Before embarking on implementing any job or activity, we all need to make a detailed plan. Planning to implement ERP helps administrators:
1. Understand and follow each implementation step
2. Ensure procedures, implementation rules take place in sequence, without jumping 3. Quality assurance when deploying
4. Calculate the initial cost, then compare with the actual cost
The situation of preparing for ERP implementation in our country is not really good.
Many businesses have deployment time almost many times longer than the time estimated in the original plan. The cause may be due to custom changes, personnel changes, capital sources, ....but it may also be because the business has not studied carefully before making a plan.
Enterprises can contact the supplier to better understand the process, implementation steps, implementation time, initial cost, ....to have a basis for a reasonable plan.
Enterprises need to have a reasonable plan because if the reality deviates from the plan too much, it can cause resource losses, work stagnation, etc.
3.2.Suppliers:
A. How many businesses have the supplier deployed?
The number of customers that the supplier has deployed will be a basis for administrators to have more objective assessments. If the supplier has many customers, the customers are large companies equivalent to a high level of prestige and quality.
B. Price list from supplier
Some distributors will have a general price list or do not specify the price for each specialized software. Administrators need to find out carefully by contacting the hotline.
At the same time, the administrator needs to learn more about the costs incurred later to limit the loss of additional capital.
C. Service quality from the supplier
Businesses need to evaluate suppliers from behavior and support through consulting sessions, live demos, or online demos. A good and potential supplier will greatly contribute to quick support during later use.
3.3.Human factor
3.3.1 Impact during implementation
A rollout takes at least 2 to 6 months. During that time, the activities of the employees in the enterprise will certainly be more or less interrupted. Enterprises need to understand which departments and divisions in the business are most affected by this implementation. From there, businesses can build up a new task board to help employees get used to the job.
B. Regular contact
During or after deployment, employees may feel confused and not fully acquainted.
At this point, the leader needs to show interest by communicating regularly. Not just once or twice but need to contact many times. This not only boosts the morale of the employees but also makes them feel part of the business.
Administrators need to make their employees understand the importance of ERP and are willing to cooperate to implement ERP. During the implementation process, it is possible to encounter employees who do not cooperate or do not attend meetings. In this case, the administrator should handle it very skillfully, limiting severe penalties, but instead should find out the cause.
C. Engage employees when implementing ERP
In the third key ERP implementation factor, one of the ways for employees to feel part of the business is to invite them to participate in the ERP implementation. Most importantly, employees are experts at their current job because they do it every day and
understand the problems that arise. Therefore, inviting employees to participate in ERP implementation is a check and review step. Besides, employees are the ones who directly use the software later, participating in the implementation will help employees understand more deeply about ERP.
D. Human resource training
In enterprises, not all employees have good computer skills to be able to use ERP proficiently. Therefore, ask the supplier for further training on how to use it for employees until proficient.
Employee training not only helps to increase human resources but also helps to make the most of the value of ERP software. If in the enterprise there are employees with computer skills and know-how of the software, the administrator can also assign those employees to people who do not understand to reduce training costs.
E. Monitor and improve
Once the plan is in place, find a supplier and launch it successfully. The administrator's job is to closely monitor the use of the software. Close monitoring will help administrators understand problems, and find gaps in software or human resources to have timely improvement strategies.
It can be said that in all fields, people are almost the center, other factors revolve around people. Therefore, managers need to pay more attention to the human resource factor, making employees feel like they are an integral part of the business.
CHAPTER 4: ASSESSMENT AND SELECTION OF ERP IMPLEMENTATION