Here at Bennett/Porter, experience has taught us that businesses recognizing the necessity of Enterprise Resource Planning system software are also clear-eyed enough to understand that ERP implementations can be incredibly challenging events for even the most organized company. The most forward-thinking ones frequently take this understanding into the realm of action by asking a couple essential questions. Who is best-suited to do the heavy lifting? Who can make the process a smooth and successful endeavor? The answer is: the project champion.

While it's not technically the end of the process, the high point in your Enterprise Resource Planning system implementation is when you go live and start using the software to support day-to-day operations. Although  numerous variations exist to each approach, there are three essential options for making the transition from testing and preparation to live operation: 'big bang', phased roll-out over time, or parallel operation. Each strategy has benefits and drawbacks, and none of them is empirically right or wrong. Your selection must depend on which appoach fits your company's objectives, resources, and needs.

You've selected the ideal Enterprise Resource Planning system for your business. Now who is going to help you put that solution into action? It's likely going to be an implementation partner. Some companies treat that partner as the less important component of the implementation. In truth, a successful implementation will depend as much on finding the right partner as finding the right software. Because an ERP system will touch every aspect of your business, you need a partner who is genuinely interested in learning all about your business and technology objectives so that they can map their implementation expertise to exactly what your organization needs.

Implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning system is a team effort. And not just one team. Many. That's because the project team will draw from just about every area of your organization - just like your new system will influence all those areas. This diverse team must have an executive sponsor, strong leaders, clear objectives, and sufficient budget resources to successfully complete the job.

Purchasing an Enterprise Resource Planning system is kind of like purchasing a magic wand. If you buy it and just try to use it without knowing how it works, the results could be disastrous and long-lasting. You need to get to know a wand's powers; learn how to speak its language so you can cast controlled, beneficial spells. It's the same with an ERP system. With dedicated time and effort, both objects can work wonders in their respective realms. Sadly, effective ancient spells are hard to come by. On the other hand, ERP implementations are usually accompanied by entire teams of people who share a common goal of long-term, evolving success. Our final three posts in this ERP series will be dedicated to areas you should thoroughly consider in order to make sure your ERP implementation magic is as potent as possible.