Choosing the right software is the most important part of any enterprise resource planning (ERP) project. Without a package that truly meets all your company's requirements you can't expect the next steps of the project to be successful. 

Once you have a software that fits your business it is time to move on to implementation. You can find stories of failed deployment around every corner. Hershey had a famous implementation failure that prevented it from delivering $100 million worth of Kisses for Halloween that year and caused their stock to dip 8 percent. Shane Company, the largest privately-owned jewelry retailer in the United States, filed for bankruptcy and partially blamed its botched ERP implementation for its decline.

These might be extreme cases but they are a good lesson for any company preparing to implement an ERP package — this step of the process should be taken as seriously as software choice. 

Here are some tips to help you ensure successful ERP implementation:

Plan ahead: Your priority should be to make sure an ERP project is done right, not done as fast as possible. Planning takes time but the entire company will benefit when the software is finally up and running. Don't jump into implementation without first ensuring that a vendor understands your business's requirements. Ask how they plan to deploy the solution you have chosen, and fill in any gaps in their plan. Every step should be accounted for. It's better to make sure you avoid problems before starting, than it is to spend time fixing issues later.

Strong project managers: Even if, for some reason, a failed implementation is your vendor's fault, it is your company that will own the failure — just as your company owns the success of a good ERP deployment. For this reason it's important to have capable project managers on your team. Get your top employees from the business to support and participate in the project. Make sure their is company-wide involvement and that each department understands the processes and procedures.

Change management: ERP software is a big change for your company. The system won't work effectively if your organization's employees can't use it. Invest in change management training to ensure a smooth transition into software use and to optimize ERP technology for better business operations. Workers should be trained thoroughly so that they can accomplish their typical responsibilities without too much challenge. It can be easy to get tied up in the technical capabilities of your ERP selection and assume that the best-in-class software will make your company better simply by existing. The truth is successful implementation is more about the people who will use ERP than it is about the software itself.

ERP software cannot be implemented successfully without clear requirements, a fully developed plan, strong project leaders and training. At Accent Software we have years of industry experience in deploying successful business management software. Contact us today for more information.