Project Success
Implementing Software: How to prepare your Project
for Success in the best
possible Way
for Success
A successful ERP implementation essentially requires three things: an excellent software solution, an excellent software vendor and excellent customers. The software you want to choose already has hundreds or even thousands of customers and is tested daily. The vendor of your choice has already carried out hundreds or sometimes even thousands of implementations. Moreover, software implementation is their core business. And how well are you - in the role of the customer - prepared for the success of your project?
Buying Project Success?
Most companies implement new ERP software every eight to ten years. And over 90 percent of all people who are responsible for the selection, commissioning and implementation on the customer side do this once or at most twice in their lives. This means that in most cases, the project managers have not yet been able to gain any experience that they can fall back on.
You can simply buy software. No problem at all. The same applies to implementation services - these can also be bought. Unfortunately, however, neither the success of a project nor the (digital) transformation of your company can be bought. It absolutely requires vision, input, energy, inspiration, discipline and time on your part. In addition, good preparation is required. The question now is what exactly you can (or must) do to prepare your success in the best possible way.
This is what makes a good Project Preparation:
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Don’t just focus on the software, but also carefully examine the business processes and corporate culture
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Make sure the entire management understands the need for project success
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Make sure that the entire team understands the “why” of the project - e.g. an aptly chosen project name also helps here
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Secure the approval of the informal managers
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Link the project to your strategic corporate goals and define what exactly you want to achieve
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Learn from the success and failure factors of comparable projects
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Understand what your vendor’s tasks are and what your own tasks are
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Prepare yourself and your management team thoroughly for these tasks
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Use helpful project methods such as the critical path or the MoSKaU method
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Appoint a project sponsor from the management team
Thorough Preparation is worth Time, Money and Concentration!
Of course, thorough preparation requires time, money and concentration, but inadequate preparation will cost you a lot more time, money and attention as the project progresses! And then there’s the damage your company would suffer in the form of loss of image, deterioration in customer relations and the potential loss of loyal employees. It is therefore better to invest in your project preparation on a larger scale! In addition to the technologies and processes, the focus should also be on the people who implement the project.
