Customise the app or modify your business?

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ERP selection philosophy and practicality?

By Dale Vile, Freeform Dynamics • Get more from this author

Posted in ERP, 24th March 2010 09:01 GMT

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Mini Poll When implementing ERP, should you expect to tailor the product to your business or change your processes to match the product? It’s a key philosophical question that anyone who has implemented this kind of system will probably have an opinion on.

This week’s poll looks at how this and other factors have an impact on supplier and product selection. There’s even space to tell us about any particularly good or bad experiences if you are not too worried to spill the beans. So, if you have a few minutes, get cracking below.

Reader poll: Customise the app or modify your business?

1. How long has your core/main ERP system been in place?

Under 1 year
1 to 3 years
3 to 5 years
5 to 10 years
Over 10 years

2. Given that no solution is ever a 100 per cent fit, when differences arose during your last ERP implementation did your organisation tend towards...

Changing the company processes to match the package
Tailoring the package to match the company processes
A mix between the two

3. Would you do things differently if you were replacing your core ERP system today?

Yes
Probably
No

4. If yes, how would the emphasis differ?

More emphasis on changing the company processes to match the package
More emphasis on tailoring the package to match the company processes
N/A – would take the same approach

5. Do you have any specific experiences in this area that you can share with us?

6. How important are the following when it comes to selecting an ERP supplier/solution? (1-5 score, where 5 = very important, 1 = not at all important)

	Very important			Not at all important
	5	4	3	2	1
Solution
Designed for a company of our size
Designed for our specific industry
Well supported from an implementation partner perspective
Integrates well with sufficient third party solutions
Modern architecture (open, scalable, extendable)
Other (please state)
Software Supplier
Experience of dealing with companies of our size
Experience of dealing with companies in the same industry as us
Can provide relevant reference sites
Have a culture and ethos that we’re comfortable with
Have suitable practices around maintenance & upgrades
Offer appropriate post implementation support
Display open business practices eg no hidden costs/surprises, predictable fees etc
Exhibit longevity/staying power eg have been around for some time, appear stable, an unlikely target for acquisition.
Other (please state)

7. Can you tell us of any situations where not paying attention to any of the above has lead to issues?

8. Is there anything else on the subject of supplier/product selection you would like to tell us about? (We are talking specifically about the software vendor here not any consulting firms you may have used)

Before you go

9. Approximately how large is your organisation (worldwide) in terms of employees?

Less than 10 employees
10 to 50 employees
50 to 250 employees
250 to 1,000 employees
1,000 to 5,000 employees
5,000 to 10,000 employees
Over 10,000 employees

10. Which of the following best describes your organisation?

Energy & Utilities
Financial Services
Healthcare
Hi-Tech
Manufacturing
Oil & Gas
Pharmaceuticals
Central/Local Government
Retail & wholesale
Professional services
Telecommunications
Travel & Transportation
Other (please specify)