Complexity: This is why
it is the Arch Enemy
of your ERP Project Success

Better simple than complex - but what about the ERP Project?

Most potential new customers prefer vendors with simple processes and a transparent organization. Many employees also prefer to work in a clear and logically organized company rather than in a complex organization.

But although most people prefer simple solutions to complexity, many ERP projects still suffer from this very complexity. How can this be? The most common reason: habit. When stakeholders cling to old ways of doing things, this leads to more complexity and as a result many implementations even fail - complexity can become your arch enemy. This makes it all the more important to counteract the whole thing with targeted measures.

Three Tips on how to defeat the Arch Enemy Complexity

The good news is: even if it’s lurking around every corner, you can escape too much complexity! Here three suggestions on how to do it:

1) Eliminate the Top Ten Complexities from your RFI

When determining what the new system should be able to do, many companies compile a requirements profile in a “Request for Information” (RFI). This contains the bundled requirements and wishes of all departments and employees.

Tip: organize all requests according to degree of complexity and leave out the top ten percent in the first phase. This will help you to go live quickly and within budget. Then determine whether these complex requests are still urgent and relevant enough to be considered in the second phase.

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2) Ask for Change Requests in Business Case Format

Humans don’t usually like change. So it is logical that there are many requests for customizations, i.e. modified versions of existing solutions. The result is that there is always new complexity lurking.

Tip: have your colleagues submit all requests in a “business case format”. This is a structured presentation that includes all relevant information of a business proposal and is there to analyze and present its economic feasibility in order to make informed decisions.

On this basis, roughly determine the additional costs for the development, testing and long-term maintenance of the desired customization. And also ask your colleagues to indicate whether and when the investment behind the change request should pay off.

3) Approval by the Management (CEO)

Some of the customization requests only arise during implementation and this is entirely justified. After all, the diverse possibilities of the new ERP solution excite and inspire the team. There is often a desire to customize the new system so that it resembles the old solution. Because many people would like to stay in their comfort zone.

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Tip: establish the rule that any desired customization during implementation and also in the use phase requires formal approval from the CEO. This will certainly help to ensure that the new solution and thus your business processes do not become unnecessarily complex.

Reduced Complexity makes Project success more likely

The avoidance of (new) complexity during the selection and implementation phase specifically helps to improve your chances of long-term project success. So consider complexity as your arch enemy - but not as an invincible arch enemy!