Often overlooked by small to medium-sized businesses during an implementation of ERP Software – do not ignore ERP project management!
Make sure you allocate at least 10% of your ERP implementation budget to project management.
Key elements of Project Management for ERP implementations
ERP Project management is divided into two key elements – your ERP implementation partner project manager (part of the ERP implementation partner team) and your own internal ERP project manager. Even if you have the best external ERP partner implementation project manager always appoint your own internal project manager to assist with the management of your ERP project.
These ERP project managers will have responsibility for guiding the implementation through the various phases, managing scope change, budget control, ensuring decisions are made in a timely manner and reporting progress to the business.
A strong internal project manager will make a huge difference to the timely delivery (within budget) of your ERP software implementation.
Appoint a Project Manager to avoid the following challenges
Very often the delays associated with an ERP implementation relate to the following:
- Slow decision making;
- Poor planning of meeting agendas;
- Unnecessary scope changes;
- Unclear scope or poor communication to ERP implementation consultants;
- Poor delivery of legacy data.
These issues can be resolved with careful ERP project management – by both the external ERP implementation consultants and your own internal ERP project manager.
Assuming you have chosen the right ERP implementation partner for your ERP software project they will provide you with a good project manager. Now the important aspect is your choice of internal ERP project manager.
Very few Small to medium-sized companies have dedicated IT or project management skill sets in their business. As a result, you will be asking someone in the business to take on the internal ERP project management role as a part-time role for the duration of the ERP software project.
For small to medium-sized businesses this is usually a three to six-month timeline.
What are the key skills required from an ERP Project Manager?
Let’s assume one of your accounting team members is happy taking on the internal project management role for your ERP Software implementation – let’s look at the required skills.
- Good communication skills;
- Good general business knowledge (accounting, operational and technology);
- Highly organised;
- Operates well under pressure;
- Has the buy-in of senior management;
- Is well respected by peers.
Your ERP software internal project manager will take responsibility for managing the following elements of your ERP Software implementation:
- Budget vs Actual billing;
- Scope changes;
- Communication between the ERP implementation partner and your business;
- Making sure that the ERP implementation partner gets access to the right people, the right technology, and the right data in a timely manner;
- Company representation at project meetings;
- Expectation setting;
- Assist with change management;
- Help create system documentation as required.
Conclusion
Appoint a strong internal project manager to manage your ERP implementation. This is another important step in the process of successfully implementing ERP software in a small to medium-sized business.
The team at Leverage Technologies has helped more than 250 Australian businesses grow smart woth Enterprise Resource Planning. Call 1300 045 046 or email info@leveragetech.com.au to talk to an ERP consultant in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.