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ERP Articles |
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Top Five Factors for ERP Implementation Success
What factors affect the success or failure of a large-scale project or change initiative? In this article, we outline what constituents at 12 higher education institutions identified as key factors or strengths they feel their institutions have that will help them implement their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. These same factors can be applied to any major project or change initiative. |
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Navigating Organization Change on an ERP Implementation
One of the biggest changes higher education institutions can experience is the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. An ERP system touches every aspect of the operations of an institution and touches every constituent group both inside and outside the institution. As a result, leadership should address the communications, politics, resistance, teamwork, and leadership issues that can provide significant barriers to change, cause delays in project timelines, and hinder the full utilization of the new software functionality. |
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ERP 101: A Primer for Busy Executives
When considering an ERP implementation, busy institution executives need a crash course. The purpose of this article is to provide such a course for busy executives. |
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Seven Steps in the ERP Process
If you're thinking about replacing some or all of your existing campus administrative systems with a more modern Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, it will be hepful to first understand the steps you need to take and in what order you need to take them. |
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Ready or Not: Determining the Readiness of Your Institution for an ERP Implementation
Are you ready for your ERP implementation – or not? Current trends indicate that higher education institutions are spending more than $20 million to complete single Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementations. These trends also point out that the success rate estimates of those implementations are as low as 30%. |
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How to Prepare a Budget for an
ERP Project:
Ten Critical Steps
You have been given the daunting task of creating the budget for your new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project. No doubt the task seems overwhelming. Just deciding where to start can keep you awake at nights. |
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ERP Budget 101: Constructing the Initial Planning Budget
Putting together a cost estimate for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is one of the most critical tasks in the initial planning phase of any ERP project. This article is the first of two papers devoted to the ERP budgeting process. This first paper sketches out the steps in assembling an initial planning budget for the project. The subsequent paper will summarize the steps involved in refining this budget so it can be used in the management of the ERP implementation. |
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ERP Budget 101: Part II
Constructing the Managing-Level Budget
This article is part two in a two-part series on the ERP budgeting process. In part one, we outlined the steps involved in assembling an initial planning budget for an ERP project. This article summarizes the steps involved in developing the budget you will use to manage and track your ERP Project expenditures. |
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ERP Budget 101: Part III
Tracking and Controlling Your Project Budget
This article is part three on budgeting for your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project. In part one, we outlined the steps involved in assembling an initial planning budget for an ERP project. The second article summarized the steps involved in developing the detailed budget used to manage and track the ERP project expenditures. In this article, we focus on how to manage and control budget expenditures from the managing-level budget to ensure on or under budget performance. |
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Top Ten Reasons ERP Projects Succeed
Implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project has been compared to scaling and reaching the top of Mount Everest. The good news is that if an implementation is done right, you will not have to climb that mountain again. The question then becomes how do you do it right? |
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Staffing Options on an ERP Implementation - How to Work on the Project and Still Maintain Regular Job Duties
Your campus is preparing to replace its existing administrative systems with a new, more modern ERP. The implementation will be complex, will take several years to complete, and will consume enormous amounts of campus resources. You will face a number of challenges throughout the lifespan of the implementation but, among all of the obstacles ahead, one stands out above the rest: How do we staff this project!???
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ERP Anxiety? Part 1: You Are Not Alone
If you are planning to implement an ERP at your institution, you have probably had some unease and concern about the project and its impact. Often this anxiety results from the fear of both the known and unknown. In this two part series we will first outline for you the top concerns voiced by stakeholders at institutions about to implement an ERP then we will equip you with the keys to help ease the anxiety on campus. |
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ERP Anxiety? Part 2: Preparing Your Team
In Part I we identified a typical list of concerns from institutions preparing to implement an ERP system. Now that you’re armed with an awareness of what the possible ERP project concerns may be within your institution, the next step is to deal with these concerns and work to reduce stakeholder concerns. In this second installment we outline with five key ways to manage ERP anxiety on your campus. |
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Who Should Lead Your Campus ERP Implementation?
For many higher education institutions the ERP is the most demanding and complex technology project ever undertaken on campus. Selecting the leadership for the project becomes one of the most important decisions to be made. |
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IV&V Services for ERP
Implementations in Higher Education
Independent Verification and Validation Services (IV&V) is a risk mitigation service to ensure clients receive the deliverables negotiated for. Although used in government and in the private sector, IV&V is not as common in high profile ERP implementations in Higher Education. The purpose of this paper is twofold: 1) to provide a definition and background of IV&V services, and 2) to illustrate how these services can be utilized by institutions preparing to engage in an ERP contract for implementation services. |
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How to Schedule, Track, and Control an ERP Project
How do you implement a multi-million dollar Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project on-time and within budget? |
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After the Scope, What's Next?
Successful project implementations share two key characteristics: a scope and a project organization. A project organization identifies the key resources that need to be involved in implementing your project. In addition, the project organization is the governance unit that ensures the project tasks are assigned and completed. |
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Is ERP Add-on Software Right for You?
While most ERPs will offer a holistic solution to your institution’s needs, there is a possibility that the software that comes standard with the ERP you’ve chosen will not provide all of the services you need. Should this be the case, you will need to consider Add-on software that will create a more robust system that provides a complete solution to your organizational needs.
In this article we will outline the process of selecting Add-ons and help you decide if ERP Add-on software is right for you. |
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ERP Project Kickoff Speech: A Description of the ERP Journey
Dr. Bob Cape, Senior Vice President and CIO, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
The successful implementation of any ERP project requires that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of their role and responsibility in the process, as well as realistic expectations about what is about to happen. The following talk was given by Dr. Cape at a “kickoff” town hall meeting on campus. ‘BATTERY’ is the name of the College’s ERP project; the audience consisted of all the BATTERY Team members and their managers. We reproduce his remarks below in the hope that his “car analogy” might be of use to others who are about to start an ERP implementation. |
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Buy vs. Build: A Question for Higher Education
Should you buy an ERP system or build your own? This buy versus build debate has been going on as long as ERP systems have existed, and over time, the debate has become more complex. Today, institutions can enhance an existing system, customize a purchased system, build a new system or outsource the building of or customizing of a system. |
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Benefits of Using Online Collaborative Tools for Project Teams
How do project teams collaborate? They meet,
communicate, develop a plan, share ideas, and make
decisions.
Unfortunately, canceled meetings due to calendar
conflicts, missed calls and unreturned emails,
unorganized tasks and de-centralized documents,
and so on can all throw a wrench in this process.
Each of these challenges can be managed using
web-based tools that have been developed
specifically for better collaboration among teams. |
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How Creating Ownership for Your IT Project Can Lead to Success
All successful projects share an important and common element – strong buy-in and commitment from key stakeholders and project team members. These are key people who will be involved in your project or affected by its outcome. Their buy-in, throughout the entire lifespan of a project is critical to the project’s success. |
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Managing Scope Creep: How to keep your project from being late, costing more, and under delivering
Managing a project's scope is one of the most challenging processes project managers face. It requires clarity of definition, specific boundaries, and a working change management process. This article examines the importance of project scope change management and presents tips and guidelines for a scope change management process. |
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Benefits of Implementing an ERP
Top 10 Benefits an ERP Implementation Can Bring to Your Institution
While a certain level of anxiety is common when planning and preparing for an ERP implementation, many institutions experience a sense of excitement in anticipation of the benefits that come with a modern ERP system. In this article we explore of the most commonly mentioned benefits of a new ERP that were identified by institutional stakeholders.
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