Implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can be a complex undertaking that affects many pieces of the business.
Likewise, with any significant initiative, a carefully designed implementation plan is basic. Isolating your implementation into phases, each with clear objectives can maximize your success.
Conversely, plunging into an ERP implementation without first establishing a clear project direction, scope and structure increase the likelihood of encountering critical problems later.
What Is an ERP Implementation?
An ERP or distribution system integrates many capacities across the business, like financial management, HR, sales, and manufacturing, to deliver benefits like increased productivity and efficiency.
ERP implementation describes the process of planning, designing, and deploying an ERP.
The process regularly continues for a few months — and it's complex because an ERP system upholds and automates a wide range of capacities.
To ensure a successful implementation, the association needs to carefully define its requirements, determine how to redesign processes to take advantage of the system, configure the ERP or distribution system to help those processes, and thoroughly test it before deploying it to users.
Successfully navigating that multitude of steps on schedule requires careful planning and a structured, phased implementation approach.
What Are the Phases of an ERP Implementation Plan?
A normal ERP implementation plan can be divided into six phases, each with specific objectives. Every business is unique, so the phases might differ somewhat depending on the organization, and they additionally may overlap.
The six-section ERP implementation phase lifecycle includes discovery and planning, design, development, testing, deployment, and backing.
- Discovery and Planning
What is the principal phase of ERP implementation? This includes researching and selecting a system, setting up a project team, and defining detailed system requirements.
The project team will handle a wide range of roles related to the implementation, including spreading out the project plan and target dates, ensuring adequate resources are allocated, settling on the item and design choices, and everyday project management.
- Design
The design phase works from detailed requirements and an understanding of current work processes to develop a detailed design for the new ERP or distribution system.
This includes designing new, more efficient work processes and other business processes that take advantage of the system.
It's critical to involve users in the design phase since they have the most intimate understanding of current business processes.
Including them in the design additionally helps to ensure that they'll welcome the new system and take full advantage of it.
- Development
Armed with clear design requirements, the development phase can begin. This involves arranging and, where necessary, altering the software to help the redesigned processes.
It might likewise include developing integration with any of the association's other existing business applications that will not be replaced by the ERP system.
Assuming you're utilizing an on-premises ERP system, the association should introduce the necessary hardware and software.
- Testing
Testing and development might happen concurrently. For example, the project team might test-specific modules and features, develop fixes or adjustments based on the results, and retest.
Or on the other hand, it might test one ERP implementation module while another is still in development.
Beginning testing of the essential elements of the software ought to be followed by thorough testing of the full capabilities of the system, including permitting some employees to test the system for all their everyday activities.
This phase ought to likewise encompass testing of the migrated data and include initial end-user preparation.
- Deployment
You've been endeavoring toward: the day the system goes like this. Be prepared for potential issues, since there might be a ton of moving parts and conceivably some befuddled employees, despite your best efforts to prepare them for the change.
The project team ought to be readily available to answer questions, help users understand the system, and attempt to fix any issues.
Your ERP implementation partner ought to be able to help with troubleshooting if necessary. It might require investment for users to adjust to the system and achieve the anticipated productivity gains.
- Support and Updates
Supporting your ERP implementation after deployment helps to keep users blissful and ensures the business achieves the desired benefits.
The project team might in any case be responsible for the ERP system during this phase, yet its center will move to listening for user feedback and changing the system likewise.
Some extra development and setup might be needed as new features are added to the system. New staff will likewise need to be trained on the distribution system.
