When undergoing a transformative digital initiative at your manufacturing company, setting proper expectations within the project team—as well as with all employees—is a very important step that your company should consider.
Replacing an ERP system represents a significant company-wide change that all employees will experience. Before starting, using proven change management techniques will go a long way in helping everyone adjust to the change, minimizing disruption, and mitigating change resistance.
Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
Today’s business is under pressure to keep moving—to compete in the global marketplace, drive new levels of customer loyalty, and attract the talent your business needs to propel growth. Running the latest version of Epicor ERP today is essential to taking advantage of the opportunities of tomorrow. Upgrading can be disruptive, but it doesn’t need to be. Through successfully supporting hundreds of customers through upgrades, Epicor has developed the four key steps to making your move easier.
Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
Deciding to invest in ERP software for your business is a huge milestone and signals your business is moving in the right direction for growth. Financing ERP software is one option you may want to consider if sticker shock has left you hesitant to proceed with purchasing a system for implementation.
Fortunately, it is not all that difficult to finance ERP. By leveraging these options, you can continue running your business as usual without committing a big chunk of your budget at once.
Another attractive option for businesses considering the purchase of an ERP system is the option to leverage a software tax deduction through IRS Section 179.
If you’re already evaluating an ERP system and the price tag has put the brakes on your project, fear not. You don’t have to commit all that capital to an ERP software purchase all at once.
At this stage in the buying process, you likely understand how beneficial an ERP system can be for a growing business. Everything from accepting and processing orders to managing inventory and shipping to financial reporting can be completed in one, unified ERP system. Whether you purchase your ERP software as an out-of-the-box solution or customize it to your specific needs, the price may be high.
Fortunately, financing options are available to you that can make that purchase a far more manageable process.
Here are some things to consider in favor of financing your ERP implementation project:
Preserving capital through a financing option will allow you to start your implementation project immediately, leaving your precious capital available for use in other areas of your business.
Taking advantage of flexible payment options means you can structure the terms of your payment to fit your unique needs and business objectives.
Leasing ERP software is easy, simple, and intuitive. You can finance your ERP purchase as easily as you finance a home, car, or other common purchase.
Reduce long-term debt exposure through financing your ERP system to maintain a better Balance Sheet. With less debt, you will have access to more capital to further improve your business processes or expand operations.
Your ERP Software Financing Options
Manufacturers may be surprised to find that they have an array of options to consider when financing ERP software purchases. Loans and grants are just two of the most common options available.
Government programs allow manufacturers to apply for and be awarded grants and low-interest loans to put towards ERP software projects. A business needs to satisfy only a few criteria before it can be considered for such government-sponsored financing programs. You can find a sampling of such funding and grant programs at the manufacturing.gov website.
Alternatively, a company can work with an ERP implementation partner to scope out their project and approach private lenders who specialize in ERP financing.
Whichever option you choose to pursue, Encompass Solutions is experienced in financing ERP for manufacturers and can help you, from start to finish.
We’re Here to Help
Encompass Solutions works directly with companies that specialize in financing ERP software purchases. With our help and these strategic partnerships, you can manage your buying process more easily. That leaves you more energy to focus on things like implementation and training your employees on how to use ERP for the greatest benefit.
By working with us and our financing partners, you can break up payments into manageable sums spread out over time. This results in a powerful ERP system for your business and a low monthly payment that is easy to manage.
Our partners can help you finance ERP software and projects, including:
Software licenses – Perpetual and subscriptions.
Services such as implementation, project management, consulting, and training.
Prepaid, Multi-year SaaS agreements
Hosted Applications
Customized Website Development Costs
With financing terms available for between 24 and 60 months, you can reap the benefits of ERP now and worry about settling the bill later.
Consider working with Encompass and our partners on your next ERP project to leverage such benefits as:
Budget-friendly monthly payments with no large up-front costs
Conserve cash with 100% financing
Match cash outlay with benefits of the solution
Aggressive fixed rates
Credit approvals up to $250,000 without financial statements
Preservation of existing credit facilities
Want a better idea of how your financial plan will be structured? Use this intuitive ERP financing calculator to get answers to your ERP financing questions today.
Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
If you have not read the writing on the wall, cloud-based technologies and digital transformation initiatives are quickly becoming the focus for enterprises around the world. Providing more security, reliability, and mobility, cloud technologies simply provide too many benefits to ignore. However, their adoption is not always easy. As with any significant change at the organizational level, cloud ERP implementation challenges can stack up quickly. Here are the top 5 challenges in cloud ERP implementation and how you can address them before they impact your success.
