Professional Documents
Culture Documents
right business
solution
11300 ERP_Booklet_18.12 16/01/02 15:26 Side 2
Contents: page:
Play it safe 1
Do your homework 2
9. Checking references 10
Play it safe
Taking risks is an everyday part of life. We wouldnt even get Choosing a new business solution is a very big decision for a
out of bed if it werent. Of course, we all take small steps in company. Please dont make a mistake youll regret. Its well
order to mitigate the risks we encounter. Before we go to the worth taking a few precautions to set your selection project on
movies, we seek a recommendation. Before we cross the the right track. This booklet will be your guide. A little work at
road, we look left and right. To prevent theft, we lock our cars. the beginning of the project could save you a lot at the end.
Do your
homework
Faced with a 72% risk, most of us would take a few simple pre- ly before deciding on a solution. On average, they say, every
cautions. Especially if the stakes were high. According to the dollar you spend on pre-analysis saves you five during imple-
Standish Group, the IT research company, this is exactly the sit- mentation. Based on 130,000 customer projects, our own expe-
uation that companies installing new business software face. rience fits with this picture. A good pre-analysis of your business
A staggering 72% are unhappy with their installation. needs sets a project on course for success. It identifies all
avoidable risks, enabling you to choose the right solution the
The reason is that they havent done the proper research at first time, and get it delivered on time and within budget.
least not regarding their own problems and needs. So they
wind up with a software solution that doesnt fit. Not only does Such success is always achieved in the same, logical way.
this mean that the project scope has to be widened, it can also The steps described in this booklet have worked for many in
cause severe business interruption and plunging morale. the past and will work for many more in the future. Follow them
and you too can ensure that your solution meets your busi-
That is why AMR Research, another IT research company, ness needs.
strongly advises companies to investigate their needs through-
Starting
2. Employing an outside
consultant
It is essential that, from the start, the selection process
focuses on identifying the needs of your business. Func-
tionality must come second. Most project failures are due to
functionality requirements being identified through a demon-
stration of what is available rather than on the basis of what
the business needs. The inevitable result is to implement a
software solution that does not support the operation of the
business. Working with an external consultant who is skilled in
mapping business processes ensures that you accurately
identify all core needs and find a solution that fits them.
on the 1
right track
2
7
What to look for in a consultant
Puts business before technology. Trained in best practice methodology and 8
tools of business modeling.
Wants to involve you in the selection
process. Uses Universal Modeling Language so that
all parties can understand their models. 9
Offers complete documentation of selection
process. Has knowledge of your industry.
10
3
Scoping your
4
5
proj
6
3. Getting to know the 4. Identifying business
7 business processes
The consultant needs to get to know your individual business. Discussions with managers will enable the consultant to map all
General management and core functional managers (like business processes in overview. (Deeper mapping of the main
8 inventory, production, finance and sales managers) should processes should come later.) The result will be a working
provide the overview. The IT department should work with the document, which will develop as you learn more about your
consultant regarding the feasibility of databases, operating company (or if your processes change). However, the consultant
9 systems and hardware. Seek the input of anyone else whose should be as accurate as possible in order to avoid discovering
support will be required for a successful implementation. significant additional requirements further into the project.
10
ect
5. Defining the scope of
the project
Prioritize your business processes so that you can identify
which are within the scope of the project and which will have
to wait until next time. Dont bite off more than you can chew.
Set some measurable goals that will help you gauge the suc-
cess of the implementation in the short-term (for example,
reduce inventory and accounts receivable by 25%, eliminate
100 hours of manual processes). Experience has shown that,
being of a highly speculative nature, long-range return-on-
investment studies offer less value.
Focusing on
req
6. Documenting your 7. Identifying potential
requirements solutions
Taking expected future initiatives into consideration, the con- Your consultant will map the list of required features onto the
sultant will translate your real business processes into soft- products he knows. He will then recommend a solution or
ware requirements. The result should be a complete list of solutions (off-the-shelf products plus customizations) that
features required to support the processes within the project match the needs of your business. If the consultant is also an
scope. User permissions should also be included. In addition, implementer, he should provide a preliminary budget and
you should document the key product characteristics that you timeframe. The budget should be detailed and easy to under-
want, such as low maintenance or high scalability. stand, and the timeframe should break the implementation
into a number of milestones. Consultants who don't implement
will provide approximations only.
your 2
uirements 3
1
Choosing the
2
3 right tool
for the job
4
7 easier for all participants to comprehend product capabilities, ferences are enough.
actual data should be used where possible. The demonstra-
tion may also highlight new problems and perhaps cause you
to reassess your priorities. Ask as many questions as you 10. Making a decision
8 need to. Beware of implementers who offer you an evaluation
copy of the product to test on your own. Without good training If you still have more than one solution left on your list, choose
this will not be a valuable exercise. (If your consultant is not an the one that is easiest to learn, use and maintain and has the
9 implementer, they should recommend the best local imple- implementer with the best references.
menters with experience in your industry. You can also seek
recommendations directly from vendors.)
10
10 E-BUSINESS
CHOOSING ASRIGHT
THE STRATEGY
BUSINESS SOLUTION
11300 ERP_Booklet_18.12 16/01/02 15:26 Side 11
Getting the
you
On time, in scope, within
budget
By following the steps described in this booklet, you can make The Navision OnTarget methodology not only ensures that
sure that your software solution meets the needs of your busi- you get the solution you need, it ensures that you get it on time
ness. This success depends on a good pre-analysis phase, as and within the agreed budget.
described in step 4. Unless you have the specialist skills and
tools that you need to perform this planning phase in-house, To contact us, or to read further information about Navision,
you should hire a business consultant to help you. The visit www.navision.com.
Navision OnTarget methodology covers this crucial diagnos-
tic phase (see Figure 1), ensuring that the solution you need
is the solution you get. In the mid-market, only Navision pro-
vides its partners with a best practice methodology for plan-
ning as well as implementation.
12
12 CHOOSING THE RIGHT BUSINESS SOLUTION
11300 ERP_Booklet_18.12 16/01/02 15:26 Side 13
solution
need Figure 1: Navision OnTarget Methodology Planning Phases
Continue to
Implementation
Establish your com- Identify and docu- Agree on project Document expecta- Phase
NSC and patibility with the ment core business scope and deliver tions and deliver-
Navision Solution process, risks and detailed budget and ables
Customer Center hidden costs timeframe
The Diagnostic seemed like a more professional way of Phase Development Ongoing
Analysis Design Deployment
approaching the job. From an early stage we were able to & Testing Operations
Australia
Austria
Baltic Region
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
India
Italy
Navision a/s is a leading global provider of cost-effective and adaptable integrated business solutions that
Netherlands
Norway help companies in their quest to grow. The company has more than 130,000 customers worldwide, a global
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network of more than 2,250 partners, and around 1,100 employees in 29 countries. The Navision product line
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Spain
You can learn more about Navision a/s on the Internet at www.navision.com.
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W1-NV-5ABR
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www.navision.com
11300 ERP_Booklet_18.12 16/01/02 15:26 Side 15
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