Why Hire an ERP Software Selection Consultant
The Tier 2 ERP software space was growing rampantly and there was little online documentation available on the functional capabilities of many software programs. As it was fairly standard for a company to have a need to implement a core ERP platform, the selection methodologies across consulting firms became fairly standardized and it was clear […]
Have You Ever Been “Accentured”?
What does “Accentured” mean? Very different than being “delighted,” this term has become increasingly popular among boutique consulting firms and independents. More importantly, it is a term we have heard clients use to refer to their experiences with the large SAP, Oracle, and ERP system integrators. To be clear on a couple of points: First, […]
Sample Bias in ERP Studies and Toothpaste
We all remember hearing how 4 out of 5 dentists recommend a particular toothpaste. It gives confidence when going to the grocery store and pulling a brand name from the shelf. Most of us have also heard how thesesurveys and comparisons are far too easy to manipulate.Why then, do we get so excited with ERP […]
Do This Before You Select a New ERP System
Years ago, when a client needed help evaluating and selecting a new ERP system, it was pretty straight forward. We would follow a basic methodology, define pain points, document requirements and go through the traditional long list and short list analysis of potential solutions. Today, the approach in actually selecting a software hasn’t changed too […]
Getting Help Selecting an ERP Implementation Partner
Software advisory firms have been helping organizations evaluate and select ERP software for decades and methodologies have become relatively holistic in their approach, with one key exception:evaluating and selecting an ERP implementation partner. Ask any ERP consulting firm how they evaluate the implementation partner, system integrator (SI) or value-added reseller (VAR) for the selected software […]
Should you Adopt ERP Implementation Best Practices?
A majority of marketing around business and technology refers to the concept of “Best Practices.” Software vendors such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft have also adopted use of this term almost to the point of exhaustion, claiming there is no need to worry about business processes during a software implementation since they bring “best in […]
How to Define Your ERP Contingency Budget
ERP projects often run over budget, even with strong planning and due diligence. Unexpected issues emerge, scope changes, integrations become more complex, data migration takes longer than expected, and change management requires more effort than originally assumed. This is why every ERP project needs a real contingency budget. But contingency is often misunderstood. It should […]
What is Best of Breed ERP?
For most of us this sounds like a simple question. We all have a definition of some sort in our minds and have used this term probably for years. Having had several conversations surrounding best of breed ERP over the past weeks, it has become clear that there are very dramatic differences as to what […]
What is the Best ERP Software?
Growing up my teachers used to tell us that there are no stupid questions. I’m sorry to disagree, but this is a stupid question. This is also the most common question asked in the independent ERP consulting space, and we receive it in one way or another on a daily basis. The most recurrent response […]
How Important is Industry Vertical Experience in a Digital Transformation?
“Do you have direct experience in our space?” As consultants, we hear this question every day. Clients often want to know how important industry vertical experience is to a digital transformation or ERP implementation. Recently, I have been asked if we have experience with: The answer is yes, we do. However, this level of defined […]
Negotiating ERP Implementation Failure
I had two conversations with prospective clients in the last few days seeking help with their ERP implementation failures. With recent news of the SAP failure at Lidl and the SAP failure at National Grid, these conversations caught my attention. Overview of the ERP Implementation Failures The first was reaching out for help with ERP […]
Sweet Tea and ERP Implementations : How Culture Affects Your Project
Digital Transformations, or even enterprise technology initiatives are complex by nature. They generally touch nearly ever nerve in an organization, changing processes and altering the ways people have become accustomed to working. The concept of organizational change management (OCM) has grown in popularity over the past several years as organizations have come to realize that […]