Cloud ERP Implementation Challenges
While there are far more than five challenges that cloud ERP implementation may present to an organization, these are what we have found to be the most common. Several of these challenges are compounded by the increased reliance on remote workforces and the inability to meet in person due to environmental factors.
1. Change Management
While the age-old adage is nothing is certain but death and taxes, in business the only constant changes. For most people who are comfortably entrenched in the predictability of a routine, change can be a “four-letter word”. In most cases, change will be unsurprisingly met with resistance.
Change management will be one of your biggest hurdles in moving towards a complete cloud ERP solution from a system that was either previously on-prem or a hybrid deployment model of on-prem and cloud-based.
The easiest way to address the inherent resistance to change is to illustrate where things will improve. This is done not just by saying things will be new and modern. Show where those improvements will take place, and the cost savings and gains in productivity that system users and the company can expect to reap.
2. Focus
The last several months have pretty much done away with the divide between work life and personal life for a significant portion of the global workforce. Transitioning to remote work from home has presented unique challenges for enterprises of every size.
The result has been a muddying of work hours, family obligations, self-care, and a host of other responsibilities in one venue, without end.
The ability to focus on implementation can be a challenge in the best conditions. In a completely remote environment, where distractions are abundant, maintaining focus will be a challenge that presents itself consistently.
To overcome distraction and maintain focus, set aside specific windows of time for core project components. Businesses need to be open to scheduling compromises with employees and their families when the lines blur between work and home. By compromising on specific project hours, there is a higher probability of remaining focused on the progress of your implementation project. The remaining work time can be more fluid as the separation of workday duties and household obligations continue to muddy.
3. Security
One of your project initiatives may be an effort to move towards heightened system security. This is a great feature of Cloud ERP. However, during the implementation phase, you may not have advanced security in place to maintain your sensitive data. This security becomes even more difficult to maintain between remote resources, like staff and their workstations.
Make it a point to understand the risks upfront. You can take on the challenge alone, hire a consultant, or work in tandem with your implementation partner to find the right protocol for your case. A simple step, like password-protecting Wi-Fi connections, not allowing users other than staff to utilize remote workstations is a necessary first layer of security.
Firewalls and network security software should follow. If you do not provide the hardware your staff will be working from while remote, you may want to consider doing so. A small investment in this area can result in big savings when you consider the alternative.
Lastly, have a plan in place, both documented and practiced, with your staff. Make sure they understand the risks and the results of a security breach and demonstrate the protocol they are going to follow moving forward.
4. Access, Permissions, and Productivity
Yeah, I know that’s three things but each build on the former to deliver a complete effort. So, in the interest of time and space, they’ve been combined.
Not everyone on your cloud ERP implementation project will need access to all components of your system. Working with IT to designate the proper permissions will be critical in ensuring that staff remain on task and don’t have an opportunity to ruin transitioning data, either by malice or mistake.
Provisioning web and mobile access may fit into this implementation scenario, too. If your staff has spotty connections based on their location, consider bolstering their coverage through their provider to ensure your project isn’t impeded by poor connectivity. This is usually as simple as flipping a switch on the provider’s end. This way, you won’t lose precious time in the event cloud cover conceals the satellite internet connection of your data analyst in rural Illinois.
5. Knowledge
When leaping on-prem and, in many cases, outdated data management systems, tribal knowledge, and training will be integral as you move forward.
By relying on your most knowledgeable IT professionals and department heads to deliver their expertise during the cloud ERP implementation process, you have your top minds tackling your biggest challenge yet. However, there will be scenarios for which even they are not prepared. This is where training can be one of your biggest assets. Whether training is provided by your vendor or consultant of choice, or you have chosen to produce your training plan, enabling your project staff with defined direction and knowledge will ensure their success.
Lack of familiarity with a new environment is sure to produce plenty of anxiety and opportunities for missteps. Proper planning can help to mitigate these pitfalls. Having an experienced and knowledgeable guide through the process can eliminate them. That is because every implementation is different, and every company is different. With the experience of an implementation professional, there is a wider breadth of experience to draw from in the event an obstacle presents itself.
There will inevitably be some unexpected challenges for even the most experienced vendors, VARs, and consultants to guide you through. However, doing your research and taking the time to get familiar with the nuances of a cloud ERP implementation will impart the confidence and understanding any business needs to go through the project on their own.
Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
I’m Samuel Kniseley Ballesteros, and I’m an EOS Implementer™. You may already be familiar with EOS® or the book, Traction, by Gino Wickman, founder of EOS Worldwide. If you’ve never heard of EOS®, it stands for the Entrepreneurial Operating System®, and this short video clip tells The EOS® Story.
The EOS® Method
I help business owners who are overwhelmed with the 136 issues they’re wrestling with simultaneously. It’s all about getting a grip on their business and getting what they want from the business. I do that by providing a complete system with really simple tools. These tools help you do three things we call Vision, Traction®, and Healthy.
Vision from the standpoint of first getting your leaders 100% on the same page with where your organization is going and how it is going to get there.
Traction® from the standpoint of helping your leaders become more disciplined and accountable, executing well to achieve every part of your Vision,
Healthy means helping your leaders to become a healthy, functional, cohesive leadership team because leaders often don’t function well as a team.
From there, as goes your leadership team, the rest of your organization follows. We get to the point where your entire organization is crystal clear on your Vision, all much more disciplined and accountable in executing your Vision. The result is gaining consistent Traction® and advancing as a healthy, functional, and cohesive team.
I love to meet business owners to hear their stories and what they are trying to accomplish with their businesses. I also enjoy giving away some of my time (no charge) to get to know them and their leadership team. This includes teaching them the EOS® tools and proven process. After that, I want them to feel comfortable calling me anytime with questions. They need to know that I won’t ever push them to start implementing EOS. I’m a teacher, facilitator, and coach, not a sales guy.
About Samuel
In his 20s, Samuel began leading the International Division for North America’s top architectural metals company. His Cuban heritage gave him the language skills to conduct business with customers in Latin America. Samuel was part of the team that set and realized strategic goals. During that time, the company grew from almost $30 Million to over $100 Million within 10 short years.
The skillset Samuel learned there led him to an opportunity to start his firm. With that opportunity, he focused on helping companies improve their profitability.
Samuel’s firm picked up a client that helps CPAs become forward-thinking advisors. He worked directly with their team to refine a tool that helps CPAs measure a company’s business potential. The tool ultimately identified opportunities to increase value by improving the key components of the business.
After joining Stewardship Legacy Coaching to lead the Business Coaching Solutions Division, Samuel was introduced to the wonderful world of EOS®, and he was immediately attracted to the simplicity and practicality of EOS® to help entrepreneurs and their leadership teams make their vision clear, simple, and achievable.
Now, as an EOS Implementer™, Samuel is excited about helping business owners thrive as they achieve what is best for their families and their companies.
Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
A business unit of CSA Ocean Sciences, SeaRobotics is an SMB that is transitioning from a custom-engineered and prototyping house into a manufacturer of configurable autonomous maritime vehicles. Theirs has been an engineer and build-to-order process that they would like to standardize into more of a configure-and-build from standardized components driven by new investors. SeaRobotics has been the engineering and manufacturing work for the water rides at Universal Orlando in Florida and continues providing support for the theme park’s water attractions. The company has also developed and deployed the HullBUG which, much like a robotic vacuum for the household, cleans hulls on large ocean-faring vessels.
The Challenge
As primarily an engineering firm, each aspect of SeaRobotics’s business processes was tied to specific projects. There were issues of:
Stock Inventory or inventory control, as nothing is purchased to stock.
Deliveries were regularly late because there had been no way to schedule purchases or jobs.
Reports were generated from multiple sources, including spreadsheets, and were not available on a timely basis.
SeaRobotics could only recognize revenues after jobs. This left management in the dark as far as financial performance due to revenue being highly concentrated at random periods.
The business processes were heavily manual and dependent on one-to-one communications to achieve each step.
The heavy reliance on spreadsheets became cumbersome and fell short in supporting the projects and resources at SeaRobotics. Additionally, the company had outgrown its legacy system, Sage for accounting, purchasing, and project management. As a result, Project Management and the related revenue recognition were the most heavily investigated functionality being evaluated by the president, sales, and operations. Integration of engineering design and BOM from first Solid Works and then PDM was another consideration of SeaRobotics’ evaluation team. While many business systems were evaluated, none had the support required for SeaRobotics’ operations team, save for Epicor ERP.
The Project
After a lengthy selection process, Epicor was selected as the system to be implemented for several reasons. Namely, for SeaRobotics’ size, Epicor addressed the greatest number of challenges in an integrated package and offered proven “best practices” for their unique business processes.
