ERP Implementation

Service description

ERP implementation selects and sets up an enterprise resource planning system that runs core operations such as finance, purchasing, inventory and order management on one platform. Work typically includes choosing the system, configuring it to the business's processes, migrating data, connecting other systems, and training users before go-live. It replaces separate spreadsheets or older systems.

Common industries

Applies across industries, especially those with inventory, orders or multiple entities.

ROI

A well-run implementation is the difference between a system that streamlines the business and an expensive stalled project — the stakes are high, which is why scoping matters.

Benefit

Select and implement an ERP system and migrate your processes and data onto it, with the integrations and training to make it stick.

Why get it

Businesses move to an ERP when growth outpaces spreadsheets or older systems, or when disconnected tools make reporting, closing the books or tracking inventory slow and error-prone.

When you benefit

A one-time project, often phased, followed by ongoing support and periodic upgrades.

What it costs

Project fee or hourly.

When you pay

Providers typically quote a fixed fee for assessment and selection, and either fixed price or time-and-materials for the implementation. Payment is usually tied to phases such as design, build, testing and go-live.

Other costs

Software subscriptions or licenses, data migration and cleanup, integrations, user training, and internal staff time are commonly separate from the implementation fee.

Risks to know

ERP projects commonly run over budget and schedule when requirements are unclear, testing is rushed, or the business underestimates change management and data cleanup. A poor go-live can disrupt orders, shipping and billing, and cost the business revenue.

When risks arise

Scope and data problems surface during design and migration testing. The most serious operational problems, such as order or inventory errors, tend to appear at and just after go-live.

The process

The provider gathers requirements and helps select or confirm the system, then configures it to the business's processes. It migrates and validates data, builds integrations, and runs testing with business users. After training, the provider supports cutover and the first period of operation.

Your commitment

The business defines its processes and requirements, assigns a project owner and staff who know the work, and makes them available for design and testing. It must clean its data, choose go-live timing around its busy seasons, and support training for the people who will use the system.

Documents to gather

• Current process maps for finance, purchasing, inventory and orders
• Chart of accounts, item and customer master data
• List of systems that must integrate
• Current reports the business needs to keep

Helpful reading

• 18 famous ERP disasters, dustups, and disappointments — CIO.com
• Putting the Enterprise into the Enterprise System — Harvard Business Review