Page 74 - MetalForming October 2011

As the president and chairman of negatively affected by how he handles you implement your ERP software.
the project.
After years of similar conversations
and hundreds of implementations, I have amassed a top-ten list of what every CIO should know about ERP implementations:
1) ERP is about your business, not the technology.
2) ERP initiatives are very challeng- ing.
3) Selecting the right software is the first step in a successful ERP implementation.
4) No ERP software is perfect. All have their strengths, weaknesses and tradeoffs.
5) A business blueprint is the second step to an effective ERP imple- mentation.
6) Business-process reengineering should happen before, not after,
an independent ERP consulting
firm that guides organizations through ERP and IT software selection, implementation and organizational change initiatives, I often am in meet- ings with chief information officers (CIOs) nervous about embarking on an ERP implementation. Their con- cern is understandable; ERP imple- mentations are complicated, expensive and risky. Even more nerve-wracking? A CIO’s personal job security might be
Eric Kimberling is president and chair- man of Panorama Consulting Solu- tions; www.panorama-consulting.com. Eric’s background includes extensive ERP software selection, ERP organiza- tional change and implementation project management.
7) Your project will fail without ade- quate organizational change man- agement.
8) Executive buy-in and support is critical to ERP success.
9) There is no “one size fits all” ERP strategy.
10) In addition to planning, imple- mentation also is about execution.
Hammering Home the Critical Points
While I don’t have room to expand each of these tips individually in this piece, it is helpful to hammer home a few of the more absolutely critical points. First, all ERP-software selection and implementation projects must start with a concerted effort to docu- ment and understand the business processes currently in use at the
72 MetalForming/October 2011
www.metalformingmagazine.com
What Every CIO Should Know About
ERP
Implementations
BY ERIC KIMBERLING