Jim Browning, the COO and implementation Project Manager, relied on Encompass’ managing partner Sonia Haslam for advice on how to overcome issues arising from Epicor’s cookie-cutter implementation steps. Encompass consultants were brought on to adapt the system to more appropriately fit a smaller company in which staff whore multiple hats.
The implementation project was headed by Joe Sunderhaus of Encompass who designed the build to address five key requirements set by SeaRobotics. Their requirements were:
For staff to be self-reliant in training and process development using Epicor User/Implementation manuals
Project Management with WBS history that could be aligned with their old systems, plus monthly revenue recognition
The streamlined interface of Engineering and Epicor BOMs
Standardized business processes that eliminated the previously inefficient personal communication and follow-up necessary to complete any order
Better Job Planning and Scheduling of projects
To address these requirements, Encompass staff set up a workshop-oriented series of remote sessions with steps through single functional areas. Additional, “homework” at the end of each session was assigned to ensure a complete grasp of the concepts presented.
Next, the Encompass team helped SeaRobotics staff to overcome unique business issues with standard Epicor functionality on-demand. To keep costs down, Encompass kept site visits to a minimum. Remote training and education efficiency made this a cost-effective and effective process, though more training is needed for staff to assimilate to the “Epicor way” of doing things, rather than reverting to the way things were always done.
for the engineering and project components of the project, Encompass facilitated Qbuild in delivering CADLink and then stepped back, letting the vendor work directly with SeaRobotics engineering personnel. Now that the system is live, staff can put their new-found knowledge to use. However, there is more work to be done and weekly status meetings will continue, reviewing accomplishments and setting objectives for the following week.
The Results
With a completed and successful Go-Live in July 2019, SeaRobotics received the functionality they were seeking in a brand new Epicor ERP system and on budget. That said, no project is without its road bumps. In the case of SeaRobotics’ ERP implementation, the inability of critical team members to step away from business demands and focus on Epicor caused their initially projected April go-live to slip into July.
Now that the new ERP system is in place, the company has committed to using better procedures in line with the system to run its business. Encompass will support a first month-end on August 5 and 6 as well as outline a Phase 2 to include added functionality to be later submitted for board approval. Our two companies will also discuss whether Epicor can/should be extended to include SeaRobotics’ sister company, integrating the manufacturing processes between the two companies to maximize the manufacturing resources.
Additional Details
Founded –1999
Location – Stuart, FL
Industry – Manufacturing
Employees – 25
Epicor Version – Currently 10.2.400
Deployment – Cloud MT
SeaRobotics was founded in 1999 to pursue the development of robotic systems for deployment in the marine environment. The company has assembled a staff of highly qualified engineers, technicians, and personnel with extensive offshore and field experience. SeaRobotics specializes in developing products and technology for the maritime industry, producing autonomous, semi-autonomous, and remote-control systems. The company focuses on commercial, government, and defense markets around the world.
Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm, NetSuite Solution Provider, and Epicor Gold Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
When it comes to running a business, everyone has a business management system. Such a system can be as simple as a whiteboard on a breakroom wall but more often will take the form of spreadsheets and emails. These systems may even fall into the category of Enterprise Resource Planning software, even if users don’t know it by that name.
Businesses need to know the point at which they’re outgrowing a homegrown or siloed business management system. Here, we’ll detail What an ERP system is, the benefits derived from those systems, and how to evaluate an ERP system for your business.
What Is Enterprise Resource Planning Software?
ERP software is a means of communicating processes and resources to a business’ personnel. This information is then used by personnel to complete tasks such as how many parts to build for a purchase order or how many orders to fulfill by specified deadlines. The level of depth ERP software provides is virtually limitless.
Why Do Businesses Use ERP Software?
Unfortunately, businesses relying on spreadsheets miss out on putting a lot of their valuable data to use. Not only this, but they divide their teams into siloed departments that leave them working less efficiently. ERP software bridges gaps in communicating processes and resources with personnel. The result is accurate and relevant data delivered to those who need it, in real-time and across departments. Businesses will find ERP applications that enable better communication, increased efficiency, increased order accuracy and fulfillment, reduced inventory and labor costs, and happier customers.
The most modern examples of enterprise resource planning software deliver automation capabilities. Today, ERP software offers virtual assistants, workflow automation capabilities, automated data capture and entry, intelligent robot interfaces, predictive maintenance tools, and systems to connect manufacturing businesses from the shop floor to the top floor.
