All across the corporate landscape, organizations are starting to embrace software solutions that can be used to streamline operations. In many instances, this means investing in enterprise resource planning (ERP), inventory management, customer relationship management or other forms of business management software. However, in many instances, this is easier said than done.

A recent article from IDG profiled the most recent ERP upgrade that was carried out at the fast-food giant Wendy's. When the vendor they relied on announced a new version its 12 separate software modules, it became time to upgrade in order to keep running effectively.

According to Robin Nelson, a business analyst who worked on the project, the company decided to take an "as-is to as-is" approach to the upgrade. This meant basic upgrades were handled immediately and end-users requests for new features were added to a wish list that is being prioritized for future action.

During the development process, a core team of most internal staff of four database administrators, eight developers and five analysts, were in charge of the deployment. Nelson said that the organization hit it out of the park before the project even started.

A extensive communication system was set up before deployment was underway to ensure that all parties were in the loop at all times. By using Microsoft SharePoint, the company was able to have a centralized location for all project documents and collaboration notes. The team also made sure to engage the business users involved early and often. This added another level of accountability across the entire project.

Nelson said that from planning to execution, the entire upgrade – hardware, software and systems – was completed in six months. It also went "almost exactly as planned." There were some important takeaways however, that can be used to improve the deployment process going forward.

First, there needed to be a better investigation into the third party applications and hardware that will be affected by a new ERP system. There were also subject-matter experts brought in to handle specific training to employees on the process. However, a more formal training regiment was preferred by workers.

Nelson added that there was another factor that helped streamline the development process. The vendor that Wendy's is using does not offer much customization, making it easier to make decisions because their are few to think about. Regardless, this kind of project success is what every organization should strive for.

"On any enterprise project, six months from conception to go-live seems like an unusual feat, especially if the project remained within budget and users are happy with the results," said analyst Michael Krigsman, CEO of consulting firm Asuret, and an expert on IT project failures. "Apparently, Wendy's took a disciplined approach, clearly defining project goals at the start and minimizing mid-stream changes of scope. The basics always pay off: Clarity around goals, strict governance on change requests, and active communication."

Deploying any kind of manufacturing ERP software can be challenging, but that doesn't mean organizations need to go at it alone. With the help of a solution provider that specializes in these systems, any organization can gain the upper hand on these deployments.