It took 24 months to get here, but today’s the day — your ERP is going live!
All that hard work is coming to an end. Right?
Unfortunately, there’s still a long road ahead. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be as stressful as the launch. With the right mindset and careful planning, you can properly train your ERP users, increase adoption rates, and prepare for other ERP integrations or initiatives.
Below, we will share six tips to keep your ERP going strong post go-live.
ERP go-lives are a big deal. People pour their time, energy, and money into getting it right.
But planning and execution don’t stop when you turn everything on. Your system must continue working properly over time to keep the business humming along. To ensure a seamless transition to maintenance mode:
This is the first step for a reason. You and your team have likely been going full force for months, working long hours to get things right. So, it’s time you take a breather.
Pat yourself on the back for pulling off the implementation and take some time to congratulate everyone on your team and in other departments who made a successful launch happen.
No one will adopt your ERP if they don’t know how to use it. Developing various types of training materials is critical to make onboarding easier for everyone.
Remember that people learn in different ways, so try using multiple formats to encourage learning, such as PowerPoint slides, classroom training, videos, and desk-side trainings. And try to make training as relevant as possible to each department’s business processes and use cases. There will be nuances in the system for each type of ERP user, so be sure to note those in your training documentation.
Your end users are your greatest resource. Although they may have already been heavily involved in UAT and had ample training, things still slip through the cracks.
Watch them as they use the new ERP and look out for areas where they struggle. Listen to the types of questions they ask and try to answer them as best as you possibly can — it’s likely that others will have the same questions, too.
Note their feedback as bugs to fix or potential future enhancements that can make their processes more efficient.
This one is obvious but extremely important.
Being able to identify and fix bugs quickly will show end users that (1) you’re listening to them, (2) trying really hard to make the system fit into their workflow, and (3) you do what you promise to do. All three of those factors promote high engagement and adoption.
Companies don’t always go live with all the modules of their ERP turned on, leaving some “for later.” But don’t let that later turn into years later.
Make a plan for other initiatives. What are they? Which modules are most crucial to the business?
Also, think about people’s bandwidth. Are they ready for another phase of implementation? Does your team have the resources to create and deliver more training? Are business processes working as expected?
Verify that everything is running smoothly first before moving ahead.
Some end users will be highly involved in the project and passionate about the new ERP. Figure out who those people are and lean on them as advocates.
Change management is tough. But if other end users can look to an internal leader that they know and trust, they’ll be much more likely to start using the ERP as intended. This person can guide users who are struggling, either by showing them how to do something, pointing them to existing resources, or helping them contact your support team.
This step is essential — the worst thing that can happen post-implementation is that no one uses the system you’ve built.
Want some help with your ERP implementation?
Not sure what to look for in an ERP resource?
Have questions about what a typical implementation looks like?
Look no further than Planet Technology. We can connect you with experienced, highly skilled resources and firms that will make your implementation a breeze. Contact us today.
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