Why do large scale IT projects often fail?

Being in the business of delivering large scale IT projects, in the form of an SAP implementation, we are often scrutinized for our ability to execute, and rightly so...

With that being said we often see the projects given to large system integrators and yet they often lead to overruns of the budget and scheduled plan. Why is that so? We recently completed a complete SAP implementation (FI, CO, SD and MM) in 4 months and came in on budget! Yes it is possible, if you have the right focus.

The overall key to a successful implementation is to align the IT solution with business value.

Some questions to consider when designing a SAP EM solution

- Which processes do I want to track?
- Which objects of these processes should be monitored?
- Which events within my processes am I interested in tracking?
- Are my events date and time driven?
- Where should the planned dates and times for my expected events come from?
- From where will the actual events be reported (i.e. IDoc’s, Legacy, R/3)?
- Do I have any events which may occur but are not planned?
- Which rules should be applied to my process when events are or are not posted (i.e. create an alert, change a status)?
- Which statuses do I want to have assigned to my process and at what time within my process (i.e. order status ‘delayed’should appear when a delayed event has been posted to a particular shipment)?
- Which systems will be interfaced with SCEM (i.e. R/3, Legacy)?
- Should I set up SAP EM as a stand alone toolor on the same box as R/3 or APO?
- Will I use the out of the box scenarios or will I be customizing the delivered scenarios?

Avoiding 3 Common ERP Pitfalls

According to a 2014 Business Process Management Report produced by Panorama Consulting (available here) “Organizations that effectively define and document business process improvements as part of their enterprise software initiatives are much more likely to complete their projects on-time and on-budget…. [and] are more likely to receive the business benefits that they expect from their […]


https://pssiusa.wordpress.com/2015/03/05/avoiding-3-common-erp-pitfalls/

So Very True: The 5 Most Common ERP Mistakes Small Businesses Make

A recent article from Panorama Consulting hits the nail of ERP implementations squarely on the head, confirming our own observations of many years.  They provide the advice we would urge all small businesses to heed carefully when tackling their own implementations. As Panorama notes and we concur, small businesses are often not equipped to deal […]


https://pssiusa.wordpress.com/2015/02/05/so-very-true-the-5-most-common-erp-mistakes-small-businesses-make/

Application metadata in an Agile Data Warehouse world

I have been reading quite a lot recently about the applicability of Agile methodologies for Data Warehousing amongst other initiatives and it appears to me that often the topic of source data analysis is under-represented in the literature and blogs. In the Agile Manifesto (http://agilemanifesto.org) published in 2001, much is made of the need for […]


http://silwoodtechnologyblog.com/2014/11/26/application-metadata-in-an-agile-data-warehouse-world/

How Vendors Quote ERP Implementations

When your company decides to invest in an ERP software system, the term ‘implementation’ will undoubtedly be used on a frequent basis. If you are unfamiliar with ERP systems and are in the initial stages of your software search, you may be unaware of the sheer number of factors present in a typical ERP implementation, and how vendors […]


http://blog.bluelinkerp.com/2014/12/02/how-vendors-quote-erp-implementations/

Would you trust an external provider with your organization’s data

Would you trust an external provider with your organization’s data? Why or Why not? What would be needed to raise your trust in the reliability, security, and privacy of the data? Yes, to an external provider if the provider was trustworthy and experienced. Through time I would gain more trust in reliability, security, and privacy […]


https://andrewtorres609.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/erp-by-the-hour/

On-premise, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS: Who’s responsible for what?

As Cloud networking becomes more popular, the myriad of terms like “on-premise,” “Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS),” “Platform as a Service (PaaS),” and “Software as a Service (SaaS)” can be confusing to those not fully acquainted with the technologies.  A helpful way of understanding the distinction between these four ideas is to look at what parts of your server/network […]


https://computersupportservicesinc.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/on-premise-iaas-paas-saas-whos-responsible-for-what/

Five Tips for a Successful Accounts Payable Workflow Implementation

Automating your Accounts Payable (AP) processes such as invoice approval, purchase order matching, and requisitions by implementing a workflow solution is no small undertaking.  While a well-executed workflow implementation can be accomplished in just a few weeks, implementations more commonly become bogged down for weeks, months, or even years by complications in the process itself. […]


https://computersupportservicesinc.wordpress.com/2015/03/26/five-tips-for-a-successful-accounts-payable-workflow-implementation/

What is Value Stream Mapping?

When we want to see the bigger picture of our business, value stream mapping is the best tool to be used. Before we enter in to details, let us understand what is meant by value stream. Value stream is the list of all activities, both value-adding and […]


https://hashllp.wordpress.com/2015/03/26/what-is-value-stream-mapping/

Four tips for starting an ERP project

Cross-posted from SYSPRO SmarterERP blog There has been a post on the SYSPRO blog on how an ERP system can help a business, and also some suggestions on how to select an ERP solution. But if you have read some of the stories about ERP project problems you might wonder if it is worth the risk. The […]


https://manticoreblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/four-tips-starting-erp-project/

What to Consider When Moving Legacy Applications to the Cloud

By Ian M. Marlow May 30, 2014 Organizations today are faced with questions of how to migrate their data to private or public clouds safely, effectively, and affordably. This includes legacy applications which were developed over time, often purpose-built by software manufacturers (or custom developed in house), and scaled widely throughout the company. Depending on […]


http://fitechblog.com/2014/05/30/what-to-consider-when-moving-legacy-applications-to-the-cloud/

What is an ERP and Do You Need One for Your Organization?

By Ian M. Marlow January 5, 2015 ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning system. Depending on the industry, this term has different definitions and applications. Many real estate and financial services professionals consider an ERP to be an organization’s accounting system and general ledger. However, this isn’t really accurate—and ERP is much broader (think “enterprise”). Real […]


http://fitechblog.com/2015/01/05/what-is-an-erp-and-do-you-need-one-for-your-organization/

Putting Together Your ERP Puzzle

By Ian M. Marlow January 13, 2015 In our last post we explained what an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is, and discussed the various types of components that may go into designing an ERP for your organization. In today’s post, we’ll go through that process of piecing together your ERP puzzle. During the designing and […]


http://fitechblog.com/2015/01/13/putting-together-your-erp-puzzle/

Top 10 Things to Consider When Choosing an ERP System

By Ian M. Marlow March 4, 2015 An ERP is an enterprise resource planning system—a computing ecosystem that plays a large role in the operations of many types of companies, including real estate and property management firms. As we discussed in a previous post, this system-wide application represents the homogeneous balance between all your systems and […]


http://fitechblog.com/2015/03/04/top-10-things-to-consider-when-choosing-an-erp-system/

Factors to Consider When Upgrading Software: Employee Skill Set

Introductory software systems, such as QuickBooks, are great tools for small and start-up businesses.    They require minimal training and set-up, are intuitive and easy to use and come with a relatively low price tag.  However, as your business grows and order volume increases, there may come a time where more robust accounting ERP software is required.  […]


http://blog.bluelinkerp.com/2015/03/10/factors-to-consider-when-upgrading-software-employee-skill-set/