Select an ERP Implementation Partner
- Enterprise application implementations are complex, and their success is critical to business operations.
- Selecting the right software implementation partner is as important for the success of the ERP initiative as selecting the right software.
- System implementation often thrusts the product into the spotlight, with the implementation partner being an afterthought, and all too often organizational needs are ignored altogether.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- ERP implementation is not a one-and-done exercise. Most often it is the start of a multi-year working relationship between the software vendor or systems integrator and your organization. Take the time to find the right fit to ensure success.
- The conventional approach to ERP implementation partner selection puts the ERP vendor and systems integrators in the driver's seat with little regard to your specific needs as an organization. You need to take an eyes-wide-open approach to your organization’s strengths and weaknesses to properly select and manage the implementation partner relationship.
- Self-assessment is the critical first step in a successful implementation. Every organization has a unique combination of critical success factors (CSFs) that will be required to unlock the potential of their ERP. You must find the right partner or partners whose strengths complement your weaknesses to ensure your success.
- Before you start knocking on vendors’ doors, ensure you have a holistic request that encompasses the strategic, tactical, operational, and commodity factors required for the success of your ERP implementation.
Impact and Result
- Use Info-Tech’s implementation partner selection process to find the right fit for your organization.
- Understand the enterprise application CSFs and determine the unique requirements of your organization through this lens.
- Define your implementation partner requirements separately from your software requirements and allow vendors to respond to those specifically.
- Use our assessment tools to score and assess the CSFs required to select the right software implementation partners.
Select an ERP Implementation Partner Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should focus on selecting the right implementation partner, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
- Select an ERP Implementation Partner – Phases 1-3
1. Identify your strategic needs
Review the CSFs that are of strategic importance. Evaluating the gaps in your organization's capabilities enables you to choose a partner that can properly support you in your project.
- Select an ERP Implementation Partner Workbook
2. Review your tactical, commodity, and operational needs
Review the CSFs that are of tactical, commodity, and operational importance. Evaluating the gaps in your organization's capabilities enables you to choose a partner that can properly support you in your project.
3. Build your RFx and evaluate the responses
Review your RFx and build an initial list of vendor/implementors to reach out to. Finally, build your evaluation checklist to rate the incoming responses.
- Short-Form RFP Template
- Long-Form RFP Template
- Lean RFP Template
- Supplementary RFx Material
- RFx Vendor Evaluation Tool
Workshop: Select an ERP Implementation Partner
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Identify Organizational Strategic Needs
The Purpose
Review the critical success factors that are of strategic importance. Evaluating the gaps in your organization's capabilities enables you to choose a partner that can properly support you in your project.
Key Benefits Achieved
ERP strategy model defined
Strategic needs identified
Activities
1.1 Review the business context.
1.2 Build your ERP strategy model.
1.3 Assess your strategic needs.
Outputs
ERP strategy model
ERP strategy model
Strategic needs analysis
2 Review Your Tactical, Commodity, and Operational Needs
The Purpose
Review the critical success factors that are of tactical, commodity, and operational importance. Evaluating the gaps in your organization's capabilities enables you to choose a partner that can properly support you in your project.
Key Benefits Achieved
Tactical, commodity, and operational needs identified
Activities
2.1 Assess your tactical needs.
2.2 Assess your commodity needs.
2.3 Assess your operational needs.
Outputs
Tactical needs analysis
Commodity needs analysis
Operational needs analysis
3 Build Your RFx
The Purpose
Review your RFx and build an initial list of vendor/implementors to reach out to. Finally, build your evaluation checklist to rate the incoming responses.
Key Benefits Achieved
Draft RFI or RFP
Target vendor list
Activities
3.1 Decide on an RFI or RFP.
3.2 Complete the RFx with the needs analysis.
3.3 Build a list of targeted vendors
Outputs
Draft RFI or RFP
Draft RFI or RFP
Target vendor list
4 Evaluate Vendors
The Purpose
Build a scoring template for use in vendor evaluation to ensure consistent comparison criteria are used.
Key Benefits Achieved
A consistent and efficient evaluation process
Activities
4.1 Assign weightings to the evaluation criteria.
4.2 Run a vendor evaluation simulation to validate the process.
Outputs
Completed partner evaluation tool