The 6 Phases of Implementing an ERP
One of the biggest reasons that companies and small businesses shy away from enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems is because of the implementation process. It seems overwhelming and so nuanced that they don’t feel as though they have the capacity to pull it off.
And, if we’re being completely honest, we get that! ERP’s are extremely powerful systems that when implemented correctly, can IMMENSELY change the trajectory of your business for good. But if done wrong, they could cause you to waste money, time, resources and do the exact opposite of pushing your business forward.
Which, of course, is something that no entrepreneur wants to hear.
But giving up on ERP systems out of intimidation is also not the answer. At Ekwani, we know the successful heights that your business can reach and we believe that ERPs are essential to helping you get to that point. Which is why we’ve made ERP implementation one of our speciality services!
We take the intimidation and fear of ERP implementation away by executing it for you. And because we’re not only well versed in the capabilities and workings of one of the best ERP systems out there (hello Netsuite!), we’ve gotten ERP implementation down to a science so that you can bring us on with confidence that your money, time and resources will be put to good use and your business will be on track to only keep going up.
But on the off chance that you’re still a little hesitant about what to expect with implementing an ERP or even bringing on a team to help you implement your ERP, we’re here to share with you the exact process that you can expect!
Read to find out the 6 phases of implementing an ERP!
One: Research & Planning
The research phase prior to actual implementation of an ERP is important. We don’t want you bringing on just any ERP system afterall! So in phase one, we’ll sit down with you to get a better understanding of your business, what's working, what's not and where it is you want to be. After that, we’ll help you decide which ERP would best align with all of your needs!
Once you’re confident in your choice, we’ll start planning. What's the time period of rolling it out your new ERP? What order of departments do we want to roll it out in and what department heads will we need to coordinate with? All of this gets done during planning!
Two: Curation
During the curation phase, we’re drawing up a map of what we need your ERP to do for you. What industry requirements does it need to abide by? What functions does it provide right now that can help your business as is? What functions would need some customization? What functions does the ERP provide that you could implement into your business to help automate or streamline work?
In the customization phase, we’re tailoring your ERP to make sure that it's not only fixing all of your current problems but also fixing problems you didn't know you had AND alleviating any future ones. It’s one of our favorite phases!
Three: Development
After curating your perfect ERP system, we’ll dive into the technicalities of developing your new system and integrating other systems into it that your business may need to use on a daily basis so that it’ll have the capabilities to become your new hub.
Typically, this phase is the phase most businesses hate doing themselves when they choose the DIY route. The development phase is all about tinkering and implementing what was drawn up during the curation!
Four: Trial Period
Phase four, the trial period, typically happens simultaneous to the development phase. As configurations and integrations are happening, we’ll also be running tests to make sure that these updates and customizations are working appropriately!
By having a test period, it’ll allow us to move into the deployment phase with confidence and keep you from having any delays with employees running into things not working.
Five: Deployment
Deployment Day is the most exciting part of the implementation phase - its the day we roll out your new system! We’ll refer back to our initial planning phase of course to see what departments will be getting their hands on it first but Deployment Day will be focused on getting employees set up, doing training and answering any questions they may have.
Deployment Days typically require you to make space in your schedule as even the best laid plans can have some of their own hiccups.
Six: Getting Support
The final phase of implementation is getting support. Because even after implementation is done, things still happen! Little issues may need to be fixed or updates may need to be made as your ERP continues to grow and learn how to better help your business.
This is why at Ekwani and with ERP systems like NetSuite, ongoing support is always readily available to you and your team so that your moving your business forward doesn’t have to get delayed just because of a question!
And there you have it! The 6 phases of implementation that we do here at Ekwani. By following this process, we’re able to guarantee a smooth transition for you and your business as you continue to level up!