Once the strategic vision for an ERP implementation is clear, it will typically evolve and be revised by the second guiding principle: establishing the strategic business transformation objectives and approach. This stage always dictates what the scope of the ERP implementation would look like. When we think about any public sector organization, somewhere there is a plaque that says your mission statement, your goals and objectives, all of which focus on constituencies and how to be a better, more efficient public sector organization. As we look at the strategic business transformation goals and objectives, it's important to identify those areas within the organization that would allow constituencies to get the most value out of the tax dollars they invest in the municipality, the city, the county, ect. For this reason, it is essential to understand the pain points and know exactly where the organization wants to focus its energies to operate more effectively.
One of the biggest pain points that we've probably both seen is on the resourcing side. When we're talking about preparing to go into an ERP implementation, you need to determine who will be impacted once you have the scope figured out. Is it your payroll team? Is it your accounting team? It's likely to affect all of your teams, which means you need to get the people that are most knowledgeable about the project and its subject matter involved as early as possible to ensure that there's no duplication of efforts. Once you figure out who these people are, you need to set up a short-term replacement plan to ensure that they can be dedicated throughout the project without impacting their regular responsibilities.
