It's hard being an ERP these days, all sorts of things are said about them, so are they justified, or not. Budget in overload, deadlines overrun, rigidity... Is that still the case? Among these preconceived ideas, let's take a look at non-compliance with schedules.

ERPs are evolving and implementations are accelerating

And no, an overrun on the deadline is not inevitable! Back in the dark ages of ERP, perhaps, but the days of the non-specialised ERP are over. Now, ERP systems are verticalized, pre-configured and easier to implement. They have integrated new business models and have become more flexible. Thus, we need increasingly fewer services to implement them.

The proper organisation of projects and objectives

Keeping to the schedule, whether you're talking about deploying an ERP or building an aeroplane, is primarily a question of project management: juggling times, available resources, anticipating risks, etc. This is both a science and an art that requires subject specialists. The less movement there is in needs, the more deadlines are likely to be met. One of the most common features of delayed ERP projects is often that the client has moved the goalposts: an extra module here, a poorly evaluated problem there, a specific development added..

Be realistic and listen to the specialists

Some good advice to help you avoid overruns :

• Choose a vertical ERP that's more suitable for your business and, therefore, faster to implement.
• If you’re not a professional project manager, invest in a consultant to help you.
• Be reasonable in your expectations: it's better to cover 80% of needs and stick to the deadline, than to cover 90% and get 12 months behind...
  
• Trust your publisher / integrator, they will have deployed this ERP more often than you! They know the right ways, and the wrong ways too.
• This is the 21st century, invest in an agile deployment: start small with perimeters limited to the short term, rather than an 18-month tunnel ending with a traumatic big bang.