ERP Implementation Life Cycle

When acquiring an ERP system, different points are evaluated to help make the best decision. In addition, not everything revolves around the software but also to understand the life cycle of implementation of an ERP. Understanding this point will allow you to answer how long the installation will take. The answer to this question is relative. Everything will depend on the structure of the project and the total time dedicated to it. A project can take from 2 months to several years.

Early stages of the ERP implementation life cycle

Planning and organization : In some projects this cannot be considered as a phase of the process, however, it is a very important part of a plan, since certain objectives are established before starting to invest the money, certain functions within the team that will be in charge of the project and times are determined. If you work on good planning, the results of the project will be well reflected, and everything will start according to plan.

Choice and installation of the system : Making a correct choice of the system that will keep our information in order, can be a total challenge, where the information collected for the search of the same takes a very important place, the collection of certain precise and specific data must be a very well covered task, since these data will allow us to know what is the need of the company when purchasing an ERP system. In addition to this, a demonstration of the system must be given, a selection between the possible options and a subsequent negotiation, occupying this phase between 3 and 6 months.

Installation: Installation is a time-consuming process, giving delivery of hardware and software, installation of infrastructure components, such as installation of networks and collection devices, installation of software that can take several days or weeks. ERP in the cloud can have little or no installation time and requires no software.

This not everyone does

Data conversion: Once all the system software is installed, one of the most important parts of the project is the conversion of data to our system, where the respective migration of all the information that the company is handling, accounts, financial statements has to be done. , records, customer history etc. It must be all the information that has allowed the operation of the company. Before activation it is important to emphasize that all transactional activity will be transferred to the new ERP system. Part of this activity must be complemented by training and validation of IT resources, in addition to constantly advising that all the steps are being carried out in the proper order. Although this activity requires a lot of time and effort,

You must do it to the point of exhaustion

User training and procedure development : This is the most important activity within the development of the project, since it assigns the roles that real users will occupy within the system in addition to constant training for its correct and adequate use. The time that this process takes will depend a lot on the size of the project, as well as the amount of time that the users dedicate to the system, since in turn they have to fulfill their daily activities, and be able to adapt to the new activities that the system requires. There are some companies that dedicate temporary help for the best development of the project.

From here many are lost

Testing and validation : This phase will require a lot of attention from the people in charge of the systems or technology department, since they must be constantly united with the users of the other areas, verifying that all the information and transactions are exactly as they had been handling in the previous system. For this, certain pilot tests must be carried out where it is required to constantly monitor with the users of the area that everything works properly and that the system is also meeting the objectives set at the beginning. This series of tests should not take much time, since, when doing a good data migration from the beginning, the information must flow adequately and constantly.

Cut and put into operation : This can be an instantaneous process, where users are given the task of maintaining the old system and the new system in turn for at least two accounting periods, this so as not to stop hitting and completely decouple users, in the same way to verify that the information contained in both systems is correct and works properly.

This does not end in configuration

Project monitoring and completion: The project does not end the moment the new system is put into operation and the old one is turned off. The implementation continues, verifying that each function is carried out appropriately and that users have constant training, exploiting system resources to the maximum and reaching beyond common use. And so, the ERP system must represent a technology to

Correct implementation paves the way for continued success

As technology advances, as each system or discovery is coupled with new generations, you must be prepared for this transformation and even more so for companies, since it becomes obsolete and without updates, will make the Companies stagnate and do not grow at the rate they plan. An updated and well-implemented ERP system will allow our company to develop all the potential it is intended to do and better yet, it will allow us to grow in a better way, and to always be prepared for new changes.

Allow Kanak Infosystems to guide you on that implementation path if you are considering or evaluating a new ERP system, for this we leave you a guide where you can evaluate the most important aspects when considering certain systems and also a small comparison with one of the systems most used. Do you want to know more about the erp implementation life cycle? Schedule a call with us!