This weekend many of us will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day is held on March 17th each year to commemorate the death date of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day has become a day to celebrate Irish culture by wearing green, listening to Irish music, eating corned beef and cabbage and of course drinking beer. ERP implementations and St. Patrick's Day have more in common than you might think!
Leprechauns, the creatures of Irish mythology, are often associated with St. Patrick’s Day. Of all the leprechaun myths, the story of leprechauns burying a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow is perhaps the most famous. So in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, how can we find that “pot of gold” at the end of the ERP implementation?
Our top 5 tips for finding that buried “pot of gold” at the end of your ERP implementation:
- Preparation is Key
- Preparation starts before implementation begins. First, take the time to do a diligent ERP vendor search. Finding an ERP company that is the right match for your business is important.
- Assign an Experienced Team
- Whether you have a member of your team that has experience implementing a previous ERP system, or whether you have to bring in an outside consultant with prior experience, an experienced ERP project leader can make or break an implementation.
- Set Realistic Expectations
- No matter how well planned an implementation is, it is not going to happen overnight. Even the smoothest ERP implementation will take time, patience, and dedication from all employees involved in the implementation and training.
- Make Training a Priority
- You might have chosen the perfect fit in an ERP system, but if your employees don’t know how to use it, the ERP implementation will likely fail. Employees must be trained extensively on the system. Thoroughly document training and implementation so in case of employee turnover, vacations, or extended leaves, you aren’t left exposed.
- Never Stop Searching for that “Pot of Gold”
- Congratulations! You’ve had your “go live” and everything is running smoothly. After a few months you are starting to see your ROI – you’re maximizing efficiency, reducing costs, staying on schedule, and keeping your customers and employees happy.
- So why should you never stop searching for that “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow? Because you can always be learning and growing your use of the system. Maybe there's a module that you aren’t taking full advantage of. Maybe there’s been several enhancements made to the product since your implementation that you haven’t utilized. Maybe there was a Phase 2 of your implementation planned that you never quite got to. No matter who your ERP vendor is, be sure to check in with your Account Manager and the many resources at your ERP vendor to ensure you are getting the most out of your system.
If you’re a Visibility customer, the Visibility Customer Conference is a great opportunity to brush up on Visibility best practices from a Visibility expert or hear from another Visibility customer how they are utilizing the system.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from all of us here at Visibility! If you think Visibility’s ERP solution might be that “pot of gold” you’ve been searching for to improve your business, click here to learn more.
