Customizations – If your organization has a multitude of customizations, integrations or modifications in place then you need to get organized around all of these with a plan that allows the time to implement them into the new environment. The magnitude of complexity goes up with each version of Epicor that you are leaping over to get to 10.1. So if you’re on Epicor 9.04, it’s not as bad as if you’re still on Vantage 8.03 and not as bad yet again as if you’re on Vantage 6.1.Catalogue your customizations in a spreadsheet. Make the business team force rank them as level 1,2 or 3. Level 1 – Business Critical Level 2 – Could work without for a period of time Level 3 – Functionality no longer needed or has been replaced with Out of the Box with 10.1
Once you have everything catalogued it’s easier to build a plan of action around them. Which ones will need hands on work to function in Epicor ERP 10.1? Which ones are critical to be included in the regression test plans.
Processes aren’t documented – If you don’t have your critical processed documented in your ERP then how are you going to systematically test them before you launch a new version of your ERP? In addition, moving to Epicor 10.1 should have other forecasted advantages for your business. What are those new processes and how will they impact the workflow for your organization?
Business Team Readiness – Just like in your original implementation the upgrade isn’t handled by just one individual. Besides, would you want to be the one guy with the weight of the business’ ERP on your shoulders if that upgrade doesn’t work out? You need your core team of business representation to establish the plan, set and perform the regression tests and ensure that they are ready for the new version. Multiple eyes on your project are always better than a single point of failure. On top of your core team making sure that you have the same level of involvement from the executive team is a must. Everyone needs to be on board with an upgrade.Granted, if you’re making a “dot” upgrade from Epicor 10 to 10.1 it should be much less invasive, there should be a lot fewer surprises and it should run smoother but this is no excuse for bypassing the fundamentals of project success.
If you take the time to organize your upgrade to Epicor ERP 10.1, you’ll be increasing your chances of success exponentially. Yes, it’s a little more ground work on the front end, but doing this work up front is a fraction of the time it will take if you skip it and get a surprise later on. I would love to continue our conversation and welcome you to…
Learn From Our Experts: Access Our Epicor 10 Out Of The Box Tools Video Series.
Epicor ERP 10.1 is due out right around the corner in September according to the rumor mill.
What does this ERP upgrade mean for you and your company? Well for starters this is the release that has been put through the quality control wringer. Epicor has taken a step back and even put a new team all the way to the executive levels around this product to break the trends of quality issues around this release. The product has always been praised for the innovations to ERP and is known to be first to market with a lot of new features but it’s always been noted that this has come at a cost to quality and stability with the software. At Insights (The Epicor Users Conference) in the spring of 2015 10.1 was heavily featured and several sessions focused on the above and how they were going about fixing these issues. So many of you also heard this message and have been holding off waiting for the promise land.
Besides stability, what are the key Epicor 10.1 features that make it worth the wait? Again these are all speculation as we haven’t received the final 10.1 features list but these are all some things that we saw a bit of or were shown at insights and are hearing that they are planned to be in this Epicor upgrade:
Planning Contracts – Finally the ability to plan for long lead time items without having to release a job or create a sales order release. The idea here is that you can create a planning contract and tie it out to a project and create individual purchasing demand against that contract and receive it in a bin that has been set aside for this contract.
MRP by Part – Oh man has this one ever been a long time coming. If you’re a facility that launches all of your production or at least the vast majority by MRP and you get a hot item come in it was always a pain launching a full MRP just for that one part. Not anymore folks! You’ll be able to filter to a single part number and run MRP against just that part. Not bad for testing either.
Zero Quantity BOMs – This one will be a nice addition and came from an EUG request (Yes the EUG does have development influence and here’s proof of that) that will allow for you to add zero quantity items to the BOM. So if you need items listed but don’t want them placing demand on inventory or purchasing here’s a great method for this.
There are many other Epicor 10.1 features that are planned but these seem to be the top three that get asked about in conversations. But keep an eye out for Multi-Job Scheduling and Packaging Control as well.
What are your reasons for wanting to jump on the 10.1 bandwagon? I would love to hear from you on your business needs and how you see 10.1 fulfilling them.
I invite you to…
Access Our Epicor 10 Out Of The Box Tools Video Series.
Epicor’s Company structure comprises the fundamental data elements, which underlie a customer’s configuration of Epicor’s ERP application. Epicor’s Company structure allows customers to configure their ERP system in a manner that mirrors their business structure and strategy. Moreover, proper Company setup ensures that the Epicor application will function as intended, allowing Epicor’s rich layers of functionality to be effectively utilized by an implementing customer.
The importance of Epicor’s Company structure cannot be understated—the setup at the company level affects every module, influencing or altering its behavior or functionality. Thus, an implementing customer must give strong consideration to its Company setup, as to maximize its ERP investment and avoid sub-optimizing its use of the application.
To get access to Version 10 Epicor features, the setup of Companies in an Epicor database involves three phases:
Companies are created through the Epicor Administration Console.
