NorthEast Regional Council
The Institute of Management Accountants
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Bryant University
A Journey
into a Successful
ERP Implementation
What’s the Patient’s Condition?

How is your Current ERP System
performing?
 Interview Key Users
 What are the pain points?
 Is every day a challenge
○ Is your current system so impeded that a
pencil and piece of worksheet paper make a
good alternative
○ Has your system vendor stopped its support
What’s the Patient’s Condition?
 Is data easily retrieved when needed?
 How are the reports… do they meet today’s
information needs?
○ Are reporting items not being met?
○ Being met with a great deal of pain
○ Being met but only with the merging of several
systems output
○ Being met easily and without delay
What’s the Patient’s Condition?

What is Senior Management’s Opinion
of the current systems?
 Is there “BUY IN” by Sr. Management toward
the replacement of the current system?
 Is there commitment to support a long-term
project with substantial investment
requirements?
 Will they provide the needed support both
financial and staff to make the project a go?
What’s the Patient’s Condition?

Quantify the findings with a study
 Third party help is a must (IBM, PwC, etc…)
 The results will surprise you
 Share the results with management

Commit to a Project
 Give the project its own identity
 Give it a presence at the office/campus/plant
 Share the news throughout the organization
A Journey
into a Successful
ERP Implementation
To Buy or To Build?

In most cases it’s not even a question.

Interviewing the Developers
 Can you provide a solution?
 How long to get to production?
 Can you provide a long-term solution?
 What will it cost us?
 Are there alternatives?
So you’ve decided to buy!

Interviewing the players
 General Sessions by Team
○ Show me where it hurts
○ Create an inventory of current system
problems and questions

It’s RFP Time
 Who do you recommend that we contact
 Who can most readily meet or needs in a
system implementation?
So you’ve decided to buy!

Parading the Vendors
 Open meetings with lots of players
 Video record the presentations for later use
 No question is a bad question
 See the demos, ask how the demo fits into
your world.
 Will their system meet our needs?
 Watch out for vendor hype – Remember you
are talking with the sales and marketing staff
So you’ve decided to buy!

Review the meeting data

Score the vendors

Get Sr. Management Input

Select the 1st and 2nd place winners

Negotiate the deal
You now own an ERP System…

What comes next?
 Find a reputable implementation partner.
○ Interview consultants with prior experience
○ Build a team of system specialist
 Build your internal team of players
○ Seek the best your company can offer
○ Get the experienced staff on the team
○ Exploit the knowledge base in house first
○ Go outside only after all quality internal candidates
have been considered.
○ Know what you are buying
○ Offer Incentives to encourage staff to succeed
BLUEPRINTS
Process
Design
Definition
Blueprints for the future
Blueprints for the future

Basic Needs
 What does the system provide
 What are the needs of the system
 How does the system meet the needs

Interview current staff
 Talk about the pain points
 Specific solutions to meet the user needs
Blueprints for the future

Formulate and document
 Write a narrative of what needs to occur
 Assign roles to specific functions
 Draw a process flow
 Indicate intervals that are supported by the
system already
 Indicate where development will be required
Blueprints for the future
2.1.4 Retirement of an Asset (Moveable Equipment)
Step #
1
2
Department/Role
Department Submitter
Property Accountant
2a
Property Accountant
2b
Property Accountant
3
Property Accountant
Description of Process Step
Completes an on-line asset retirement form.
The Property Accountant reviews the retirement form to
determine if it is completed correctly.
If the form is completed correctly, the Property Accountant
performs a retirement transaction in the system.
If the form is not correctly completed, it is returned to the
Department Submitter at step #1.
Runs standard report to validate that the asset has been
successfully retired.
Blueprints for the future
Process Design Definition
What is it?
 How does the PDD support the
process?
 Share the outcome with

 Users of data – Applications of Process
 Management – Discuss what is needed
 Leadership – Share what will happen

Live presentation and seek acceptance
Process Design Definition

What areas will require development
 System Enhancements
 System Modifications

Customized Reporting Needs
 Sources of information
○ Query tools
○ Business Warehouse data resources
 Needs of information users

Copyright the data gathered
REALIZATION
Configuration
Design
Document
Realization

Configuration
 Provide the necessary framework
 Establish key processes
 Establish the rules
 Document, Document, Document

Most lengthy phase of the install
 Develop processes
 Refine approaches
Where are the black holes?

Testing, Testing, Testing
 Unit testing by developers and SME’s
 Quality Assurance Testing with end users
viewing the process
 QA-2 – Users at the keyboard
 UAT – User Acceptance Testing
ROADMAP
FOR USERS
Business
Process
Profile
Roadmap for Users

Detailed step by step instructions
 Document every transaction
 Tips and Tricks
 How to pictures
 COification of the trxns.

Value of BPP
 At the desk resource
 Step by Step
Educate the Users

Training the Users
 Work Instructions

Live Classes
 Hands on computer labs

OJT
GO LIVE!

Two of the scariest words in the Users
vocabulary.

Project Management
 Helpdesk
 One on One Support
 Quit your bitching – you are not a victim!
 The old system is gone – Deal with it!
Post Go Live Support

Develop Reporting

Addressed Specialized Needs

Support Packs and Beyond
THANK YOU