5 Steps to Assess Your Businesses ERP Readiness.

5 Steps to Assess Your Businesses ERP Readiness

• Step 1: Does My Business Need a New ERP Solution?• Step 2: Does My Business Have the IT Resources Available to Research Potent

ial ERP Solutions?

• Step 3: Assessing My Companies ERP Readiness• Step 4: Reviewing My Options For An ERP Application• Step 5: What to Look for in an ERP Partner

Step 1: Does My Business Need a New ERP Solution?

Many small business owners run into the issue of limited functionality and lack of data integration with their current spreadsheet, legacy system or accounting solution.

You may find yourself in real-life scenarios such as:

• “My sales team is out there selling items I don’t have in stock.”

• “My cash flow is tight and I don’t know how to improve it.”

• “I can’t find one report that gives me all the data points I need to make this decision.”

Step 1: Does My Business Need a New ERP Solution?

With an integrated business management solution, businesses can change the outcome of these scenarios by:• Streamlining business processes through integrated core functionality• Automating manual processes through workflows• Reporting on accurate data

Step 1: Does My Business Need a New ERP Solution?

Determining when your organization is ready for a new ERP solution can be more easily managed if you first answer several other related questions:

1) Does my company have the IT resources available to research potential ERP solutions?2) Have I already assessed my company’s ERP Readiness?3) Have I defined the business requirements of the ERP solution that my company will eventually adopt?4) Have I reviewed and qualified my ERP solution options on the market;5) Have we chosen the right implementation partner to select the ERP system?

Step 2: Does My Business Have the IT Resources Available to Research Potential ERP Solutions?With an always connected marketplace businesses face an expectation from their customers to be accessible regardless of the time of day. They want real-time access via mobile devices to purchase products, manage their accounts and find information. Meanwhile, other business partners require access to real-time reporting, inventory management, CRM data and more.

Some questions you may have to ask when considering an ERP solution include:• Is my businesses current hardware able to

sustain an ERP solution?• Do we have the IT people available to

research/maintain an ERP solution?• Does my business require an fully integrated

ecommerce solution?• Will we require additional analytic and reporting

integration?• Will an ERP solution further support a CRM

system in a single repository?

Step 3: Assessing My Companies ERP ReadinessDeveloping an ERP strategy is the best way to ensure that an ERP solution, like SAP Business One, will address your business needs and maximize your ROI.

3 questions to ask yourself to determine your ERP readiness:

1. Have you defined your business process needs?•  Defining your business needs up front will help you evaluate which ERP

solution will best fit your business.2. Have you set performance expectations for adopting an ERP solution?

• Anticipated ROI is important, but  considering the opportunity cost of not adopting an ERP solution is even more important

3. Are you prepared for change management?• Assign an ERP Project Manager to address challenges associated with the

change from manual processes and legacy systems to an ERP solution.

Step 4: Reviewing My Options For An ERP Application

To ensure that your business is ERP ready, it is important to establish the right criteria to evaluate your options before achieving ERP readiness. Narrowing the number of choices on the market can be a difficult task however, this crucial process can become more manageable if you keep in mind the following points:

• Understand you business processo Create a detailed map of your organizations

workflows and daily operationso Speak with your employees to determine essential

processeso Identify areas that need improvement

• Decide on essential featureso Focus on the comparison between solutions and the

functionality they provide and how they fit your businesses needs

• Decide on the type of ERP that fits your business needso ERP solutions should be evaluated on their ability to

offer core functionality out of the box that can be further tailored to suit your business with the help of an ERP partner.

Step 5: What to Look for in an ERP Partner

You should be looking for a knowledgeable and experienced partner who has a deep understanding of your business needs who also has a strong technical support team. Your chosen ERP partner should be willing to go above and beyond that and help you:

• Map out the implementation processo An ideal ERP implementation partner will map out the process for you

with a complete business optimization process to ensure the alignment with a proposed business solution that addresses your business’ key challenges.

• Maximize the value of your chosen ERP application• Choose an implementation partner that understands your business

requirements. The more they understand, the more they can help you work towards business goals and customize your ERP solution to help you get the most out of your investment.

• Stay involved by offering open communicationo A good ERP partner will teach your employees how to manage the

organizational changes that come with implementing an ERP application, train them how to use the application, and help them understand and take advantage of the benefits of having a fully functional ERP solution.

Learn More About SAP Business One• Available on premise or hosted through Amazon Web Services, SAP Business One

offers an affordable, integrated business management solution designed to enable growing small to midsized businesses and subsidiaries to manage their entire company. SAP Business One provides one, simple solution that streamlines business processes, provides real-time information, and helps boost overall business performance.

The SAP Business One Intelligence Kit contains:• Customer Success and

Product Videos• White Papers• ROI Case Studies• Product Briefs