“Our ERP implementation project was a lot of fun—really no hassles. We came in under budget and completed ahead of schedule.”
Steven Utopia, COO - Fantasy Land Manufacturing Corp.
Radical ERP Implementation Control
Well . . . Steven Utopia (quote above) does not exist, but what he said is possible. However numerous forces effectively make such a vision nearly impossible. The main force holding back ERP implementation projects is the current paradigm which is:
- A majority of companies buying ERP do not understand the true potential of an ERP project—much less the internal project controls needed to reach this potential
- ERP implementer’s services are designed and delivered to accommodate these ERP buyers and their limitations
In our over 900 ERP related projects since 1996 we have observed the paradigm described above materially affects well over 90% of the projects we see or hear about. And this negative paradigm would not be recognized by most ERP implementers—as their culture and methods presume this situation.
Starting in 2004 Engleman Associates, Inc. (EAI) developed the concept for a different implementation control approach for ERP selection clients. The emphasis of the process was to comprehensively put the buyer in control of the implementation project—regardless of the ERP being implemented. It took about eight years to stabilize this ERP implementation process as we had to confront and change many assumptions and ingrained practices from the current ERP implementation service industry.
Today we have solid success stories—and are developing many more.
Preparing to Implement ERP
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ERP Implementation Support
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ERP Risk Control
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Hiring an ERP Implementer
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Controlling ERP Implementation Complexity
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Full Benefits of Using Radical ERP Implementation Controls
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Negotiating ERP costs is complicated and the ERP software vendors take advantage of the buyer’s lack of experience. SoftSelect’s experience and influence helped us level the playing field. We clearly saved money and lowered our long term risk.
SoftSelect was a great partner throughout the process of choosing an ERP solution. They helped us control the terms throughout the ERP buying process, and we achieved impressive results in reduced ERP license fees. Having an experienced partner like SoftSelect, helped us negotiate for the products we need and set our expectations for the process of implementing these solutions.
Long term ERP license costs were initially very difficult to calculate. Working with SoftSelect we were able to insist on a predicable ERP license fee approach and achieve much lower initial and ongoing license fee costs.
