ERP Projects are complex. The composition of the ERP Project Team is not always clear. It is one of the most asked questions.
In the post, I will cover the various roles within ERP Project Team.
Refer to the following list of roles you may need for your ERP Project.
Roles within ERP Project Team
Project Sponsor
The Project Sponsor is accountable for the project. The Sponsor ensures that the investment is worthwhile and owns the Business Case. The Project Sponsor oversees the project and drive the change initiatives. He is the escalation point and take all crucial decisions and resolve conflicts.
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
The SMEs are responsible for validating business requirements. They take critical decisions on the solution design. Each Business area must have dedicated SMEs (Finance, Operations, Asset Management). The SMEs own their area of expertise and collaborate to define the needs of the system. Key Members of SMEs, and Project sponsors, form the Project Steering Committee.
Project Working Group
This group handles groundwork for SMEs. They assist in tasks like data cleansing, test scripts and training documentation. For more significant projects (over $2M), the Project Working group is incredibly important. In smaller and mid-level projects, SMEs undertake the groundwork. So, we may not need this group.
Project Management
The Project Manager handles the day-to-day management of the project. He works with all team members throughout the project. He monitors all tasks (e.g. planning, data migration) to ensure that project remains on track. The Project Manager reports project progress to Project Board or Steering Committee.
Business Architect
For more significant projects, we need one big picture thinker. The Business Architect takes ownership of overall project requirements. Business Architect advises on the data, business capability, processes, and organisational structure.
Solution Architect
The Solution Architect takes ownership of the overall solution. There can be many customisations, integrations, custom development/code. He ensures that the end product is technically sound. And, is scalable to support current and future business needs.
Functional Consultanting Team
ERP Functional Consultants specialise in a given stream (Finance, Sales, Production). They work with SME and Project Working groups to configure ERP systems based on the Business needs. They also identify gaps within ERP, where we need customisations. They document gaps, requirements, solution options for SMEs approval.
Technical Consulting Team
The Technical Consultants are responsible for undertaking all technical work. They develop reports, design outputs, data migration, custom development and much more.
Security Architect
Some industries (like Defence, Aviation, Health) have specific security compliance requirements. You need Security Architect to meet the security needs and compliance approval.
User Experience (UX) Consultant
For specific user experience needs, you need a UX consultant. He works with stakeholders to design user experiences for end-user needs. For example, there are particular business needs for mobile apps, field mobility systems.
Testing Team
Responsible to plan, prepare and execute the testing of the system. The member of the Working group may also assist this team.
Training and Support Team
They plan and deliver end-user training. Support the roll-out of the system and BAU support. The member of the Working group may also assist this team.
Change Management
This is a crucial role within any system implementation. The success is in the adoption of standard system capabilities by the business.
System Admin
The Project team handover the product to the System Admin team. They are responsible for ongoing support and maintenance of the system.
Note that depending on the project requirements, the above roles could vary. Consider the above list as a starting point to assess your project team requirements. Not all positions may be relevant to your project. Please consider this as a general guide. Do not hesitate to get in touch if you like to discuss resource requirements for your project.
