I concluded my previous blog with the remark that you need to rely on the consultant in an ERP implementation. But does that mean that you can blindly trust the consultant?
Knowledge and experience
When your organization undergoes the implementation of an ERP system, you cannot do without the advice of consultants. An ERP implementation is something that you, as a company, may have to deal with every ten years. It is therefore not business-as-usual, but an activity that requires a lot of specific knowledge and experience. Most companies usually do not have that knowledge and experience in-house. You will have to obtain this elsewhere. The consultants of your ERP partner are the right people to help and advise you in the implementation. During the implementation, the consultants and your key users work closely together. The key users rely on the knowledge and experience of the consultants. Therefore, trust is extremely important. This contributes to better cooperation, creates a good atmosphere and will benefit the end result of your implementation.
The consultant is the specialist
Consultants know the industry. Every day they help and advise companies in a specific industry. Because they are in contact with many companies in the same industry, they often are the first to discover industry trends. And if not, it is their fellow consultants who discover these trends and share this knowledge internally. Consultants of course know the ERP system that has to be implemented and how this can be used optimally for companies in your industry. Key users often do not have that experience. They know the company they work for and possibly bring in experiences from previous employers as well. Maybe they also have experience with ERP software and have even experienced an implementation before. But the experience of consultants goes much further. They are the specialists you have to rely on.
Remain critical!
Should you therefore blindly follow the consultant? Simply accept everything the consultant tells you? No, of course not. You must remain critical! After all, you and your colleagues will have to work with the new ERP system and therefore have to be 100% sure that it will ultimately work for your company. When the consultant tells you how a feature works, check it. If the consultant describes a particular process as the most optimal, verify it. Take their advice, because these are based on extensive knowledge and experience. But do not follow up their advice blindly. As a key user you represent your department and company in order to ultimately get maximum benefit from the new ERP system.
Peter Gerhardt is Senior Lead Consultant Logistics at Dysel and helps customers achieve maximum results with business software.