The base information for a Company is defined through the Company Maintenance form.
The detailed module-specific defaults for a Company are defined through the Company Configuration form.
As part of the installation process, or shortly thereafter, Companies are created through the Epicor Admin Console. Companies are database entities that are created through the Application Server nodes of the Admin Console. A right click on a given application instance allows a system administrator to add a Company:
When adding a Company, the Admin Console raises a configuration window, which allows the system administrator to define the basic Company elements:
The elements that can be defined at this time include the following:
The Company ID: This ID is a key field and cannot be changed once it is defined.
The Company Name: This represents the name of the company, as it will be viewed on forms and reports. This value can be later changed through the Company Maintenance form.
The Company Installation: This is the specific license file which will be used for this Company. This is a required field, and the value assigned is normally the same license file that was previously imported into the Admin Console at the time of installation.
Country Code: If the customer is using company-specific functionality, then the Country Code can be defined.
Base Currency Code: Most often, this is defined as US Dollars or “USD” for Companies whose work occurs primarily in the United States.
Number of Decimals: These can be defined according to the decimal required to support cost-related, price-related and general functionality. Quite often the defaults of 5-5-2 are sufficient for many businesses.
The above steps entail the mere beginnings of a Company configuration, but as a Company setup progresses, implementing customers work to become in good company with other successful Epicor 10 implementations.
Simplify Technology, Improve Operations, and Gain Efficiencies…
Goal #1 in Implementing Your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System: How You Think is Everything
We continue to review the 10 Principles of Success and how they’re applied to ERP Implementation now that your company has selected a system with starting with the 1st Principle of Success: How You Think is Everything!
The 10 ERP Principles of Success are:
1. How You Think is Everything!
Always be positive.
Think success not failure.
Be aware of a negative environment.
2. Decide on What Your True Goals Are!
Write down what your specific goals are.
Write down a plan/time line in how to obtain your goals.
3. Take Action!
Goals/Plans are nothing without action.
Don’t be afraid to get started – “Just Do It”, it doesn’t need to be perfect to start, nothing ever is!
4. Never Stop Learning!
Get on-going training so use to better your organization.
5. Persistence and Hard Work Pay-off!
Success is a marathon, not a sprint.
Never give up on the goal/plan that you created in number 3 above, original or revised!
6. Learn How to Analyze the Details!
Get all the facts/input you can – Learn from your mistakes.
7. Focus Your Time And Money!
Don’t let other things and people distract you!
8. Don’t be Afraid to Innovate and Change – Be Different!
Following the way that it’s always been done is a sure way to achieve nothing.
9. Communicate and Deal with People Effectively!
Learn to understand what motivates the people you work with and what they need to be successful. No person is the organization or is indispensable.
10. Be Honest and Dependable!
Take Responsibility – Otherwise 1 through 9 above won’t matter.
As a disclaimer, these 10 Principles of Success come from Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) newspaper aimed at helping stock market investors understand what good growth stocks to invest in, based on what the current overall market conditions are. EstesGroup believes that a company can apply these 10 Principles of Success to ERP systems; that is Implementing, implementing and using them.
How does the 9th Principle of Success apply to:
Choosing the Right ERP System for Your Business?
Principle # 10: Be Honest and Dependable!
Take Responsibility – Otherwise 1 through 9 above won’t matter.
As a disclaimer, these 10 Principles of Success come from Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) newspaper aimed at helping stock market investors understand what good growth stocks to invest in, based on what the current overall market conditions are. EstesGroup believes that a company can apply these 10 Principles of Success to ERP systems; that is selecting, implementing and using them.
How does the 1st Principle of Success apply to? Implementing Your Business ERP System?
Principle # 1: How You Think is Everything!
Always be positive.
Think success not failure.
Be aware of a negative environment.
Let’s face it implementing an ERP system isn’t fun! There are numerous stories of ERP system implementation failures that go on for years and years as well as cost thousands and thousands of dollars over what a company has budgeted for. Implementing an ERP system also can create a negative work environment for the employees, because people don’t like to change. Now that we’ve exposed the primary negatives of ERP implementation, let me point out some of the positives. Implementing an ERP system can be one of the best experiences a company can go through, because it touches every part of the organization. It allows a business to reinvent itself, by closely examining their business processes with the help of software technology (ERP system “Best Practices”). This will ultimately allow a business to be more efficient and effective cutting costs as well as improving revenue for growth.
Once a company has selected/purchased their ERP system they should look for help from the software vendor or a certified partner of the software vendor to implement it. The implementation services you’ve contracted for should help your company lighten the load of having to think (on your own) of how you’re company is going to use “Best Practices” of the ERP system to improve the company operation. The software vendor or certified partner should have clearly provided you with this information through the selection process and now be ready to show you how to accomplish this through the implementation process.
