16 Jan How to choose your ERP?

In the last few years ERP systems have been discussed a lot as an indispensable tool to control the processes and integration of the different departments and areas of a company, but it is difficult to know what to consider when choosing an ERP.
Opting for a management programme is a crucial decision for the business and has to be made from a strategic viewpoint looking towards the future.

At the time of evaluation the choosing of an ERP, the following considerations need to be born in mind. Firstly, although it is a strategic decision of the company, all of the departments for which the ERP will be an important work tool need to take part, so they will be involved in its launch and you will ensure the success of the project. You also need to create a list of all of the problems that are preventing you from growing at the moment. These are the questions the ERP needs to solve. So you can disregard all of the programmes that cannot cope with these prerequisites and focus on the additional functionalities which adapt better to your type of business. You will also evaluate which infrastructure you want to store your management tool in.

Once the ERP is decided, you need to decide which partner to face this great adventure with. You can base this decision on affinity, rapport and mutual understanding, good references and their implementation proposal. It will be your partner who will advise you on how to structure your business within an ERP and will personalise it so that you can benefit fully from the tool’s potential.

Once the indispensable functionalities have been defined, the ERP and the company you want to work with, the next step will be choosing a project leader. The person will be the one who contacts the chosen implementation company and collects all of the feedback and requirements of the different departments in relation to the project of launching the ERP. This same person, in a previous step, can evaluate the different options of the market and create a report for management to use to make a decision of which partner and tool to choose.

Finally, in a personal capacity, I would like to quote a phrase to bear in mind during this process: “The best ERP is the one which adapts best to the needs of your company”.