That's because ERP consultants are more than just highly skilled third-party providers. They also have an in-depth understanding of how to structure, upgrade and monitor a company's ERP system to ensure that it runs smoothly and reliably.
Individuals with a deep understanding of ERP implementation fully understand the benefits inherent in adopting ERP practices. They realize that in order to maximize a company's investment in ERP, a number of factors must be taken into consideration. Indeed, the organization's entire infrastructure - mechanical, technical, procedural and human - must be transformed to support the new systems. Therefore, those persons with ERP implementation proficiency are positioned to become team leaders.
Make no mistake about it - ERP implementation cannot be effectively undertaken by untrained employees. Although such personnel may possess useful skill sets, they are unlikely to understand how to handle certain ERP tasks if they have not had in-depth experience with enterprise resource planning.
For instance, employees without ERP familiarity may find it a challenge to seamlessly integrate a company's legacy systems into the new ERP process. In time, that kind of unawareness can result in the loss, duplication or repetition of a business's valuable data. Consequently, ERP experts are indispensable players at every level of an organization's hierarchy. However, finding them can be a challenge.
Firms are spending significant services dollars on consulting and systems integration (SI) work, but many firms do not maximize the value that they obtain from implementation providers. Most firms expect that their provider will proactively suggest best practices based on what they've learned from projects with other clients. Firms want their provider to focus on making them successful rather than spending excessive time in contract disputes and renegotiations every time they come to an unexpected turn in the road. In reality, many firms do not have these positive experiences with their providers. To help services clients gain the most from their service provider relationships, Forrester interviewed the clients of leading enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation firms to find out what made their projects successful and to identify areas that could have been improved.
