A must read guide before selecting an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. We are business and financial experts helping companies move their business forward with technology solutions. We specialise in Microsoft Dynamics GP, Sage ERP X3, Sequence Kinetics and True Sky Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting. www.TGO.ca info@TGO.ca 905 470 6830

1. TOP 5 TIPS TO TOP 5 TIPS TO
TOP 5 TIPS TO
SELECTING THE RIGHT
ERP SOLUTION
By: Grantley Smith,
Solution Architect,
TGO Consulting

2. 1. Get The Right People
Assemble a selection team within your organization that
represents all the functional areas that you are looking
to address that will benefit from your new system.
Remember to consider areas of the organization that are
not currently served by your existing solution, as a new
ERP solution may have functionality that is applicable to
them (two good examples are customer service and
human resources).
Remember that the implementation of your new system
is a project, and should be treated as such. It will require
a project manager and functional leads with time to
dedicate not just to the selection process, but also to the
implementation itself.

3. `
2. Know What You Want
Conduct a thorough review of the shortfalls of your current solution and document
them in order of priority based on the level of pain they are causing the organization.
Define the pain caused and try where possible to place a cost associated with it.
Now get all your key users to document the key elements of functionality that they
would like to see from a new system. Again, prioritize these based on the importance
of each one is, with an explanation of why and what the value of the feature might
be.
Use both of these lists to help you evaluate the
new system you are looking at. Check that the
new system does not have the same constraints
as your old one. Then, quantify how many and
which of the new features your new system will
deliver.
This will help you understand which system has
the potential to deliver the greatest impact to
your organization. This will also help prospective
ERP candidates to understand what is important
and impactful to you within their solutions.

4. 3. Don’t Forget IT
Although your ERP solution is primarily a finance and operations play, you will need
to consider IT’s involvement in the process. They are the team that is going to have
to provide and support your new solution after implementation.
There may already be IT best practices in place that will impact your new ERP
solution, and their input will be critical to ensure that your final selection is right for
your environment.

5. 4. Do Your Research
Almost any modern ERP solution will have a
wealth of information available through the
Internet, but don’t be swayed by their glossy
brochures.
There are enough online communities out there,
and everyone will have an opinion. Try and find
sites that are informative as opposed to
negative – derogatory sites full of unhappy users
can be entertaining but are not very informative
to a business looking for help.
Do your research!

6. 5. Ask an Expert
All the previous steps are helpful, but the most help you can possibly get with
selecting the right new ERP solution is from someone that does this every day, not
once every ten years. There are Value Added Resellers (VAR) or an independent ERP
consulting firm that can help you extract more value from your requirements
gathering exercises up front. They can offer advice about which applications make the
most sense for your business.
Too many organizations go down the path of issuing a Request for Proposal. They
send out a list of functions that their new system should perform and score each
proponent based on their responses. Then they create a demonstration script that
everyone has to follow, and score everyone again. Then there is the inevitable price
comparison. This does ensure you will choose the slickest looking and most affordable
solution, but probably not the right one for your business.

7. 5. Ask an Expert
Find a company you trust and engage them
early on in your selection process. Walk
through the entire process with a trusted
organization and get an impartial and informed
assessment of what is available and what makes
sense. Value their opinions and expertise, not
the applications they may represent.
A good partner will tell you when they are not a
fit rather than try and jam a square peg into a
round hole just to get the deal.

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