Implementing a new ERP system is a big undertaking. The amount of time and financial investment that is required drives many companies to do whatever they can to “get by” with their existing system. But is “getting by” going to drive your business forward?
What may have worked for your business years ago, will most likely not work for your business today. More employees, customers, product lines, regulations, and processes can all lead you to outgrow your ERP environment. But those things alone cannot tell you if it is time to make the change.
Signs you need a new ERP solution:
You (or your team members) are spending more time manually managing workarounds or excel spreadsheets than actually applying your skills to drive business growth.
Manual intervention can pose a significant risk to your company. A misplaced decimal point here or an overlooked checkbox there could be the cause of a lost customer or failed audit. Additionally, team members want to use their skills, not waste hours on piecing together production schedules, creating and printing pick lists, or entering the same data into multiple locations. Requiring these professionals to do tasks that can be easily automated negatively impacts employee satisfaction which, in today’s labor market, is critically important in keeping a fully staffed team.Avoidable and costly mistakes are being made.
Have you ever experienced a situation where the wrong lot was picked for a production run, incomplete orders were shipped to customers, or quality control checks were bypassed? Your ERP system should have process controls in place that prevent these situations from happening, especially given the highly regulated industry you are part of. Otherwise, you can run the risk of costly legal claims, recalls, removal from preferred vendor lists, hurting your brand reputation, or much more.Juggling software is restricting your visibility into the business.
Creating a “best of breed” ERP environment makes a lot of sense… on paper. But once you start living in it, the challenges around duplicate data entry, various user interfaces, independent support teams, and different login credentials will outweigh its benefits. Bouncing between systems and managing “multiple versions of the truth” may have you questioning if the data used to make business decisions is accurate. A company cannot compete without visibility into their own operations.You are stuck in an outdated ERP environment.
Overtime, it can become extremely difficult and costly to manage a combination of software systems. When one system is upgraded, IT teams need to ensure its compatibility with the independent, 3rd party systems it had is integrated with, and any customizations that were performed to meet critical business issues. This lack of flexibility often leads to “version locked” situations where companies cannot upgrade the software without breaking critical pieces of the environment.You are running on a “one size fits all” ERP solution.
Running your manufacturing operations on the same system that an automotive company or retailer down the street is using, does not scale well. Your industry has a lot of unique challenges, regulations, and processes that only those in it truly understand. Relying on a solution that is not built by or supported by experts in your industry can hold you back from being a true leader in your space.
If any of these signs are hitting a little too close to home, it may be time to replace your ERP. Technology should not be holding your company back. It should be driving your company forward and evolving along with the changes to the business and industry. The next step is to find the best ERP system for your company and we can help you there.
Are you considering an ERP replacement project? Start the conversation today.
