Take a Spring Break from your ERP System
By Katie Foley
This time of year many students are off from school for spring break. Spring break offers students a physical and mental rest from the daily grind of homework, studying, and exams. Similarly, sometimes it's helpful in the business world to take a step back to rest, recharge, and reassess. Below we will breakdown the benefits and steps to take a spring break from ERP.
Benefits of Taking a Break
Taking a pause from your ERP system can be a productive idea depending on your situation. There are many instances that it might be beneficial to step back from your ERP system, including when you're team is suffering from burnout, when you're considering switching systems, during slower business times, when you need to zoom out and focus on the big-picture, when new employees come on board, and during regular maintenance, just to name a few.
Now we will take a look at the benefits of stepping away from your ERP system for a pre-defined period of time. Benefits include:
- Avoiding Burnout. Although ERP systems provide powerful functionality for your manufacturing business, they can also demand quite a bit of attention at times. Maybe you've just made a big upgrade or maybe you're running into a new challenge and not sure where to start, giving your team a short pause to step away from the ERP system will allow your team to rest, recharge, and comeback to the ERP system with renewed energy for the task at hand.
- Time for Training, Upgrades, and Maintenance. Sometimes taking a short break from ERP gives your team the time needed to train existing or new incoming employees. This gives them the time to get up to speed without trying to jump in right away. Another great time for an ERP break is when upgrades or maintenance are being made to avoid any risk of the system being disrupted.
- Space to Reassess ERP System's Fit. If you're considering moving to a new ERP system, it makes sense to step away from your current system to reassess your needs. This will give you the space to step away from the day-to-day work required by an ERP system and look at where your current ERP system is falling short and what you would be looking for in a new system.
- Boost in Creativity. If zooming out and taking a look at the big-picture is your goal, taking a short break will give you a boost in creativity. Stepping away to reset and recharge will allow you to come back with a fresh set of eyes and ideas for your organization.
Steps for Successful Time Away
If you decide to take a break from your ERP system, what is the most beneficial and productive way to spend that time? First, try to disconnect and enjoy your time without the daily grind often required by ERP systems. Next, create the space to think about and plan for the future when it comes to your ERP system. Some ideas for this time include the following:
- Evaluate your ERP System. If you're considering switching systems or just looking to improve your current use the system, take a look at what's working and what's not. Visibility offers Business Assessments if you're looking for some help in this area.
- Focus on Employee Training and/or System Maintenance and Upgrades. If your team is stepping back from ERP for one of these reasons, make sure you carve out the time and resources to reach your goals.
- Strategic Planning. Similar to evaluating your ERP system, use the pause to plan out your ERP goals for the next month, year, and beyond. How can your team make better use of the system? Are there action items you want to implement but haven't gotten around to yet?
- Boost Team Morale. Give your team the space to step back from the ERP system for a few days and encourage open communication and collaboration amongst everyone involved. This will allow team members to better understand each other's challenges and to come back with renewed excitement and enthusiasm for making best use of the system.
Conclusion
Thank you for following along as we discussed why taking a spring break from ERP might be just what your team needs. It may sound counterintuitive, but as you can see there are many situations that may require a brief pause and also many benefits.
One great way to spend a few days away from your ERP system is our annual Visibility Customer Conference. We find that our customers always walk away from the experience refreshed and energized about their ERP software. Join us in Singer Island, Florida this May 5-7, 2025.
Reach out to one of our ERP experts to learn more about the power of getting Visibility into your business.