How To Implement An ERP System

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eliminate re-keying of data, and improve reporting and accuracy of data.

How To Implement An ERP System

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Steps To Implement ERP Software

It really doesn't matter which Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software you or your company plan to install, there are always some basic steps that need to be taken when implementing ERP systems. Even a thorough understanding of the ERP software does not guarantee a consultant truly understands how to implement an ERP system successfully.

Each step of ERP implementation is critical, however, one of the most important and most overlooked steps is detailed planning to understand all of the business processes, the data elements that are involved, how the data is collected, the types of management reports used to run the business, and external systems that need to be integrated.

It's imperative that direction come from the highest executive levels, but at the same time, needs to involve all users of the system, since at the time the new ERP goes into production, at minimum, all employees MUST be able to perform their jobs. This is not to say that they won't do their jobs differently or more efficiently, but the data and operations needed to perform their job functions must be available.

Once all of the functional operations and system objectives are identified, the next step is to have someone knowledgeable on the ERP application develop a Functional Design which needs to include a Gap Analysis as well as a Systems Interface Design and Data Migration Strategy.

The gap analysis is critical and its purpose is to identify what functions are required that are not native in the ERP application. These are the functions that will require custom development and can greatly increase the cost of the total solutions.

The systems interface design takes into consideration the external systems that would need to be integrated and the associated methodologies and data flows.

The data migration strategy is a plan to migrate the current data from the existing system(s) to the current system. It's important, and usually not a small task, to make sure the data is "cleansed" before importing into the new system. Simply migrating the data itself is significant and can often require the development of data extraction and import tools. In cases where database tables may only contain a few records, it may be best to manually key the data into the new ERP system, rather than investing resources into developing migration utilities.

Once the above steps are complete, the developers can start working on prototyping including the development of data extraction & importing tools, developing customizations, creating reports, and testing.

Prior to going live on the new ERP system, the personnel needing training will need to be identified and training materials will need to be developed. In addition, user roles and permissions should be defined along with a detailed integrated testing plan that can be executed upon final migration of the data. It's also important to have a clear support strategy to assist users in adjusting to the new system.

Once live, technical personnel should be prepared to document any errors or issues and make necessary modifications.

For more information on CYOP's open source ERP solutions, please contact us or signup for a FREE Business Process Assessment.

Open Source ERP Professional Services

CYOP employs a proven project management methodology that includes a detailed requirements analysis to effectively discern feature/function requirements before any development efforts begin which minimizes deployment time and necessary re-work.

The CYOP planning process includes development of a basic Functional Design, a Gap Analyis to determine custom development efforts, a Data Migration Strategy to ensure data from current systems can be effectively migrated to the new system, and a Systems Interface Design to describe any external systems that need to be integrated and how that will be accomplished.

CYOP's Project Implementation Roadmap combines a coordinated technical programming and development effort with sound project management to effectively bridge the gap between the client and the programmers to ensure business objectives, and not just a programming exercise, are achieved.

CYOP leverages free open source software to build for our clients an application that is highly customized for thier business and that they OWN. Because the finished application is owned by the customer who has full access to the souce code, there is no vendor lock-in and the application can never be obsoleted since with a large community of open source programmers able to ensure ongoing development and support.

A key component in the implementation of any ERP system is the training of personnel and ongoing support. Users must be effectively trained in any improved revised business processes in addition to system feature/function. Common ERP training programs tend to focus on general system functions. Then, employees go back to their desks and don't know what to do. CYOP's ERP training focuses on working with the individual company personnel to make sure they know how to do their jobs, so once the new ERP system is live, employees already know what to do.

Additionally, a sound support process and infrastructure ensures personnel have a way to escalate any questions or issues and that any bugs are promptly addressed.

ERP Consulting & Implementation

Professional ERP Services

CYOP's services combine the best features of open source software with the best features of Software as a Service (SaaS), enabling organizations to effectively own, control, and further develop and modify as needed, their own ERP software application without the large expenses of hardware acquisition & maintenance, software licensing, data center facilities or an IT staff.

The CYOP team has extensive experience in enterprise computing and has successfully implemented dozens of ERP solutions resulting in increased revenues and growth for our clients.

By leveraging open source ERP software with CYOP planning, implementation and support services, even a smaller businesses can afford an enterprise-class ERP solution with no capital expenses, no hardware to maintain, no software license fees, and no need for on-site technical personnel. On-premises solutions are also available if desired.

CYOP specializes in OpenERP and Openbravo open source ERP solutions. We have a great Odoo PLM ("Product Lifecycle Management") solution for manufacturers using Solidworks or ThinkDesign CAD; and, we can also integrate robust eCommerce and point of sale (POS) options for clients that operate in the retail and restaurant industries.

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