13.

ERP Project Teams

Enterprise Resource Planning (Second Edition) By Alexis Leon (2008)

ERP Project Teams

The way a company organizes its ERP project team can greatly influence the outcome of an ERP implementation. ERP project teams are formed not just for implementing ERP software but also for the ongoing maintenance required of an ERP system. Team structures vary tremendously from company to company and situation to situation. The company management should do the ERP team formation in consultation with the consultants and vendors. The ERP teams should contain the consultants and vendor representatives before during and after the implementation. The vendor representatives will come into the ERP team only after the selection of the ERP pac!age but the e"ternal consultants #the e"perts$ should be there to help in the pac!age selection and vendor negotiations. The most critical factor that decides the success of any ERP system implementation is the support of the people who use the system. %o the ERP project team members and the management should do everything in their power to get the support of the end&users.

Enterprise Resource Planning (Second Edition). Copyrig t 2008! Alexis Leon. All rig ts reser"ed.

People involved in the ERP Implementation

The participation of people in an implementation can fall into several different positions' Project %ponsor & The role of the project sponsor is to ensure that the ERP implementation gets all the assistance it needs from resources to management bac!ing. E"ecutive committee ( This committee formulates the long terms goals objectives and strategies regarding the implementation of the ERP system in the company. Project )anager & Person responsible for translating the vision and goals into reality. Reports to the e"ecutive committee and heads the project management team. *mplementation or +or! Team & This team consists of selected employees from the company in addition to vendor representatives and consultants. These employees will perform the various tas!s in implementing the ERP system from installing the hardware software customizing documenting training and so on. ,unctional )anagers ( They oversee the day&today operations of their respective functional areas. ,unctional Participants & ,unctional participants answer questions and review the training programs and business process flows that are proposed in the new software. -onsultants ( They are e"perts who will assist the organization.s team in all matters related to the implementation and operation of the system. Pac!age vendors & They are people who have developed the ERP pac!ages and they also will assist the organization in the implementation customization training etc. End&users & End&users are the general mass of people who will use the new ERP system

Enterprise Resource Planning (Second Edition). Copyrig t 2008! Alexis Leon. All rig ts reser"ed.

ERP Implementation Team

The -E/ -*/ or -// sponsors the project and ensures full support of the management. The e"ecutive committee comprising the top management team formulates guidelines and monitors the project ta!e corrective actions when required. The project managers report to the e"ecutive committee. The project manager heads the project management team. This team includes the head of the vendor representatives the chief consultant and the wor! team leaders. The implementation teams carry out the various tas!s for implementing the system. *f the implementation team is comprised of people from all departments and from all levels they can convey what they have learned about the ERP system and thus help overcome the initial resistance the system is bound to face. The e"ternal consultants help the project manager and the wor! team members in all aspects of the implementation. 0endor representatives advise about best wor!ing practices software functionality and assist with technical issues. The implementation team with the help of the consultants and vendor representatives help the end&users on how to use the system. The technical and administrative support teams ensures that the implementation team has all the resources they need when they need it.

Enterprise Resource Planning (Second Edition). Copyrig t 2008! Alexis Leon. All rig ts reser"ed.

Organization of the ERP Implementation Project

Enterprise Resource Planning (Second Edition). Copyrig t 2008! Alexis Leon. All rig ts reser"ed.

Which Strateg !
1ig bang strategy is ideal in situations where an immediate ERP solution is needed. *t is better suited for smaller companies where all the critical resources of the project can fall within the immediate control of a project manager. *t is also suited to any situation where a limited amount of time is available combined with an immovable go&live date. The phased approach suits companies that do not share many common processes across departments or business units. The parallel approach is ideally suited for mission critical situations that cannot survive a major malfunction of an ERP system. *t also wor!s well for business environments that require the utmost in stability of an ERP system such as financial pharmaceutical or medical companies. Process line approach is ideal for companies that have many product lines. *n such cases the organization can implement the ERP systems to the different product lines in a phased manner. 2ybrid strategy which is a combination of all the above strategies can be used in organizations where the inter&departmental communication is e"cellent and where the is a strong leadership to manage the project.

Enterprise Resource Planning (Second Edition). Copyrig t 2008! Alexis Leon. All rig ts reser"ed.