Why a business needs an ERP system and when to implement one

It is important to find bottlenecks and clearly define what the new system should deliver. For example, at a building materials manufacturer, the specifications helped reveal that 80% of shipment failures were caused by manual data entry. This was taken into account when designing the warehouse interface. Important!According to Gartner, 70% of companies that skip business process analysis end up needing changes during operation, which multiplies the final project cost.

Step 3: Choosing an ERP solution Here you choose the platform and the integration company: compare solutions with your industry's specifics in mind. The main criteria are functionality, total cost of ownership, and the contractor's experience in your sector. For example, large industrial holdings often consider 1C:ERP, while mid-sized businesses consider ERP Monolit. Be sure to ask the integrator for case studies from similar companies and speak with their clients. This will help you avoid risks and choose a reliable partner.

Step 4: Design and development The integration company designs the system architecture and configures it for your tasks. If you have a unique production process, special modules will be added for it or standard functionality will be customized. At this stage, a prototype is created that can already be shown to users. It is important for your technical specialists and department heads to take an active role in reviewing the details so that costly rework is avoided later.

For example, in food production, expiration date calculation was built into the warehouse module - it used to be calculated manually, causing losses of up to 5% of product per month. Step 5: System testing Before launch, the solution is checked on real data - report generation or integrations with other programs are tested. Then a pilot launch is carried out in one department. This helps identify and fix issues before a full-scale rollout.

For example, in a metallurgical company, testing made it possible to spot discrepancies in cost calculations in time - the error could have cost millions of rubles during a full rollout. Step 6: User training and launch McKinsey emphasizes: insufficient training leads to staff resistance, operational errors, and missed project deadlines.

Hold training sessions for different departments and prepare guides and video tutorials. For accounting, focus on reporting; for the warehouse, focus on handling stock. After training, complete the transition to the new system. Assign responsible people in each department who will help colleagues during the first days. For example, in a logistics company, after training sessions, the number of errors in preparing waybills fell threefold in the first month after launch. Step 7: Support and development After launch, ERP requires ongoing support.

For example, you may need to quickly fix errors or add new features based on user requests. Gather employee feedback and improve the system consistently. This will ensure its long-term effectiveness and adaptation to changes in the business. For example, in a distribution company, users suggested adding stock shortage notifications - the feature helped avoid supply disruptions over the quarter.