When an ERP project completes, we may celebrate and jump to the next big thing. However, there is often no major thought and provisioning for ongoing ERP development. The fact is that when you complete the ERP implementation, you barely utilise roughly 60% of ERP capability. Rest 40% is untapped potential that no one cares about. A few things that form part of 40% are optimising the workflows, automating manual processes, improving navigation and reporting.
Now, the question is, what is the best ERP support model?
I think it depends on the organisation. However, you should seriously consider a decentralised support model for your ERP.
Let us first look at what the decentralised support model mean?
It is a model where all Department heads hold separate budgets for ERP improvements. So, the Department head act as a sponsor. The Department head’s team works with the client Project Manager and ERP vendor to document requirements, review and test solutions, and production deployment.
Let us consider an example:
Consider a Finance Manager identifies a gap and wants to fix it by three-way matching between Purchase Order, goods receipt note and supplier’s invoice. The Finance Manager engages a client Project Manager and Vendor and manages end to end implementation as a Sponsor. During the implementation, the Finance team take full responsibility for implementation.
ERP is an enterprise tool. So, the ownership must be distributed among the individual departments within the enterprise. It promotes agility, speed and a sense of ownership within the business.
Though, the decentral support model is uncommon. But why not seriously consider it for your ERP support?
