Have you been asked to lead the Acumatica implementation team at your company? It’s both exciting and frightening to have so much responsibility. You know you’re starting off with a great software package, but what do you need to know in order to get the implementation right?
These helpful hints, tricks, and tips will pave the way for a smooth Acumatica ERP rollout. A plan and a purpose go a long way towards a successful implementation.
Steps for a Smooth Acumatica ERP Implementation
Acumatica ERP offers small to mid-sized businesses an affordable, scalable, cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool that improves business productivity and management. Through the integration of finance, accounting, and other data, Acumatica ERP provides you with the ‘big picture’ view of your company that can lead to greater insights into your business for better decisions.
Choosing Acumatica ERP is a wise step. Once chosen, it’s time to focus on implementation. Great software is only as good as its implementation. When implementation goes well, the project is off to a strong start, and others in your organization will feel confident as they use Acumatica ERP.
Tips for a Smooth Project
- Ask an executive to sponsor your project: Having an executive sponsor your project ensures that someone on the leadership team is looking out for the project’s best interests. He or she can offer insight and advice to the implementation team on what the execs may be looking for and can funnel feedback and requests back to the leadership team. Find someone on the executive team who can see the benefits in Acumatica ERP for their department. Help them visualize how Acumatica ERP fits in with the company’s mission, vision, and milestones. This secures executive buy-in and builds support and consensus for your project.
- Designate a project leader: Every team needs a leader; the implementation team needs one, too. The implementation team project leader doesn’t have to be someone well-versed in IT. Instead, it may make sense to appoint someone the project leader who has excellent project management skills and who understands the challenges of the organization. This person should have time allotted to working on implementation and should be given free rein to lead the team as he or she sees fit.
- Build the project team: The actual project team for the implementation of Acumatica ERP should include representatives from each department. This ensures that all potential stakeholders have a voice in major project decisions that may ultimately impact their departments. It also builds consensus around decisions. The main project team should be as large as necessary to make sure that everyone is included, but a smaller, working group can be formed to handle the minutia so that the implementation team doesn’t pull too many people from their daily tasks.
- Link project plans to ROI: A detailed, written project plan is essential to the successful implementation of your new Acumatica ERP software. Written project plans detail who will take care of each detail and when they will be completed. A good project plan also aligns project goes to milestones and ROI. Both can help you secure buy-in from senior management, through your executive sponsor of course, for your project.
- Choose an experienced Acumatica vendor: Even though Acumatica ERP is a great product, having an experienced vendor by your side can make the entire implementation project easier. An experienced Acumatica software vendor can answer questions, provide training, and help you understand any potential stumbling blocks before you encounter them. It’s smart to choose an experienced vendor.
An executive sponsor, an inclusive team, a written project plan, clear goals and ROI milestones, and an experienced software vendor can make all the different in your Acumatica ERP project rollout. And once the project is complete, you’ll have a great software in place to boost productivity and efficiency. It doesn’t get any better than this!
ERP Software with ASI
Accounting Systems Incorporated (ASI) provides ERP, accounting, and other software and systems to help your company grow. We focus on helping small to mid-sized companies improve operational efficiencies through the power of software and technology. Software such as Acumatica ERP can provide the business intelligence you need to grow your company. For more information, visit our website, or call us at 803-252-6154.