Methodology and Processes that make us Unique

Overall Methodology and Years of Learning

1. This can be difficult but it hinders projects if budget considerations are not at the front end
2. 1. perhaps start with ranges than narrow the range as is possible
   2. it is often difficult to determine a value for a business software system
   3. we can work together to determine overall budget and look at long term costs as well
   4. when software vendors come in this is one of the firt things they want in order to proceed
3. develop clarity on the goals
4. full buy in at all levels
5. Clarify the following as early in the process as possible
6. 1. an understanding of scope - best possible
   2. custom to package migrations must be reviewed carefully
   3. customizing existing ERP packages - Long term costs and effects
   4. keeping a project on track and on budget - setting realistic goals
   5. TCO
   6. understanding package updates and interruptions
   7. downtime and risk tolerance
   8. on-premise vs cloud (Saas)
   9. security considerations
7. assess and utilize stakeholders as much as possible and understand what resources are available
8. up front work without shortcuts
9. 1. shortcuts here are where many implementations fail
   2. processes, requirements and specifications should cover all important aspects and eventually address more standardized processes minimizing issues at go-live (lots to be discussed here of course)
   3. focus on key areas
   4. know your processes
   5. address painpoints, bottlenecks and everything that brought you to this point
   6. what makes your business great - areas that must translate well or be resolved with a new system
10. learn from past mistakes - mainly we review some of your past to see what has and hasn't worked - this can be eye opening.
11. 1. e.g. continuing down a failed path when very little has changed
    2. e.g. not having a good handle on budget
    3. we have seen failing implementations continued without any real understanding of potential and costs usually in the name of budget
12. think about the future - from growth (transactions, new products,...) to known plans
13. 1. look at TCO and future upgrade requirements - important
14. know when it is too much customization - customization can hurt down the road so it is a road taken with great care and only when necessary weighing all options
15. look for market specific software when it makes sense
16. 1. sometimes the market specific software can be very expensive
    2. It can however make more sense in a total cost of ownership review when customizations to other software are factored in
    3. an existing vertical package may grow in functionality tied to your industry and may meet needs more completely
    4. these have industry specific enhancements like reporting, quality, analysis, security, ...
    5. you may have proprietary needs or business advantages that are not in a package (e.g. quality or quoting are common)
    6. customizing most packages is again done with visibility and understanding.  Too many companies don't understand the ramifications even when necessary
17. reengineer processes whenever possible
18. 1. too much can't be said about this point
    2. standards are always better unless it harms the business of course
    3. change management discussions throughout this process
19. be willing to change where you can - so important
20. 1. implement change management to prepare the team for what is coming
    2. often they may lose a feature or a feature may be implemented differently but gain significantly in other areas.  This is very common when replacing custom software
    3. communication is key
21. adapt to standards - important (noted above)
22. 1. accounting
    2. manufacturing
    3. inventory
    4. quality
    5. ...
23. understand your data needs, what is not working, what you have and what you foresee needing.  Also you need to get a handle on data migration requirements as this can be a difficult area.
24. understand what is critical in the new system, market advantages, proprietary calculations, future proofing
25. where can AI help!

Our Processes

• assess stakeholder abilities and availabilities early on
• assess pain points and complex needs first
• document workflows in key / difficult areas
• get an overall view of requirements and any special needs (e.g. quoting, serialization, quality, documentation, complex inventory management, planning,...)
• develop specifications (this area can be a difficult area to know how deep to go, costs can skyrocket here, look for internal resources and internal documentation to do the leg work whenever possible).  
• document flows that are critical to the business and need to be relayed to software vendors accurately
• keep things as simple as possible - from start to finish
• • overcomplicating specifications can cause software vendors to often just bow out as they recognize a difficult implementation when they see one
• assess accounting needs and how deep to review, best to involve specialists in this area either in-house or from software partners.  DON'T take shortcuts here or make assumptions that hurt later.
• • cover key reporting existing, missing and future needs
  • product configurations, breakdowns, KPIs, analysis should all be as clear as possible
  • taking into consideration future requirements is important (new product lines, plans, thoughts, mergers, acquisitions...)
• Data migration review, to best understand what needs to truly make it into the new system.  This is an area we can save a lot of time on and cut down on vendor billing at high rates.  It is always recommended to simplify data migration whenever possible.

Next Steps

• Here we work closely with partners and generally utilize their processes after we have fed them requirements 
• This should save them considerable time and not create a situation where partners rushed the process which can lead to future issues
• We assist as needed and negotiated between you, the partner and us