Workshop on ERP to guide how to run a successful Business

Workshop on ERP to guide how to run a successful Business

We have, time and again emphasized the importance of having ERP system to run businesses in successful way in today’s competitive economic market. As there are number of big and small vendors in the Indian ERP market, selection of a proper system that suits your business needs are very important. To place the matter straight forward, what the decision makers must understand is having an ERP system just can’t help your business process. What is important is which system you have implemented.

A rightfully conducted ERP workshop could provide you the guidelines of what your requirements and expectations should be, including hands-on experience with the most successful ERP software in India available today.

ERP workshop can also empower CEOs, COOs, CFOs, accountants, controllers, business owners and key decision-makers with ERP technology concepts.

CRM or Customer Relationship Management, the backbone of any business has been integrated as an important module in the ERP system. Sales and marketing teams from companies can benefit from attending the workshop that will help them gain knowledge in marketing plans. The knowledge gained through from workshop can put into practice by the sales or marketing team with the approach to the customers that could help improve your revenue and market share growth and minimize expenses – all of which leads to higher profitability. The workshop will also debate on all areas of an ERP system, its advantages and disadvantages.

When it comes to benefits of ERP there are many arenas which are unknown to many. ERP expects boundary-less flat organization structure where every employee is a decision maker and not a mere follower. Secondly, the decision-making must be scientific than based on ‘gut feel’. Thirdly, ERP assumes that the user has an in-depth knowledge of the process he is associated with. He has to work in a team as a key resource element. The objective of the user is to pass maximum value to the customer than to create his own convenience. The user must be analytical in his thinking and be able to use information generated through data iterations for more effective and informed decisions.

ERP system will work successfully if the users are training to handle the system to the optimum usage. Proper training makes the users fully equipped with handling of the system independently and this will contribute the success of all the business operations.

The solution provider must pay attention while providing training to the user in the right manner. To become a good user, one has to get trained and trained well, and later self trained. But what is the disappointing factor is most of the ERP training in India is more of software training rather than going deeply into the functionality and technicality of the ERP system. Normally the user is shown various screens of the ERP system and taught how to enter what he was doing previously.

The trainer must explain to the user why he should enter there, what are the repercussions of his entries in other modules, how to use the best out of multiple settings, why a particular setting is made like that, etc. In fact, the reality that every entry is the financial entry and ultimately gets posted into General Ledger and posted in turn into Profit & Loss Account or Balance Sheet is never realized by the user during training or even after implementation. This feel of responsibility is extremely essential for the user to become a mature ERP user.

To enhance the interest of users Indian ERP companies must make a point of user training, focusing on ERP functionalities and not merely on tools for ERP. Ideally, the training session should be designed to cater to individual needs and hence carefully planned. ERP workshop will have a separate session to discuss and elaborate the training method of ERP extensively.

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ERP implementation is a ‘User Driven’ project

User-driven ERP Implementation:

User driven project every organization has its own cultural or organizational structure. In this situation, it is natural for them to be sceptical about ERP, since it is felt that their businesses are unique, organizations varying and cultures different. However, there is no need of such concern as an ERP package has been designed and is being continually upgraded to incorporate the best industry practices to suit most industry segments.

With thorough and dedicated BRP study and adapting those changes in the business process well before implementing the ERP shall help make things smoother. It is therefore recommended that this methodology is followed; otherwise there is chance that most of the time users are left frustrated. This leads to poor participation and costly delays.

It is important to understand that an ERP package not necessarily fit in completely with the existing business practices of most organizations and hence, the onus is on the users to appreciate this fact and to work with the implementation consultants in trying to adapt to the package. In doing so, they don’t have to feel that they are compromising on their business effectiveness; rather, by accepting the package, they are adopting the best of breed business practices and ensuring the successful implementation of new system.

The other important factor is that the users do not expect a reduction in their workload immediately after the implementation of ERP Software and should not look for a miracle to happen. An ERP package is only an enabling tool and improves the flow of information and formalizes all the business processes and workflow that exists in an organization. It helps users to do their jobs better, which may call for additional efforts.

If one has to have more information in a system, it entails more work for more users, but the benefit is that this information is properly stored and can be fruitfully uses by other users in making better decisions. As the flow of information throughout the organization improves, the company starts performing better and this in turn benefits the users who have collectively improved their way of working. The package design and the architecture facilitate the availability of information to all authorized users in a useful way.

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Another important factor is the role of the consultant. The consultants by virtue of their industry experience and package expertise can help set the expectations of users at various levels keeping in mind the overall business objectives of the client. But it is also important to remember that a consultant is an external agent and all the business process of the organization is more akin to the management team and the users than the consultant.

The consultant however, can work closely with key users, understanding their needs, analyzing the business realities and designing solutions that meet the basic objectives of the company.

They, then, have to impress upon the users that individual needs can be met by keeping the organization’s needs in mind. It is the responsibility of the consultants and management team from the organization to guide them in this task and facilitate the overall implementation process. In essence, ERP implementation is predominantly a ‘User Driven’ project.

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