ERP systems refer to Enterprise Resource Planning and assume, as their name indicates, a system for planning business resources. These programs are responsible for various functions, from human resources to distribution.
For this reason, for any type of company, it is a great investment to have this type of programs to increase productivity. But often we focus too much on the objectives and forget that several items are needed before embarking on the incorporation of management software, especially for the academic or educational field.
Today we present you several mistakes that are made in the incorporation of ERP systems that we must keep in mind to achieve a correct development of their functionalities:
1. The key to getting a new ERP is to understand that it is a new system that needs dedication and time to adjust. In relation to that, it is important that a training is given to those employees who are going to use it so that they are able to use it correctly and optimize their functionalities. We’ll talk about how to organize their uses later.
2. Another concept that should be clear is that any ERP software does not work. Each company or educational center is unique and characteristic, therefore you should not expect that the perfect ERP for a company or school would be useful in yours. The best solution is to find the software that best suits you without needing specific requirements that can increase the price substantially.
3. Following this last idea, we are presented with another problem in the use of ERP programs. We all know the 80/20 rule, that is, most companies and educational centers will only use 20% of the features offered by this system. You must take into account from the beginning what you want and what you need, and then find the program that offers you the maximum according to your needs. This concept, which may seem so obvious, is very important. For most centers it can be very confusing to implement a system that is too complex for its purpose and, to avoid possible management errors, it is preferable to have very clear the utility that you want to give it and to train your staff accordingly.
4. For that reason, we highlight the most common error: not having documented the steps and the methodology. It is vital to have registered all the methodology that has been set for the correct use of the system, both for the present and for the future and new additions. Furthermore, as the center grows, so will the needs and uses required by this software. For this reason, writing down the steps for the correct practicality of the system will facilitate its use and homogenize the result.
In conclusion, perhaps the most important thing when choosing an ERP software is not the number of functions that allows you to perform, but that the functions it performs are adapted to your needs. It is useless to have an impressive ERP that allows you to do thousands of actions if you are not going to use them, being a loss of money and resources. Find the software that performs the highest number of functions you need and contrast beforehand what you need with what it offers.
