Roadmap to Digital Transformation

Digital Transformation For Small Business

We continue to see a huge rise in the number of Canadian small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that invest in technology, only a small portion of them are actually using this technology effectively - that is, to enhance their knowledge and continued growth.

A study by BDC, found that despite last year’s average technology investment of $118,000 per Canadian SME, many businesses have yet to truly reap the benefits. Many have not created a website or used and analyzed their newly-gathered customer data for potential financial growth and bigger projects.

Taking such steps as these are integral to the success of a business’ digital transformation as well as the financial growth of its future projects. It’s as though something blocks them from moving forward to the next phase of this investment in their business.

Why Companies Are Still Hesitant About Having a Digital Transformation Strategy

If implementing digital changes to your business is so beneficial, then, why are so many companies still not taking the leap into these initiatives? Some of the main reasons cited include the supposed challenges of doing so; the seemingly high costs of having a supplier come in and potentially change your processes around - with no real certainty of the advantages they may bring.

With that, some may not know who to trust with this major endeavour, thus understanding the importance of having the right implementation partner. Others have concerns around cybersecurity and fear of cloud-based solutions, stating they want to know where their data is and feel like this isn’t clear to them.

This creates what many are calling a digital divide: the imaginary line that exists between those organizations taking their digital investment to the finish line and actually using the data and findings to grow; and those that are not.

With this, what it really all comes down to is whether or not your business has a digital plan with full clarity. That is, something that outlines these questions and how they’ll be addressed with this incoming digitization process.

Start with your questions and concerns around whether or not you need an ERP/CRM. If you’ve decided this is the way to go, then consider implementing NetSuite ERP for your business.

Digital Transformation: Important Factors to Consider

Perhaps you’re wondering, “What dictates which side of this so-called divide my team and I are on and how can I ensure a successful implementation?” Aside from a few other factors outlined in the above-mentioned study, it really all comes down to having a digital plan.

Let’s say, your business currently does not have a digital plan. A good place to start would be to ensure you’re well-informed about the different aspects of this project and what would work best for you and your teams.

That entails meeting with your various operational teams and stakeholders.

If your business is already well into its own digital plan so that you can ensure growth for future projects, that’s great. Let’s consider where you are within this plan and if you’ve considered all the important elements of digitization.

Who Are the Key Players?

For example, do you have the right team to support you through the various stages of an investment like this? Keep in mind that this isn’t just about the vendors and external consultants you may work with but also your internal teams within your organization and this doesn’t just mean IT.

It’s a common misconception that digital transformation is an IT mandate. One of the hard but useful truths of an ERP implementation is that the decision-makers and those involved in major business processes, such as Sales operations and Finance, will be key players in this plan. So, take stock of what’s happening within your organization so you can go out informed and well-supported.

Outline the Objectives and Milestones

The key players in the digital process aren’t simply the members of your IT team.

At the very beginning of your planning process, consider taking the time to speak to those involved in your Sales or Finance operations, or someone on the Accounting team who handles income statements and can give you insight into how a typical accounting period runs. By doing so, you’ll better understand your overall operations and will be able to fully communicate your objectives and vision to your supplier.

Using these details and your business’ yearly activities, you’re now in a better position to build out a schedule, which will include milestones and important dates along the digitization path.

Defining and following through with your ERP implementation can be tricky, but with the right partner, you can ensure objectives are clear and met along the way.

Choosing the Right Implementation Partner

All that said, before you write off the idea of digitizing your business, take the time to learn more about roles and responsibilities, costs and benefits and the importance of a knowledgeable team - both internally and externally. You want to work with a NetSuite implementation partner that you can be open with about your budget, schedule and objectives - these are basically the main pillars of a proper plan.

Investing in Digital Transformation: Now or Never

If you think this is a passing phase or that it isn’t actually happening around you already, you may not be paying close enough attention. Some of the simplest examples occur in real time transactions every day: online shopping, small businesses now accepting other methods of payment than cash, or even just remote work for employees.

To learn more about how digitally transforming your business - if you haven’t already started - will support your current operations and ensure growth with future projects, contact the knowledgeable members of our own GURUS team.

Click here to learn more about GURUS’ implementation process, or check out 5 NetSuite implementation steps for a successful project.

What is the go-live phase of an ERP project?

Now that you understand the benefits of digital transformation for your organization, the next step is to implement your ERP. There are many steps to the ERP project, but the most important is the go-live phase.

But what is the go-live phase of an ERP project?

What does it mean to go-live?

The simple definition of go-live refers to something that becomes available. While used as a term for launching new software within businesses, it’s most common in ERP, CRM, logistics, or marketing systems.

In terms of an ERP, the concept is extremely straightforward. It’s when the system goes live, from the testing environment to production. While the actual go-live is a transparent step, whether it’s a success or failure is another story, and depends on multiple things from project planning to testing to the right leadership - and a lot more.

Companies have been known to lose millions in failed implementations. It’s vital to be in complete control before and even after the system goes live.

The before, the during, and the after of an ERP project

It’s been said that one must “keep their eye on the prize” when it comes to achievements, whatever it may be. Although considered important advice, I would advise against even having that thought when implementing an ERP.

