Choosing the right ERP Solutions

Searching for the correct Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) can be a difficult and time consuming task. Not to mention your headaches associated with trying to find a vendor who can complete the task in a fashion that is both flexible, allows for easy installation and is affordable. 

<

Looking at the basics of an ERP solution. There are no fixed rules (except the ones implied by the large “box” software companies) that say you must have specific modules within your solution. Most companies searching are looking for a solution that will help them organize and streamline their daily procedures. Generally, companies will utilize applications such as project management, scheduling, order entry/processing, preventative maintenance (PM), human resources (HR), customer relations management (CRM) and accounting. Which ever applications are implemented into an ERP solution, they should have the capability of working together to help your business maintain the structure they are looking for.

As per latest poll taken by cio.com core ERP modules were used chiefly for  

1. Accounting and financial applications (96%)
   
   
2. Procurement, order processing and supplier management (78%)
   
   
3. Inventory management (64%) and
   
   
4. HR management and payroll functions (55%).
   
   

As per what areas of their business ERP worked best, respondents overwhelmingly cited

1. Financial (70%)
   
   
2. Procurement, order processing, supplier management (42%)
   
   
3. Inventory management (33%) and
   
   
4. HR management or payroll (26%).
   
   

As the poll clearly states one size does not fit all. Each company and industry in general will have different business models and their core modules will differ. It will be difficult to find an ERP solution that will be made specifically for your needs. Most solutions which are available are available in the market is “pre-packaged”.  These are offered by top ERP solution providers as a more standardized package which leads businesses to believe the strictly structured software will allow their business to improve their bottom line as well as productivity. While the software package may warrant some value to your organization it will not work very well for each specific business with out requiring significant changes to the software. For example in the manufacturing industry or construction industries for instance this model will not work because manufactures require agility within their software solutions.

This is a great scheme many large software companies propose to companies who are seeking a new software application. This Best Practices has an overall goal of selling the most software possible without making modifications to the software application. The major problem many companies then begin to face is that the software is not flexible enough to meet their needs. No two companies are the same and by forcing them to utilize software which is not engineered for their environment there is a high potential for loss of profit and failure of the software application. Companies need to maintain their competitive edge and to due so they are lead to believe a best practices application will lead them in the right direction. Possibly after a few hundred of thousands of dollars in changes they will have the ability to innovate and outsmart their competition. However, there are better choices which do not cause the software companies to loose their valuable time and money hassling with the pre-packaged software.

Another model some companies offer are custom solutions which are great because they are designed for the company but are very difficult to upgrade, sometimes they are completely impossible to upgrade. This is discouraging considering the amount of money companies will spend to purchase a solution of this size and not have the capability of changing it as their company changes.

Now sigh a breath of relief because in Qualian Technologies Pvt Ltd we understand each company needs and have been the pioneers in the art of tailored ERP solutions. That is why we offer light weight, flexible, affordable and easily installable solutions. These are tailored software solutions according to your needs. Tailored solutions are made for the requirements of your organization without the lengthy development periods and difficulty of upgrading. These solutions are agile software solutions for they are highly configurable and offer all of the advantages of a custom software solution along with the best characteristics of a canned software solution. Qualian’s tailored solutions will have the most success for your organisation, additionally, they will have the capability of growing and changing as your organization continues to do so.

Our Industry Vertical ERP Solutions include

• Construction Industry
  
  
• Machinery and Equipment
  
  
• Educational Institutions
  
  
• Health Care
  
  
• Retail Consumer Products
  
  
• Mining
  
  
• Oil and Gas Industry
  
  
• Textile Mills
  
  
• Whole Sale Distribution
  
  

Ten Tips for Choosing the right ERP 

1. Make sure you analyze and define business processes first; then choose the system that will work best for your organization.
2. Don't forget about training; if people don't know how to use the system, they won't.
3. Test the system for traffic loads that represent your actual traffic, especially during peak times.
4. Don't buy all of your ERP systems from one vendor: A best-of-breed approach can work better because not all of one vendor's modules may best fit your needs.
5. Don't go live with an implementation or upgrade at a crucial time of year (higher ed: avoid the weeks before classes start; retail: avoid the weeks before Christmas).
6. Make as few modifications to the source codes possible.
7. Keep an eye on scope creep. It's much worse on campus than in the Fortune 500.
8. Before you sign a contract with an integrator, have the integrator conduct trials with the software on your systems to see if they will mesh. It costs a bit more, but it's worth it.
9. Use certified project managers on your staff to run the implementation—not just the person in the room who starts taking notes at the first meeting.
10. ERP needs constant human interaction to keep it up and running. Ninety-five percent of getting ERP right is social and political skills; 5 percent is the actual technology.