Project Services
De-risk your ERP Project
The best way to de-risk your ERP project is to partner with an ERP implementation specialist who uses a proven project methodology and has a track record of successfully applying it to their projects. Of course choosing a product with the capability to meet your business requirements also plays a major role in supporting business and investment success.
Successful ERP projects consistently demonstrate the importance of management and board buy in, a commitment of clients to properly resource their project, flexibility with timeline and solution during the project as people, requirements and priorities change, with various impacts on the project. A rigorous user acceptance testing regime and a focus on data migration are important as is clearly understanding the information challenges driving the change in systems. The need for change management shouldn’t be ignored as disenfranchised system users can derail a project quick smart.
Governance & Risk Register
The project framework that most often accompanies a successful ERP project includes a governance layer and project management layer filled by key people with defined responsibilities and relevant skills.
All good ERP projects also include a risk register which is regularly reviewed and updated during the ERP project by the respective project teams and escalated to the Steering Committee for advice on new or emerging risk factors.
Project Management
Project management is often neglected or removed from project budgets so they appear less expensive, however, it is crucial to co-ordinating resources and navigating through the many and varied challenges common to all advanced business software projects.
Project failure can also occur when clients select the wrong project manager. The wrong client project manager may lack the authority to direct staff, may not have experience delivering an ERP project or may not have the expertise to deliver the outcomes management expect.
Download an overview of CitySoft’s methodology
CitySoft’s experienced ERP project managers save companies time, money and unnecessary heartache. They oversee resource allocation, workmanship, project scope and communications with project team members and project stakeholders. Together with your project manager they co-ordinate project delivery and de-risk your project against inferior solution delivery, missed project deadlines and cost blowouts.
Based on our teams’ extensive experience, CitySoft have created their own project methodology drawing upon theories and project approaches widely used by global consulting firms across both enterprise and mid-market ERP projects. Since the project demands of larger projects differ in scale from mid-sized and smaller SME projects, CitySoft tweak our project methodology to suit each client’s project profile so clients obtain the right type and volume of project services without ignoring any vital project disciplines.
Project Planning
Project planning is non-negotiable. Projects spin out of control very quickly when there is no proper planning in place. Resource planning and coordination are crucial given the fact mid-market ERP projects will involve multiple resources and will span multiple months, often years. The inter-dependency of project tasks means missed project task deadlines can have a negative cascading effect on the project and result in cost escalations.
Today’s modern mid-market ERP systems are incredibly powerful and flexible which support creation of a tailored ERP solution with all its business benefits. On the flip side, product experts are required during the design and configuration phases of the project to capitalize on a systems sophistication. Like project tasks, the various switches and choices in modern advanced ERP software can have inter-dependencies which amplify the need for product experts to get the set up right from the start.
Business Review
As a part of a CitySoft advanced business software project, we conduct workshops that include a comprehensive business process review. Current business processes are compared to optimised business processes available within the realms of the proposed business software and the modern technologies upon which the software operates.
Topical technological advancements such as AI, the IoT, Block Chain Technologies & Web Mobility have and are changing the way businesses operate and are responsible for a wide range of wholesale industry transformations.
Solution Design
The solution design phase of an ERP project provides companies with an opportunity to evaluate their existing business processes with a view to improving the way they do business. It provides an opportunity to broaden the reach of their new ERP system, to digitize, and to automate more business processes than before.
Investment rationale and project objectives will influence the solution design phase. Are we forced to change systems for reasons other than the current system not doing what the business needs and wants. Replacing the current system with a new ERP that essentially does what the old system does may be all you want however that position may extinguish multiple opportunities to enhance the company’s position and performance. Advancements with AI in ERP systems is forcing executives to carefully consider how they do business and how they use their ERP software.
A well-structured needs analysis process should lead to the creation of a detailed solution design document that provides companies with a clear picture on what is being proposed, how it will be delivered, by whom, and when. CitySoft’s approach to collecting business requirements (Project requirements inventory) and creation of a solution design document reduces the risk of project over-runs, re-work, solution disappointment and project delays.
