ERP consulting Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Innovate. Integrate. Transform. Run.

ERP Project Plan: Getting Real (Part 4)
ERP Project Plan: Getting Real (Part 4)

ERP Project Plan: Getting Real (Part 4)

By Steve Phillips|June 17th, 2010|

Twelve Tips to Avoid an ERP Schedule Disaster In my previous blog entries, we established the need to develop a valid ERP project schedule as a tool to manage the project and set the right expectations (in terms of time and budget). The point is ERP planning is not about throwing darts to come up with dates or forcing a schedule to say what we want it to say. We can wish all we want, but a schedule should reflect project realities, and agreed upon planning assumptions. In addition, we previousl [...]

Reduce SAP Project Stress Part 3
Reduce SAP Project Stress Part 3

Reduce SAP Project Stress Part 3

By Bill Wood|May 10th, 2010|

IT Project Hostile Emails to Wide Distribution Lists Previously, I offered insight and suggestions on the topic of reducing SAP project stress in a two-part series: Reduce SAP Project Stress: Part 1Reduce SAP, ERP, or Technology Project Stress: Part 2 In the Project Management Group on LinkedIn however, someone raised an interesting question that I have had to deal with on a few projects. They asked the following: “How do you respond to a senior project member who wrongly accuses yo [...]

ERP Project Planning – Getting Real (Part 1)
ERP Project Planning – Getting Real (Part 1)

ERP Project Planning – Getting Real (Part 1)

By Steve Phillips|February 28th, 2010|

When the client is not heavily involved, expect plenty of project surprises and no ownership of responsibility. The ingredients for optimal success require active client participation at every stage of the project-- from project planning to project closure. Anyone who has been around ERP long enough understands that meaningful client involvement in the project is critical for success. However, many implementation projects start with the software consultants developing a project plan in a vacuum [...]

ERP III – Is the Integration of Collaboration the Future of Enterprise Applications
ERP III – Is the Integration of Collaboration the Future of Enterprise Applications

ERP III – Is the Integration of Collaboration the Future of Enterprise Applications

By Bill Wood|February 11th, 2010|

When I was at Grant Thornton in the late 1990's, and then later when the management consulting organization was sold to Hitachi, I worked on a comprehensive knowledge management model (which I will refer to later in this article). The model can be applied to integrating collaboration tools into any enterprise application. Carefully structured and planned integration of collaboration tools can produce great results. However, integration is a challenge. Many social media types aim to tie collabor [...]

SAP Failures: Is Lack of Senior Management Commitment the Real Issue?
SAP Failures: Is Lack of Senior Management Commitment the Real Issue?

SAP Failures: Is Lack of Senior Management Commitment the Real Issue?

By Steve Phillips|December 7th, 2009|

It might be failures of your consultants or project management team.

Protecting the SAP Project’s Budget and Timeline
Protecting the SAP Project’s Budget and Timeline

Protecting the SAP Project’s Budget and Timeline

By Bill Wood|July 11th, 2009|

For years I have heard stories about blown SAP budgets and blown SAP project timelines. Personally, I have experienced a few project overruns [FN1], and a few where we came in under budget. However, I can’t say any of the projects were ever early. While I believe that coming in under budget is often possible, reducing the time frame is much more difficult because of the planning and coordination processes. You need to adjust all of the parallel work streams and get the coordination and [...]