Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is an impressive concept . Just hearing the term conjures visions of a corporation fully automated, every business process operating at maximum efficiency, all resource use fully planned, controlled and understood . In fact, the only thing more impressive than the idea of ERP is the amount of confusing and conflicting information you encounter when you try to turn the concept into reality . On the positive side lie all the great things ERP’s promoters claim it can do . These include streamlining and automating your business, and generally making it a model of efficiency and cost-effectiveness . On the negative side lie the scare stories of failed ERP implementations . These range from total disasters resulting in losses of millions of dollars and years of work to mere disappointing installations that provide little value for the money.
Any project with such dramatic upside or downside potential amounts to a potential career maker or breaker . That alone makes it hard to decide what to think, much less do, about ERP . At the same time, ERP is almost impossible to ignore . The potential benefits are so large you have to at least consider it . And even if you ultimately decide against using it, you need good reasons for your rejection .
Moreover, deciding whether or not to implement ERP is not the beginning of the learning process . Rather, the decision comes some time after you have begun analyzing what ERP can and can’t do for you . Just getting to the go/no go point requires a lot of homework . If you decide it’s a go, the next decision is how you’re going to do it . And the key factor in both decisions – the whether and the how – will be why you want to do it.
All in all, determining the best course requires sorting through a number of complex issues . Some have to do with your business processes and priorities . Others involve technical factors, especially ERP vendors’ and software’s capabilities . Given such complexities, no simple checklist will resolve all the issues . But clarifying the following ones will point you in the right direction .
What you want ERP to do for you?
The fundamental promise of ERP is that it makes your employees more productive and your business more efficient . It does so through two fundamental mechanisms . First, it automates various business processes, making them more individually efficient . Second, it integrates these automated processes so they can work together . The integration is crucial: it lets different departments, systems and functions within a company communicate and share information better . Combined, all this automation and integration brings a variety of specific benefits . Most commonly these have to with cutting costs, increasing revenues, saving time and other such improvements . Some are easier to quantify than others, but even those that are hard to quantify can be valuable . The following list illustrates the broad range of potential benefits you might look for in implementing ERP .
Better control of inventory such as parts, materials, supplies and equipment: ERP software lets you keep better track of which items you have in your warehouses and other locations . That means you no longer need keep excess parts, products or supplies on hand to avoid unexpected shortages . This is particularly attractive in manufacturing, service industries and retail, where lean operation is crucial . ERP software can also tell you lots more than the quantity and location of inventory . With perishable items, for example, it lets you track expiration dates . With large items such as vehicles and equipment, it helps you keep on top of factors such as warranties, depreciation and maintenance schedules .
Reduced time spent on routine administrative tasks: Integrated apps that exchange
data reduce the need for employees to manually enter, re-enter or forward information . The reduction cuts employee keyboard time, a big money-saver in itself . But it also reduces the opportunities for errors . This saves money by decreasing financial, refund, reshipping and other costs and penalties . It also produces yet another way of saving time: Employees spend fewer hours straightening out mistakes . The overall result is a general increase in productivity.
Better control of spending: Automating purchasing through integrated ERP software can save both money and time . It saves money by letting managers enforce company-wide policies to take advantage of discounts and other savings opportunities . It saves time by streamlining activities associated with selecting, ordering, approving and paying for purchases .
Shortened order-to-delivery time: Integrated automation applications reduce delays in making, selling and delivering products . This lets you get paid sooner, and again cuts the cash value of parts or products in transit . Decreased delivery times can also contribute to another great benefit of ERP implementation: improved relations with customers . And while the bottom-line value of this improvement may be difficult or easy to measure, there is little doubt that it is one of the more important benefits of the technology .
More-efficient customer support: The integration of systems for automating business processes enhances customer support in several ways . It lets agents more easily track the location of products being repaired or replaced . It provides quicker, more accurate information about items needed for such repair or replacement, letting staff know whether the items are in stock and where they are . The measurable effect, in the form of reduced employee time spent handling customer support issues, can be significant . But here too, the potential payoff in customer satisfaction is both substantial and important .
Better overall visibility and control: With multiple integrated automation apps providing data to core financial software, managers have a lot more information at their disposal . They can see where financial and process bottlenecks are . They can determine which processes and operations are most efficient . They can get a better sense of how various technical, marketing or strategic initiatives are paying off . These insights help them improve productivity and create better long-range plans .
Increased accountability: With the increased visibility ERP provides, executives can not only see where improvements are necessary, they can also pin down just who needs to be responsible for the improvements . They can see which departments aren’t handling spending correctly or responding to customers rapidly . They can see which pipelines are bloated with inventory, parts or supplies . This gives them the comprehensive information they need to assign responsibility based on evidence rather than instinct .
Enhanced competitive advantage: All of these results of ERP implementation enhance competitiveness in multiple ways . The evidence of this increased competitiveness may come indirectly, though . There may be a big customer win due to moving more quickly and/or bidding lower than a big competitor . There may be a general trend towards increased market share . The proof may never be conclusive . But the likelihood that ERP will make you more competitive is too substantial to ignore . Your competitors are almost certainly implementing or at least considering ERP . For that reason alone, you should be too.
But that's just the start. To learn about potential pitfalls, and how to avoid them, read the rest of this whitepaper here.
To learn more about how ERP can help you business, view our web demos or call 877.395.4SAP to speak with a certified pre-sales consultant.
