ERP Selection Made Simple – Empower Your Business with the Perfect Solution

The selection of an ERP is a project in itself.  It is arguably one of the most important…and challenging undertakings you will take for your organization.  Why? 

• A multi-decade commitment: An ERP is not a passing tool or one to support one project, it is, typically, a 15 – 25-year commitment.  You will live and grow with your ERP.  If you make a suboptimal decision, you may have your growth stifled, dissatisfied internal customers, and inefficiencies throughout your organization stemming from the ERP being a blocker instead of an enabler.
• Multiple stakeholders to converge: Does ‘you can’t make everyone happy?’ ring a bell?  Well, in the world of ERP selection this is definitely true.  The selection of an ERP involves (or should involve) every customer group within your organization.  Undoubtedly, you will encounter differing perspectives and also find that the strengths of your field of ERP alternatives vary as well.  This may well leave you with tradeoffs – some customers feeling a ‘win’ with your selection and others feeling as though they will be working with their second choice.  TIP: Understand going in that choosing the ‘right’ ERP should not be expected to be a unanimous choice.
• System of Record for your business: The ERP itself will serve as your system of record and single source of truth for a number, if not all, of your internal organizational functions.  It will likely serve as your financial system of record, possibly your CRM, your supplier management system, possibly your contract management system, and perhaps even your human resources information system.
• Switching Pains: Often, we hear people speak of switching costs…which definitely apply to changing an ERP…but it’s more than costs.  Switching pains encompass the people pain, the pain of changing processes, and unintended disruptions those in your partner ecosystem may experience.

The single, only way to make an optimal selection of an ERP is to start by knowing – in detail – how your organization works.  KALM starts with that – gaining an understanding of your operational footprint, your business model, and your processes.  We walk you through questions designed to help us sufficiently understand what your needs are and translate those to the capabilities of the set of ERP alternatives.  This understanding of yourself is imperative or else you may be wooed by flashy presentations and robust capabilities, which may be great but may not be the solution that will best suit your organization.