Companies all over the world are looking for ways to run their business more efficiently. One of the best ways to do this is by implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. There are many different ways that companies can go about doing this, however, it is important that every company carefully analyzes the situation before choosing a new way to implement a Microsoft ERP system. The 7 most common methods are outlined below:
1. Waterfall Approach
This method of implementation starts out with gathering requirements and developing a design. After getting approval from executives, there will be a long period of development followed by testing and training users on the new system before releasing it into production. If problems arise during testing they cannot be fixed until after the official release. This is a common method in very large corporations that have the resources to do it.
2. Stealth Approach
In this approach, not much information is released about the development or purpose of the new system until its release into production. This works well when dealing with employees who tend to be afraid of change and may resist a new system out of fear. The stealth approach allows for a more successful implementation by keeping things low profile until users are ready to make a commitment. After using it for a while, resistance becomes less likely since everyone has had time to adapt to it and see how beneficial it can be.
3. Big Bang Approach
With this approach, all development stops once executives approve the design and approve funding for the system. All employees are expected to start using it immediately and there is no training given until the end of the project. This approach works well when a company has a short time frame before they reach a critical point where their current Microsoft ERP system becomes unusable or too expensive to maintain.
4. Top-Down Approach
In this approach, executives control everything from design to testing before releasing the system into production. They will usually make key decisions on how the system should run instead of allowing those closest to operations to make those decisions themselves.
This can work well if executives have a good grasp on what their employees need in order to be more efficient, however many times this method fails because it forces executives to use something they’re not familiar with and therefore cannot properly make design decisions.
5. Bottom-Up Approach
The goal of this approach is to get input from every level of the organization in order to create a system that will be able to meet everyone’s needs. This method works well in companies where many employees are involved in the decision-making process because it allows for them to have their say before anything is finalized.
Although this can give you an accurate depiction of what each department requires, it usually takes much more time than any other method and there is no way to control how long overall implementation might take when trying to work with so many different levels within the company.
6. Parallel Approach
This approach involves implementing two separate systems at once which share information with one another through data synchronization. For example, an old system could be used for sales so that the company does not lose any sales while the new system is being developed, and then switched over once it’s ready for production.
While this method can allow you to maintain business operations during development, it requires more time than other methods because you will essentially have two systems instead of one running at the same time.
- Converged Approach
This approach involves implementing a single version control system that will work across all departments in order to meet everyone’s needs. Since all departments are using the same system there is no need for synchronization between different versions or multiple databases after it has been implemented into production.
This makes updates easier because can be made on one server which will automatically update for everyone without any issues, however, it can be difficult to get buy-in from all departments.
Conclusion
ERP systems are used to automate business processes which can help companies become more efficient and save time. Implementing an ERP system is a large investment, however, the benefits it brings make it worth the effort.
