Select an ERP Implementation Partner
Unlock the potential of your ERP portfolio by choosing the right implementation partner.
- Enterprise application implementations are complex, and their success is critical to business operations.
- Selecting the right software implementation partner is as important for the success of the ERP initiative as selecting the right software.
- System implementation often thrusts the product into the spotlight, with the implementation partner being an afterthought, and all too often organizational needs are ignored altogether.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- ERP implementation is not a one-and-done exercise. Most often it is the start of a multi-year working relationship between the software vendor or systems integrator and your organization. Take the time to find the right fit to ensure success.
- The conventional approach to ERP implementation partner selection puts the ERP vendor and systems integrators in the driver's seat with little regard to your specific needs as an organization. You need to take an eyes-wide-open approach to your organization’s strengths and weaknesses to properly select and manage the implementation partner relationship.
- Self-assessment is the critical first step in a successful implementation. Every organization has a unique combination of critical success factors (CSFs) that will be required to unlock the potential of their ERP. You must find the right partner or partners whose strengths complement your weaknesses to ensure your success.
- Before you start knocking on vendors’ doors, ensure you have a holistic request that encompasses the strategic, tactical, operational, and commodity factors required for the success of your ERP implementation.
Impact and Result
- Use Info-Tech’s implementation partner selection process to find the right fit for your organization.
- Understand the enterprise application CSFs and determine the unique requirements of your organization through this lens.
- Define your implementation partner requirements separately from your software requirements and allow vendors to respond to those specifically.
- Use our assessment tools to score and assess the CSFs required to select the right software implementation partners.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
9.7/10
Overall Impact
$55,782
Average $ Saved
13
Average Days Saved
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
Natco Home Group
Guided Implementation
10/10
$12,999
5
Seplat Energy Plc
Guided Implementation
9/10
$34,649
23
Air Tractor
Guided Implementation
10/10
$119K
10
We focused on what I needed and didn't waste time. Good content and delivered to the point. On the above question on how many days saved, I'm g... Read More
Workshop: Select an ERP Implementation Partner
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Identify Organizational Strategic Needs
The Purpose
- Review the critical success factors that are of strategic importance. Evaluating the gaps in your organization's capabilities enables you to choose a partner that can properly support you in your project.
Key Benefits Achieved
- ERP strategy model defined
- Strategic needs identified
Activities
Outputs
Review the business context.
- ERP strategy model
Build your ERP strategy model.
- ERP strategy model
Assess your strategic needs.
- Strategic needs analysis
Module 2: Review Your Tactical, Commodity, and Operational Needs
The Purpose
- Review the critical success factors that are of tactical, commodity, and operational importance. Evaluating the gaps in your organization's capabilities enables you to choose a partner that can properly support you in your project.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Tactical, commodity, and operational needs identified
Activities
Outputs
Assess your tactical needs.
- Tactical needs analysis
Assess your commodity needs.
- Commodity needs analysis
Assess your operational needs.
- Operational needs analysis
Module 3: Build Your RFx
The Purpose
- Review your RFx and build an initial list of vendor/implementors to reach out to. Finally, build your evaluation checklist to rate the incoming responses.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Draft RFI or RFP
- Target vendor list
Activities
Outputs
Decide on an RFI or RFP.
- Draft RFI or RFP
Complete the RFx with the needs analysis.
- Draft RFI or RFP
Build a list of targeted vendors
- Target vendor list
Module 4: Evaluate Vendors
The Purpose
- Build a scoring template for use in vendor evaluation to ensure consistent comparison criteria are used.
Key Benefits Achieved
- A consistent and efficient evaluation process
Activities
Outputs
Assign weightings to the evaluation criteria.
- Completed partner evaluation tool
Run a vendor evaluation simulation to validate the process.
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 6 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
Guided Implementation 1: Identify your strategic needs
- Call 1: Evaluate ERP strategy to identify partner selection information.
- Call 2: Define strategic partnership requirements.
Guided Implementation 2: Review tactical, operational, and commodity needs
- Call 1: Define tactical partnership requirements.
- Call 2: Define commodity and operational requirements.
Guided Implementation 3: Build your RFx and evaluate responses
- Call 1: Review draft RFx and evaluation tool.
- Call 2: Identify sources for potential vendors.
Contributors
- Gloria A. Epizitone, Lecturer, Durban University of Technology
- Paula Minnikin, Partner and Principal, Minnikin Resources, Inc.
- 6 anonymous contributors
- 209 LinkedIn survey respondents
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