Look at it this way. The go-live phase would be considered the “prize”; however, what happens before and after is what really matters. Typically, the stages of an ERP project are thought to be:

• Pre-Sale & Discovery
• Assessment
• Implementation
• Pre Go-Live
• Go-Live
• Post Go-Live
• Support & Optimization

The impact of an ERP is huge to any corporation, from the roles and responsibilities of employees, to the price tag, to the potential issues faced along the way.

The go-live phase of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project denotes the activation of the system. To evaluate the success of this phase, a focus on the preparatory efforts and subsequent meticulous management is imperative.

How to prepare for the go-live phase

There is a lot to consider when planning for a successful ERP launch. Here are the top tips and tricks to prepare you to have the most successful go-live your business will ever experience.

1. Plan for anything and everything

The key is to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. In this scenario, you must think of all potential challenges and risks, and plan outcomes for each. If this is your first ERP project, there is a lot of uncertainty and it is imperative to be ready for the unknown.

Of course not knowing what could potentially go wrong can be stressful, but even just giving yourself and your team more time before go-live or prepping a list of all potential risks is already the right direction of success.

An ERP project does not only affect those directly involved, but everyone in the company and beyond. Make sure to discuss upcoming changes with your stakeholders, company staff, and bank.

Lack of finances is one of the top reasons why implementations fail, so be sure to review your budget before starting.

2. Test, test, test

When it comes to your go-live date, make sure to spend the previous months testing the environment, working with your team members, and rehearsing the actual go-live.

An ERP Implementation is a job for your whole business, so prepare as many of your staff as you need and be certain that everyone’s roles and responsibilities are understood.

For any additional resources (people, software, etc.) that you know you’ll need, make sure to have it approved by your executive team so as not to run into any hiccups during launch day.

3. Don’t be afraid to delay

We all set deadlines in hopes that we’ll reach them on time. The reality is, this is rarely what happens. For an ERP project, it’s always better to postpone than to go-live with issues that could have been solved with just a little more time.

At the end of the day, the ERP is to facilitate your business processes, so delaying it a few weeks or months will just lead to an even more successful go-live.

4. Organize your team and data

You’ve got your ERP vendor, you’ve been working on implementation, and the software has been working like a charm. Obviously, these are fundamental aspects, but if you haven’t trained your team or prepared them for the upcoming changes, all this is null and void.

It’s crucial that your team feels comfortable with the software and have been trained on all intricacies of the system. That way, if anything goes wrong before or after go-live, they’ll be more than prepared to handle the situation.

While you prepare your team, it’s also important that you clean up all your data in preparation for the migration to the new system. Test multiple cutovers in order to know and understand that you have the right data to integrate.

5. Represent your team

Moving forward with an ERP project can be time consuming and a very busy time for all those involved. Many will feel excited for this change, while others are uncertain about this new project.

Provide your staff with incentives or benefits to help them relax during the project and acknowledge their commitment and contributions to the project.

6. Have expectations, but trust your judgement

One thing to note is that a go-live doesn’t just fail for no reason. There are indications that lead up to mishaps and issues. Trust your intuition when it comes to these problems popping up along the way and react to them accordingly.

A primary example is perhaps someone on the implementation team is not reaching specific milestones or another is completely disorganized. Speak up and inform project managers who can come to the rescue..

It will likely occur that someone is not on board with this new ERP project. Trust your judgement when said person has an opinion that is not constructive to the project and respectively ignore.

However, if the intention is meant to have a positive effect on the project - that you perhaps didn’t notice - make sure to listen and resolve the problem. The key is to trust yourself and the project enough to know when to brush someone off and when to listen.

7. Create a thorough grocery list

Whether you’re working with an implementation partner or on your own, you should always have your own go-live checklist. List off all the items you want to accomplish during the go-live phase.

These ideas will be critical to your success, making it easier for you to navigate any red flags that come up and provide the necessary solution.

How to continue success after the go-live phase

In order to keep up with business operations, there are a few things to keep in mind as you move past the go-live phase into the functionality phase.

It’s time to work alongside the end users and fix any potential problems that occur. Talk with the users to see if they understand how to use the ERP, whether or not they need training, how they’re benefiting from (or not) from the ERP, and of course if they require ongoing support.

Any new process will take time to get used to and to fully comprehend. Allocate time to go through the ERP and see if anything needs fixing or changed to better suit the objectives of the business.

Through this analysis, you will be able to go even further and create advanced automated processes that perhaps were not required for the go-live.

Finally, add value to your ERP by creating goals for the future of what you would like to accomplish from here on out. From how to strengthen the ERP to a list of best practices moving forward, these will ensure that the software is being used correctly and maximize its capabilities.

The go-live phase of an ERP project can be a very stressful time. Most cases of failed projects involve lack of preparation, under-budgeting, and disorganized teams.

At GURUS Solutions, we’ve spent hours rescuing failed implementations. While we have no problem helping out, a lot of the reasons can be avoided through careful planning and extensive research.

To learn more about the go-live phase of an ERP project, contact us today.