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In cases where rightful competitive advantages exist within the main business functions, it can be suicide to customize off-the-shelf ERP packages to maintain business methods. The cost of upgrades of these systems can reach tens of millions of dollars when the application code has been tailored.  Making the choice:
If you build your own ERP solution, you may benefit from customization, but that advantage comes at the expense of high development and maintenance costs. Packaged solutions are fully supported, but sometimes they may not always be an exact fit for your organization. To make the best selection, weigh the top considerations of your business against the advantages of each type of system.
Implementation of an ERP solution as a whole or as a part calls for high-level skills in analyzing your business operations, the business rules of your organization and the current technical scenario that could include a multitude of legacy systems. The dominant effect is a successful plan to integrate all these diverse activities into the ERP package resulting in efficient servicing of your customers, enhancing the bottom line of your operations and facilitating well-informed decision-making by various levels of management.
A successful ERP System implementation greatly depends on the blend and the synchronization of the team. A well-managed functional team with a clear understanding of the business practices, combined with a technical team, which understands the architecture of the product provides a team close to excellence. In general there are 10 tips to be followed while selecting the best ERP System for your business.
1. Make sure whether your executive team is willing to sponsor the ERP implementation project or not. One reason why projects fail is because the executive team does not establish a process to resolve issues, and neglects to make decisions in a timely fashion to keep implementations running smoothly. definitely
2. Clearly define what you are going to do, how long it will take, what resources are needed, and what it costs. Build contingency plans, manage risk, and communicate with everyone involved. A project manager is authorized person who can make or break an ERP implementation.
3. Select the best people for the ERP implementation team. You will be asking them to define how the business runs in the future. Pair the people who understand the business along with people who understand the technology.
4. Find the right consulting partner or firm that is experienced in ERP implementation, has a strong project management approach, and culturally blends in with your company. Remember, you will work long hours with these people and make sure that they have your best interests at heart and good references. It is also important that they understand your organizations needs.
5. Obtain the functionality you need but make sure that the ERP system provides the critical functions you need to run your business. Interview all the departments within your organization to identify the major features and functions they use on a daily basis to run the business. Understand the unique requirements of your organization, if the ERP system supports them, and how you are going to fill that gap if it does not.
6. Plan for the future and ask these questions: does the ERP system offer enough capacity to help my business grow? How will I support my IT infrastructure in an organization? Take the time to understand where your business goes in the future.
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