How to Get the Most Out of Your Cloud ERP Implementation
It may seem obvious, but the first step to any successful ERP implementation is determining which solution is the right fit for your business. For an increasing number of growing businesses, cloud has become a strong option. With a cloud-based ERP, organizations don’t have to make an expensive upfront investment on IT hardware and servers, freeing up valuable resources for the business. Cloud ERP implementation can be complicated and it is easy to make mistakes that can affect the success of your business in the long run. Consider these tips to ensure that you are getting the most out of your cloud ERP implementation.
Building a Strong Cloud ERP Implementation Team
George Lawton, CFO at The Answer Company and person who has overseen our own internal ERP implementations, explains that “it’s important to have a group of people within the company who are tasked with implementing the system because it touches so many different aspects of the company. The [team’s] role is less technical and more about making sure that the forms are right, the reports are right, the dashboards are set up the way you want them to be and you’ve got all the right information.” A successful cloud ERP implementation team will be familiar with the company’s processes at the nitty-gritty level and be able to communicate the wants and needs of the organization.
The team should be diverse enough to capture all of the company’s needs. It should be a combination of people from various tiers of the company so you have a balance of experience and views. Ensure that all areas of the company are being represented by selecting team members from multiple departments. Each department is familiar with what they need from the ERP, so they are the best resource for defining your goals.
One of the greatest things about cloud-based ERP implementations is that they require minimal management and resources afterwards. Unlike non-cloud-based solutions which require IT services for both implementation and management of the ERP, cloud software requires minimal IT involvement.
Define Goals and Needs
The key to making any cloud-based ERP implementation successful is establishing clearly defined goals at the beginning of the process. Use your dedicated implementation team to establish what your organization requires from your ERP and how you want to achieve it. Goal setting allows you to determine the features you require, so you can construct an cloud ERP implementation strategy that will fulfill those goals.
To fully utilize your ERP, you must understand what your business needs are and become familiar with the variety of built in additional features that are available for your management system. If it doesn’t have the feature you are looking for, explore best-of-breed add-ons developed by other software companies that you can integrate into your Cloud ERP.
Utilize Workflows and Automation
‘Many cloud ERPs nowadays have workflows already built into it and many mundane tasks are automated. The best thing to do when setting up your solution is to take advantage of those built in workflows and automation that come pre-packaged,’ explains George Lawton, “On the other hand, if you want to implement your unique practices and processes into your Cloud ERP, make sure to speak with an expert to explore its versatility – the key is to find a balance between customizing and utilizing the functions that are already given to you.