Configuring your ERP Software (and why it's better than customizing)
So you’re looking to integrate an ERP into your business functions. Congratulations! With carefully-chosen Enterprise Resource Planning software, your business will be ahead of the game and you’ll be on your way towards top-notch productivity (and not to mention success).
And here’s why. . .
Benefits of an ERP
Businesses have so many moving parts. By integrating the right ERP for your business, it’ll be guaranteed that everything will be running like a well-oiled machine without the fear of serious missteps.
Brace yourself for smoother workflows. ERPs are modular by design, meaning they can be programmed to provide specific workflows for specific departments while remaining 100% visible to management and CEOs.
With the implementation of certain Human Resource modules, your ERP can have the power to automate payroll management, leading to budgetary visibility and business efficiency.
Processes are automated and monitored. This leads to newly found free time, minimized errors, and improved productivity along with a carefully curated budget. A well-chosen ERP will give higher ups spending permissions without exceeding their financial blueprints. Talk about a stress-reliever!
Processes are streamlined. In short, this is key to reduced costs and a healthier bottom line overall. If an operations chain is lacking and a workflow is not being maximized, the system will flag the inefficiency for troubleshooting.
Now that you’ve made your decision to begin ERP integration, there are a few things you need to know to get the absolute most out of your software.
ERP Customizing
ERP customization sounds like the answer to creating the perfect features and capabilities, but in reality it’s accompanied with more pitfalls than strengths. When an ERP is customized, the hard-wired programming code from the ERP developer is modified to add functionality that can drive productivity and meet your business needs.
While this may sound like the “bells and whistles” of integrating the perfect ERP, there are several hefty risks that accompany customization.
Here are just a few on that list:
ERPs are initially built with “best practice” for operations, systems, and management at the forefront. By going the “custom route”, you’re potentially taking away the superpowers your software was born with.
Maintenance of customized ERPs are far more in-depth and tedious than personalized software. Oftentimes, customized ERPs become mismatched to future projections and and needs. When this happens, the solution to staying on top of business operations, workflows, and processes accurately is comparable to falling down a black hole on further and further customization. In other words, there will be a need to customize again and again (which can get mighty expensive).
Your ERP support will not be as reliable as it was prior to customization. If you find your ERP hitting a bump or spiking a flag, don’t be surprised if your support responds by identifying the issue as a result of customization. Essentially, this means you can say goodbye to quick fixes and easy solutions.
Now on to a more effective strategy that will implement the efficient ERP you’ve been waiting for . . .
ERP Personalizing (AKA ERP Configuring)
While you may have now dismissed the concept of ERP customization due to the list of significant downfalls, take solace in knowing there is a way to integrate your ERP software to meet your needs-- and that’s through personalization, or what many refer to as configuration.
There are endless settings and options that are just waiting to be properly implemented to fit your business. At Ekwani Consulting, we put the utmost consideration for your business and attention to detail into the personalization process by carefully reflecting on your business goals and needs.
By personalizing your ERP, we are able to best set your software to work for you and with you without the stress that accompanies customization and code modification.
With a just-for-you personalized ERP, your software will be laid out to ensure that your business is running at its most efficient capacity because:
Many options that operate hand-in-hand with systems that may be unseeingly related are connected correctly
Options and settings that may be irreversible once chosen are integrated by experts
Personalizing the right settings for your ERP creates prime defaults for users
The likelihood of experiencing detrimental outcomes (such as struggling with negative inventory or exceeding set budgets) is diminished
And once your ERP is personalized, the options chosen do not necessarily need to be permanent. If business visions change down the road, many of your personalized ERP options can be adjusted to align with your new goals.
Why we recommend personalizing over customizing
By personalizing your ERP rather than customizing, your native code will remain untouched.
Your software licensing will not become void due to configuration, as it may with customization.
Your ERP developer will continue to perform updates and upgrades on the steady schedule it was meant to follow to make your software better than ever. On the contrary, a customized ERP has the potential to completely stall out or shut down once a developer update is made because of the nature of its incompatible coding.
You’ll have the “best practice” accessibility that had you sold on the particular ERP in the first place. Software is built to follow the most efficient, productive path and for this reason, does not benefit from the shift in practice that code modifications allow.
Once personalized settings are put into place, they remain in place (unless a manual, intentional change is made). You’ll save time, effort, and energy because your personalized system can be your forever system. Like aforementioned, if you do decide to shift gears in your business and further personalization is required, it can be done (and remain “set in stone”) for years to come.
Get Started Today
Are you ready to personalize the ERP that will allow you to improve your bottom line by automating, streamlining, and thriving? To get started, get in touch with us here.