Building the right implementation team is crucial for the success of your ERP implementation. An ERP system implementation can be a complex process that involves multiple departments and stakeholders across the organisation. Each team member should have the required skills, knowledge, and experience to ensure that the implementation is completed on time, within budget, and meets business objectives. In this blog, we will discuss the key factors to consider when building your implementation team and provide tips to help you create a high-performing team that can drive your ERP implementation to success.
Establishing a strong project team is critical. The team’s responsibilities involve establishing top-level goals, requirements and key performance indicators (KPIs); conducting day-to-day project management; ensuring that the project stays on time and on budget; and measuring results.
During the implementation, the team must be able to resolve conflicts and mediate between different groups within the organisation. It may also need to make decisions about midstream changes to the ERP implementation strategy, based on user feedback and input.
Each member of the team should have clearly defined roles and responsibilities based on their areas of expertise and how much time they can devote to the project.
Executive Sponsor
Every project needs an executive sponsor—someone at or near the top of the company who will champion and drive the implementation strategy. The executive sponsor helps assess risks and devise action plans and often serves as the company cheerleader and internal face of the project. During the implementation, the executive sponsor receives updates from the project manager and sometimes from core team members.
The executive sponsor typically makes final decisions about the project, balancing input from the implementation team with customer needs.
These decisions may include whether to increase the project budget, which business processes to automate and whether to add or remove personnel.
Project Manager
Any ERP implementation needs a point person who makes sure timelines are met and the project stays within its planned scope. The project manager is that person. This person could have a background in IT but is often someone from the finance or IT department, depending on the project focus.
The project manager typically selects a few different ERP vendors, schedules demos for the team and organises the final evaluation. They also coordinate all the steps of the implementation, including mapping the system to business processes and testing. At each stage, the project manager will update the project plan and serve as the liaison between the executive sponsor and the team members.
End User
The end users on an ERP implementation team, some of whom are super users that have a deeper understanding of the system’s capabilities, will raise any concerns their departments have about the system design. They can encourage adoption and help with training and troubleshooting within their department.
End users need to have leadership skills to champion the project with other colleagues, as well as decent technical and communication skills.
Core Cross-Functional Team Members
In addition to end users, the team will need technical experts from different areas of the business, like finance, IT, manufacturing, sales and marketing, HR and possibly more. These team members are responsible for helping direct software design and configuration to support their business processes and identifying ways to support those processes with the new system. They usually need to learn some of the technical aspects of the ERP software to better understand how it can address different business needs and help users with technical issues.
Report Writer
A key part of the value of an ERP system is the ability to generate reports that provide analysis and insights on every aspect of the business. Traditionally, report writers came from the IT department since they needed technical skills to customise the software’s reports.
However, that’s changing and report writing could fall on a member of the accounting or finance team. At the very least, reports should include substantial input from finance since they will be using the reports and know what information they need. That person must develop a detailed knowledge of the ERP system’s reporting tools and the data the system stores.
The report writer’s responsibilities include analyzing the organisation’s existing reporting procedures and developing ways to enhance them with the new solution. They may continue to be involved in modifying and creating new reports after the system goes live.
Implementation Partner
Companies often use an implementation partner to handle the technical work involved in deploying the system and to reduce the responsibilities put on the internal team. For example, an implementation partner can act as the project manager and
also, coordinate the technical aspects of system customisation and installation.
Building the right implementation team is a crucial step towards a successful ERP implementation. By selecting the right individuals with the necessary skill sets and expertise, you can ensure that your project stays on track and on budget. In our next blog, we will explore the importance of identifying the best implementation strategy. We'll take a closer look at the different approaches you can take and offer tips to help you determine which is the most suitable for your business.
