Page 51 - MetalForming September 2015

ERP implementations:
• No clear destination;
• Part-time project management; • Under-estimating resources
required;
• Too much customization;
• Insufficient testing;
• Not enough user training;
and
• Over-reliance on consultants. Without proper research and
planning, new technology usu- ally leads to disagreements, lack of support, unrealized benefits, cost overruns, etc. ERP systems aren’t cure-alls, but done right, they can deliver real value.
Get to the Real Issue
Most companies considering or implementing an ERP system recog- nize the end goal: to improve how they do things. These companies want to elim- inate dual data entry, identify bottle- necks, improve reporting, increase effi- ciency, reduce waste, enhance customer
satisfaction, increase productivity and more. Any or all of these improvements mean change. ERP systems are often
function around the company, from order entry to invoicing and every- thing in between, we interviewed
process owner about the steps in their jobs. They wanted the new computer system to work in exactly the same way as things had worked with pencil and paper. Sound familiar?
Management had hired us to improve how things were done by using computers. As we wrote custom programs to eliminate the waste we found in waiting, duplication and extra processing, we did our level-
headed best to improve the process. So launching one of our new programs required double the training we antic- ipated. First we had to train people on how to use the computer, and second, we had to train them on how to do things the new way.
The harder we tried, the slower it proceeded. We were up against two threats:
CHANGE AHEAD
seen by management as a means to initiate change. That’s where ERP implementation runs into a brick wall.
The thought of change brings out our natural tendency to resist it. It reminds me of my early days in man- ufacturing as a computer programmer at an industrial water-heater manu- facturer. Desktop computing was brand new. As we tackled each new
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