After all, you probably know what each system offers, who is the best, what the prices are

Choosing an ERP system is an essential and critical process for an organization.

Apart from the important product of choosing a system and supplier, the process also distills the more important issues to the organization, the parameters that will make the change for that organization.

And no, it’s really not the same in all organizations!

Recently, we completed such a fascinating process with a leading global company. An Israeli startup company is growing and succeeding with incredible creativity and innovation.

The company, whose privacy we will keep, has been in an accelerated growth process for several years, with frequent changes, the opening of subsidiaries and more…. The company came to the understanding that in order to allow the organization to continue its planned business growth and in order to meet the aggressive goals they set for themselves – it must build a stable, flexible and robust infrastructure in the form of the organization’s ERP system.

This is where Strauss Strategy experts and its ERP team come into the picture. Our experts came to the organization after the company went through a preliminary process in which they defined the company’s vision in the context of the complexity of the future business process and its strategic goals. This was our starting point for the process, and starting from it we walked hand in hand with the organization on the fascinating path to choosing the next generation of the company’s ERP system.

So what does the process actually include?

# Building a team – the first and critical step is building the teams. With the help of the organization’s staff, the project teams were built – the professional leaders, the project manager, the steering committee. We were joined in the project by professional people, experts in their field who helped us learn and get to know the company’s business worlds.

# Mapping – the next step is a comprehensive review and analysis of the business processes with the leading officials. At this point the magic begins to happen!

The combination of the organization’s requirements with the experience of Strauss experts, together allows us to identify what is unique, identify the parameters that are critical and those that will be game changers for the company. At this stage, many more issues such as processes that are not best practice are floating and coming up, and it would be worthwhile to take advantage of the system change and change them. Connections between systems are not built optimally and it is worth redefining the area of ​​responsibility of each system and more.

# Diagnosis – After we gathered all the requirements, we defined together the critical parameters for selection – these are the same parameters that the system will select according to the score received for that subject. This list looks different for each client and is the one that ultimately succeeds in bringing the most appropriate and optimal system to the specific organization.

At the same time as working within the organization, we started working on the second part – out to the systems and suppliers. Beyond the fact that the system should fit the organization, it is equally important to find the right implementer. A good project must include both factors, otherwise it will encounter many difficulties later on. In recent years we have been blessed with new systems and new versions of existing systems and as a result we have a variety of very interesting systems to examine.

> First of all, we presented the client with the long list (the long list) which includes approximately all the ERP systems sold in Israel to organizations of the size in question. We discussed an analysis of the systems, advantages, disadvantages, experience, horticultural products and more. In a joint and quick (but in-depth) process, we narrowed down the list to systems and suppliers with the greatest chance of matching the client and his needs (the short list).

> Now the in-depth examination process of the solutions began – the suppliers answered in detail and also priced the project, we held presentations and workshops, we talked with recommending customers – together with the customer we turned the solutions and proposals from side to side until understanding and decision. Throughout the entire process, we had in front of our eyes the same parameters that we defined together with the organization as the most significant parameters and through them, despite the huge amounts of information that the team absorbed during this period, we managed to focus ourselves every time.

So it’s true, replacing an ERP system is not a short process, which requires the mobilization and commitment of the entire organization.
Thanks to this process, you gain several important things:

· We know that choosing to go with the supplier and the system will bring the most added value to the customer.

· In the joint journey, we identified important issues that need to be changed in the process and the organization can already prepare for them.

· We are focused on the processes that are the most critical to the organization and will continue to focus on them in the implementation process as well.

· A strong and cohesive professional team was built in the organization that can now continue to lead the project in the various stages.

Every end is a new beginning: although the end of the selection process is only the beginning of the real task of replacing the ERP system at the client, its accurate and correct execution is critical to the success of the project itself.

And what now ? Now we at Strauss accompany the client in the project, continuing to bring our experience as much as possible to help the client succeed in the very important phase of replacing the system and achieving the business goals defined for the process!

Do you also want to have a successful experience in choosing or replacing an ERP system?
Contact us, the coffee and the experience are on us – smadar@s-strauss.techjump.co.il