The Golden Rule 🤫🗝️ for your ERP Implementation: First adopt -
then adapt!

Always adopt before you adapt!

How can this rule be put into practice? Several aspects are of central importance here. The focus is on processes and mindsets, key users, management and the time factor.

Redefining Processes and Mindsets

When the implementation of new ERP software is imminent, it is often difficult to break away from existing processes. So it may be that in the course of preparing your ERP project questions like these arise within the team: “Why should we change anything?” and: “Haven’t we always done it this way?”.

However, to avoid replicating your old system, you should check to what extent you can adapt your processes to your new ERP software - instead of immediately adapting your new software to your existing processes.

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Involve Key Users at an Early Stage - so that they learn to appreciate the new Possibilities

It is advisable to involve the most specialized users with the best knowledge who are primarily involved in the project (key users) at an early stage and gradually introduce them to the new software.

Give them an initial introduction and then give them access to a test environment so that they can determine in very simple steps whether (and how) their processes fit into the new system. They can also discover new possibilities that were not available in the old software. And they may even find out that the customizations they built into their old system are no longer needed in the new system.

Of course, they will also discover possible vulnerabilities. This means that some processes will also have to be adapted to the software. If you are open to new approaches during these reviews, you can achieve a lot together.

Give Users enough Time

This is a very important step that you should not skip under any circumstances: give your users enough time to slowly familiarize themselves with the software. Because while they are seeing all the new possibilities, they are already thinking about how they can use them. This is extremely important. Your users have detailed information about the processes and therefore know exactly what is special about them and what they should explicitly pay attention to.

Proceed in Small Steps

In this way, you should first go through the basic processes step by step - and then the more difficult cases. Essentially, the aim is for you to work together to find out how this can be done within the software’s capabilities.

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Clear Communication from Management

Finally, it also helps immensely if the management clearly communicates that customizations are expensive and rather undesirable. This is because they limit the adaptability of the system and therefore the entire company in the long term.

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Always adopt before you adapt!

Is your company planning to implement an ERP system? Then follow the golden rule: first look at what the new software can offer you and what you can adopt before you customize it. 🤫

It’s important to redefine your processes and thinking before you even consider making any customizations to your software!

The combination of early involvement of users in the implementation process and clear communication from management is also a good approach. With this, you can avoid limiting customizations and ensure that your company meets the requirements of today’s market.