What Is The best ERP software?
The best ERP software is the one that checks all the boxes, or the most, when it comes to meeting the needs of your business now and into the future. That said, evaluating and selecting the ERP software that’s right for your business is not an overnight decision. Once you’ve decided that a more robust enterprise resource planning system is what you need, begin evaluating options.
The typical ERP evaluation process from the buyer’s end begins with research, then engaging those vendors or their certified resellers, discovery follows to ensure the ERP software is the right fit for a business, then demonstrations, agreements, implementation, and finally training. Some vendors and VARs will stop there, only reaching out to continue selling add-on services and upgrades. However, you will want to find a partnership with experts in the ERP software of your choosing. That’s because these systems will potentially help run your business for decades as you grow and expand. Finding the right fit for both ERP software and partnership among providers is important.
How To Select ERP Software
In short, every business is different and has different needs for ERP software. Though, there are core functionalities that all ERP systems will include, like financials and operations. Beyond that, there are systems geared towards retailers, manufacturers, healthcare, and just about every other industry vertical one can name. That said, no matter what ERP software you may need, there are reliable ways to evaluate ERP software that apply to the evaluation process regardless of industry and purpose.
Don’t get hamstrung by inaccurate data, lost information, and poor response time when unforeseen events take place. When the time is right to choose an ERP system that’s right for your business, big or small, talk to the experts at Encompass Solutions. We’ll connect you with a system that fits your build.
Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes for hundreds of customers across the globe. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
When it comes to EDI, just like any other transformative technology, some factors may present barriers before implementation can begin. Many barriers can present themselves when it comes to working with EDI for the first time and each may be unique to a business or industry. In this case, the most common EDI barriers to implementation are:
Understanding
Change Management, Education, And Effort
Time
Money
Willingness Of Customers Or Suppliers
1. Understanding EDI
Understanding EDI is often one of the first EDI barriers to implementation to overcome, but also the easiest. Once a business has a clear picture of the structure, mechanics, and benefits of EDI, the choice to implement or not becomes obvious. What follows is an evaluation of peripheral factors that make EDI implementation feasible or not for that business.
2. EDI Change Management, Education, And Effort
Second on the list of EDI barriers to implementation generally follows understanding EDI. The internal struggle to get management on board, vital staff trained, and reinforce a culture of continual process improvement is no small endeavor. For most businesses, change management is one of the most significant barriers to overcome in projects of just about any size and scope. For businesses taking on the responsibility to administer EDI in-house, this challenge is a pivotal one. Managing software and hardware installation, updates, and maintenance is a full-time job on its own. Many businesses make the mistake of assigning one key resource to oversee EDI, as well. The problems that arise when they decide to take time off or fall ill can be major roadblocks. The problems multiply exponentially should they decide to leave their role entirely. For those who bring on a third party, it’s not as significant. This is because a third-party EDI services provider completes the labor associated with EDI administration, updates, security, and auditing.
3. EDI Implementation And Maintenance Time Requirements
Unlike substantial technological projects, like ERP implementation, EDI Implementation can compete in a relatively fast timeframe. Though, this will depend on the size and scope of a trading network. For businesses with no connection to EDI through their suppliers, it will generally take longer to implement EDI than those whose suppliers and trading partners are already aligned to adopt EDI technology.
Maintenance is an ongoing effort for your in-house team and needs to be met with the same care and attention to detail as any other IT operation to keep things running smoothly. Setting aside time for new mappings, changes required when it’s time to upgrade, and regular auditing is necessary. Hiring a third-party EDI services provider can allay the pressures associated with maintaining your EDI infrastructure.
4. EDI Implementation And Maintenance Costs
Like most process-improving technologies, EDI costs money to implement and maintain. Early iterations of the technology were rather costly. Over the last several years, efficiencies and advancements in EDI have driven costs down. Now, implementations and maintenance are far more affordable for small and medium-sized businesses. The price of that implementation and maintenance depends on the number of documents being mapped and the size of a customer’s or supplier’s trading network. Costs come down when in-house IT maintains the EDI infrastructure, but the additional workload does not always justify the savings on the front end. Many businesses find it preferable to have a specialized third party administrate their EDI services, while in-house teams manage day-to-day operations.