CitySoft’s solution design document details how the ERP system is proposed to be configured. It lists each RICEFW item that is required to meet the recorded business requirements. RICEFW items are
- Custom Reports,
- Interfaces,
- non-standard data Conversions,
- Enhancements (Developments),
- Forms
- Workflows
It includes a project plan and a services budget
Product Configuration Services
One of the major differentiators between basic entry level software and more advanced business software is the level, or degree to which the more advanced business software can be configured to reflect and best meet the demands of a business. Flexibility, however, comes with an up-front cost to configure the business software to behave in manner that suits the business. The flip side is that business software, correctly configured, will lead to greater staff productivity, fewer data entry and data capture errors, and more accurate data upon which to make decisions. Properly configured business software will lead to more streamlined business and business savings. These on-going savings quickly justify the extra investment required to acquire advanced business software over less functional and flexible business software.
CitySoft’s deep knowledge of SAP Business One, Sage 300 and Sage X3 results in optimised product configuration that produces the strongest and fastest return on investment. Coupled with a comprehensive understanding of the various products eco-systems and service layers, CitySoft are well positioned to ensure our clients fully capitalize on the capabilities of their software asset.
Our project requirements inventory service, helps companies precisely define and identify their business information needs whilst uncovering opportunities where a company can improve on the way they have done business, in effect, capitalising on newer and better ways to do business.
The types of configuration services offered by CitySoft include not only global product settings, but also business process controls that determine how system users enter & view data and how data is used. Broadly speaking configuration may apply to visual processes, alerts, workflows, screen customisations, data exchanges with other systems, and creation of short cuts, dashboards and home pages. CitySoft projects include a RICEFW schedule to manage non-standard requirements covering Reports, Interfaces, Conversions, Enhancements, Forms and Workflow.
CitySoft, together with either Sage 300, Sage X3 or SAP Business One software, offers companies the opportunity to redefine and refine their business processes rather than simply replicating existing business practices that may be out of date or no longer representative of best practice. CitySoft assists companies obtain operational savings as a result of carefully considered software configuration.
Integrations | Automations
Modern ERP projects involve integrations with best of breed Cloud applications and a company’s mission critical applications. ERP platforms designed to integrate and automate data exchanges lower a companies costs and risks of doing business. Automating business processes including between systems reduces labor costs and cuts down on costs attributable to a lack of timely data. CitySoft employ developers and integrators who either utilize vendor tools to cost-effectively create middleware and connectors or recommend our vendor applications such as Jungle or Affinda to deliver a particular set of capabilities.
Business Intelligence (Bi)
In addition to the standard reporting tools and capabilities in the ERP systems CitySoft represents which in and of themselves are tremendous, CitySoft also supports a range of market leading Bi applications with expanded capabilities that bring a company’s data to life. This includes the use of AI, managing data from multiple data sources using the extract, transform, load (ETL)
process that blends data and prepares it for analysis and reporting and data warehousing. Bi & ERP really are inseperable elements of a modern business system.
User acceptance testing (UAT)
is a crucial component of good projects and when done fully and completely, where every conceivable business process scenario is tested, will remove or reduce any go live issues. Even with the best laid plans issues can emerge post go live, however, the significance and severity of these issues are unlikely to be major ones when your project contains proper go live preparation.
During the go live preparation phase of a project CitySoft use a number of checklists cumulating in a final Go – No Go Toll Gate meeting, where risks and readiness are discussed prior to clients deciding on pressing ahead with a Go live cut over, or deferring until such a time as they are better positioned to go live.
Go Live Preparation
Properly prepared projects contain a clearly defined set of activities leading up to a switch over to the new Sage X3 system. Going live on a new system should not involve a hope and pray strategy that it will all be okay on the day. Such a plan typically ends badly, as matters that should have been dealt with leading up to go live become major issues post go live. The best time to address system and solution matters is prior to go live, not after. CitySoft understands the need for business continuity, and a well-considered and executed go live plan will reduce the risk of a failed go live position, and a need to roll back.
Go live to sign-off
Often project tasks that weren’t critical for go live are mopped up in the month following go live cut over. Go live to sign-off may take in the first month-end and will generally consume hyper-care hours – time assigned to the project to address matters that can arise as more users do more on platform. Around or at project sign-off you’ll be introduced to our support team and a formal project team to support team handover takes place.