ERP is a big step for a company and one that requires the involvement and engagement of everyone at a company. With a large-scale systemic change, it can seem difficult to get the agreement you need to succeed. There are steps, however, that you can take to streamline the process and guarantee engagement and support. Making the right business case for ERP can get you buy-in from key people at your company. Getting organizational support from important stakeholders at your company will make managing the change to ERP much more efficient.
Understand and Share What ERP Means
ERP should create holistic change at a company. Data, once siloed will work dynamically across departments and collaboration will find new life when implementing ERP. An ERP project is not just about getting the latest and greatest in technology, it is about transforming how you do business at your company. When making a business case for ERP, explain to your stakeholders that this is not just new software — it is an opportunity.
Define and Share a Vision
Once everyone understands what can happen with ERP, you need to define a clear vision for how that will manifest at your company. What processes will ERP streamline? What pain points will it solve? Will your company be able to achieve goals previously beyond reach? Flesh out a vision for where ERP will take you and share it with your division leaders. They should share it with everyone in their departments so you have company-wide consensus on the potential of your new ERP solution.
Make Key Stakeholders a Part of the Process
The ERP purchasing process is quite complex, or at least it should be, if you are doing it correctly. Ask your key stakeholders across your company to take part in the decision-making process. The benefit of doing this is two-fold: they will have agency and invest, and you will get the insights you need to choose the best ERP system for your business.
Invite Questions… and Even Criticisms
During the purchasing process and in the earliest planning stages, you want everyone asking questions… and even questioning why you want to bring ERP on board. This will give you all a way to clarify what you need from ERP and why you need it. Your ERP vendor should be more than willing to answer all questions, too, and your stakeholders will know their voices are being heard and their questions answered.
Involve Your Team in Implementation and Beyond
The user experience is one of the most important aspects of an ERP solution. Work with your vendor to ensure that the implementation engages your end users through training sessions. If your employees don’t gain the real-world experience, they need to thrive in your new ERP environment, it may all be for naught and you won’t get the ROI on the solution that you should.
Organizational buy-in is an essential component of finding and implementing the best ERP solution. With a few easy steps, you can ensure that your team is onboard with ERP and ready to go. What experiences have you had with creating a business case for ERP? How do you encourage engagement at your own company? Let us know in the comments below or explore ERP solutions for your own company at inteltech.com.