5. The willingness Of Customers Or Suppliers
For suppliers, EDI is often already in place or easy to implement when requested by customers. Customers, on the other hand, may not be so keen on adding EDI infrastructure because one trading partner requires it. In this case, the trading relationship can be severed. Suppliers tend to be more open to EDI as a framework for optimizing how transactions and communications take place both in and outside of their organization. Still, suppliers may have particular requirements of an EDI solution that a customer or vendor may not agree with
How The Benefits Of EDI Outweigh The EDI Barriers To Implementation
While there are plenty of potential obstacles to overcome when implementing a transformative technology like EDI, the benefits are well worth the process. Successful implementation yields tremendous benefits for businesses, including:
Reduced administrative/transaction costs
Decreased inventory levels/inventory costs
Improved information accuracy
Improved cash flows
Better customer service
Enhanced competitiveness in the marketplace
Efficient communication
More valuable trading partner relationships
More free time for valuable in-house resources
Improved security
To learn more about EDI and how it can benefit your business, contact the EnTrust EDI experts at Encompass Solutions using the link below.
Encompass Solutions, Inc. is an ERP consulting firm, NetSuite Solution Provider, and Epicor Gold Partner that offers professional services in business consulting, project management, and software implementation. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, and renovation of existing systems or addressing emerging challenges in corporate and operational growth, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. As experts in identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
When it comes to an ERP implementation or ERP upgrade, there are a significant number of factors to consider. Not only will you have to employ essential and proven ERP selection strategies, but getting the job done in a reasonable amount of time can be just as important. For some, it’s more important. Here are just a few ways a rapid implementation can be leveraged for a faster, smoother implementation process.
A customer recently went live in January, about four months after signing their purchase agreement with the ERP Vendor. Encompass had engaged with them in October, days after they completed their initial install. Several factors helped ease the process, and you might want to consider them as you evaluate the potential benefits of rapid implementations.
1) Timing
Trying to time the project to coincide with your slow season will minimize downtime and maximize the utilization of staff during what may be your least productive time. In the case of this example company, January to March is a dead time for one of their companies and about half the volume for their second company. As a result, the choice was made to focus on a minimal go-live event in January. This allowed for extra time in February to wrap up loose threads and address potentially unforeseen issues.
2) Experience = Wisdom
The company’s core team was comprised of three members that had firsthand experience in other ERP implementations. That perspective made for significantly better decisions and focused efforts to be made throughout the project. It can be difficult imparting a similar perspective to inexperienced customers who do not want or cannot afford to hire a consulting team for their rapid implementation, but it definitely helps when they have it.
3) Embrace The Phase
If the core requirement for your go-live strategy is to sell, ship, invoice customers, buy, and pay suppliers on day 1, a phased, or layered, approach can work exceptionally well. For all the other “wants” out of your ERP system, logging, planning, and working on those components as soon as possible after go-live will deliver the results you are after. With this approach, you can be working on other functionality you need within days of your go-live event.
In the case of our example company, the phased approach can be applied to things like engineering. By making sure they had their top-selling parts and parts on order fully engineered, everything else was pushed out with the understanding they would work through the list over time. In this case, data conversion from their old system wasn’t very clean, and most of their engineering data were bad, to begin with. Trying to have perfection on day 1 would have pushed the project out three months. Instead, they do not lose any operational function while they work within their ERP system to migrate and clean up their company data moving forward.
4) Vanilla Is A Good Choice
While a perfect implementation would be created around a business’ processes and workflows, this can cost a lot of time and money. For our example company, they didn’t have time to customize. Knowing that processes would have to change as a result, they accepted Epicor’s standard workflows and trained them. Rather than bending the system to accommodate their process, they adapted some processes. Staff understood the legacy system was being replaced and that change was inevitable. It was a very realistic approach that delivered ideal results for an imperfect scenario.
Interested In An ERP Rapid Implementation?
If you are considering an ERP solution, think a rapid implementation is the best fit for your business, or would like to speak with an Encompass consultant about the topic, don’t hesitate to contact us using the link below. We look forward to connecting you with a business solution that fits your build.
Encompass Solutions is a business and software consulting firm that specializes in ERP systems, EDI, and Managed Services support for Manufacturers and Distributors. Serving small and medium-sized businesses since 2001, Encompass modernizes operations and automates processes. Whether undertaking full-scale implementation, integration, or renovation of existing systems, Encompass provides a specialized approach to every client’s needs. By identifying customer requirements and addressing them with the right solutions, we ensure our clients are equipped to match the pace of the Industry.
