Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    The ERP Life Cycle

    By
    Andy Klee
    -
    June 1, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Is it worth thousands of your staffs hours to evaluate an ERP package to the nth degree, or is there a better way?

      As the CEO of a J.D. Edwards and SAP services company, I believe Ive found a better way.

      First, bring someone in and have him or her conduct a one-day workshop with the executive VPs at your company to hammer out the key requirements.

      Then, issue an RFP to 10 prospective vendors and ask them to respond with screen shots and text describing how to handle each key requirement.

      Rank the responses, and tell the top three they have one day to demo their stuff in front of your key execs and IT staff. Talk functionality and technology. And talk corporate cultures.

      The fit neednt be perfect—90 percent will do. Congratulations, youve embarked on the first stage in the enterprise resource planning life cycle. Here are lessons for the remaining stages:

      Training: Ask your training provider to give your implementation team an on-site four- or five-day overview of the entire software solution, encompassing the modules you are implementing. The objective is to give you enough training to get started setting up the model of how your business will run with the new software. Save the more advanced topics for later.

      Implementation: Youve gone live with a portion of your total solution—unless you did the big-bang approach where you go live with financials, logistics and manufacturing all at once. After a rough go-live period, things have settled down for six months.

      Re-evaluation: This might be a good time to re-evaluate your implementation partner, whether it be the software vendor or an independent consultancy. If you werent happy with the provider during the initial rollout, you arent likely to be happy in the future. At the very least, get one or two other estimates for the next step.

      Extending value: It can take several years to extend your ERP system with such modules as supply chain management, CRM and business intelligence.

      Maintaining value: You are five to seven years down the road from that rosy dawn of your ERP solution. You should try to get another five to 10 years of life out of the system. Business needs change, so you should make enhancements to add incremental functionality.

      Cutting costs: One day you notice youve been paying 22 percent of the current software price, not 22 percent of the discounted price you paid, for annual maintenance. You may find a third-party maintenance company offers a better deal.

      Declining value: Time passes, and the dollar savings are adding up, but your business continues to change. Its time to appoint a new ERP czar for your next swing through the ERP life cycle.

      Andy Klee is president of Klee Associates Inc., which publishes the JDEtips and SAPtips journals at www.ERPtips.com and offers consulting, training, permanent placement and third-party maintenance services. Free Spectrum is a forum for the IT community and welcomes contributions. Send submissions to free_spectrum@ziffdavis.com.

      Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis about productivity and business solutions.

      Andy Klee

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×