consultants and the services that we provide that can help your business optimize it’s performance on any scale

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