EstesGroup uses a Project Initiation Document (PID) to communicate the detail of how an Epicor ERPimplementation is going to go. On this document it clearly spells out roles/responsibilities of the people involved, critical implementation tasks (i.e. data conversion, value stream scripts, reports, etc.), budgeted hours and the timeline with milestone checkpoints of project dates. Having a detailed ERP Implementation“Project Plan” I believe allows the people involved in the implementation to think positively as well as thinkabout project success Vs failure right from the onset.
As the ERP implementation project evolves, trust me negative thoughts will start creeping in from the team. It’s up to the ERP implementation Project Leader as well as the entire team to fight against this happening. What are some of the ways you can keep thinking positively about your ERP implementation success?
Each weekly ERP implementation meeting, review the positive changes you all have agreed to (in the selection process) that the organization will realize when you “Go Live” on the new system.
Offer your help to one of the team members, if they get behind. They will not only appreciate it, but you’ll most likely learn another area of the business, which increases your value.
Make your weekly ERP implementation meetings fun. Order pizza, if you’re having your meeting at lunch; donuts or bagels if it’s a breakfast get together, change the room you meet in, etc. etc.
Upper management (Project Sponsor) should be involved in each ERP implementation meeting and actively participate to show their support and encouragement.
Upper Management (Project Sponsor) should be tasked with making all of the tough implementation decisions after receiving feedback from the implementation Project Leader and Core team members. This then takes away the hard feelings that the implementation team members may harbor against each other as the project proceeds.
Have the mindset of never giving up and sticking to your “Go Live” date.
If you’d like to learn more tips and techniques in how to make your ERP implementation a very positiveexperience, give EstesGroup a call, we can help! We’ve been providing this type of help to themanufacturing/distribution industry for years. How You Think Is Everything!
Pick up the phone and call 1 888 300 2340 and together we will:
Simplify Technology, Improve Operations, and Gain Efficiencies…
Learn to understand what motivates the people you work with and what they need to be successful. No person is the organization or is indispensable.
10. Be Honest and Dependable!
Take Responsibility – Otherwise 1 through 9 above won’t matter.
As a disclaimer, these 10 Principles of Success come from Investor’s Business Daily (IBD) newspaper aimed at helping stock market investors understand what good growth stocks to invest in, based on what the current overall market conditions are. EstesGroup believes that a company can apply these 10 Principles of Success to ERP systems; that is selecting, implementing and using them.
How does the 9th Principle of Success apply to:
Choosing the Right ERP System for Your Business?
Principle # 10: Be Honest and Dependable!
Take Responsibility – Otherwise 1 through 9 above won’t matter.
My Dad has always told me, showing up each day, using common sense and being honest is 98% of what makes you successful in life. Honesty and Dependability is the cornerstone in most things that are successful and it’s no different in selecting an ERP system. In selecting the right ERP system for your company, you’ll come across several different individuals that can make or break the system selection process a positive experience for your company. The individuals I’m speaking of are:
Independent ERP consultants
Software Vendor Personnel
Your Own Company Employees
In order for your company to clearly understand whom in this group of people is honest, dependable and is ready to step to the forefront of your ERP selection process to take responsibility of its success, you need to develop a few tracking tools that provides you what I like to call the “ERP Honesty Gage Tool Kit”. I’ll provide you some of the more important items in the “ERP Honesty Gage Tool Kit” in a moment, but I want to make sure you understand the reason why you need one in the first place to ensure your companyselects the right ERP system. I’ve been in the ERP software space for 30 + years and I only know of a few so called “Independent” ERP Consultants. I’m not saying these consultants/consulting firms don’t provide a service, but the majority of the so called “Independent” consultants/consulting firms out there have their favorite ERP systems/vendors they continually recommend to their clients and for this they get an additional “Referral” fee from these vendors for their recommendation after they’ve charged your company for their consulting time. This is a conflict of interest and should not be taken lightly while you’re selecting a system that will touch every area of your company. Knowing up front how to deal with ERP Vendor Personnel when you’re reviewing their ERP systems is ultimately what will make or break you selecting the right ERP system. The most important thing to the ERP vendor is to sell you their software system and implementation services as quickly (on their timeline, not yours) as possible. There are several red flags you should be aware of and be able react to, to avoid these types of vendors. I’ll point that out below. The honesty and dependability of your own company employees, especially the company employees that are on the ERP “Selection Review” team have to be continually monitored through the selection process as well as you have to know up front if any of your these employees are biased for or against a particular system. What are the signs? ERP Honesty Gage Tool Kit Independent Consultants:
Check there website, if they list particular ERP Software Vendor as their partners, there’s could be a conflict of interest with them helping you with your review.
Ask them to sign a document stating they are not associated, nor have they ever received any “Referral Fees” from any ERP software vendors for their recommendations. If they’re hesitant to do this you probably know they aren’t “independent”.
Ask for references. If the majority of references have all chosen the same ERP system, chances are they are not an “independent” consultant.
If the “independent” consultant wants to project manage the implementation of the ERP system once it’s selected, chances are they are not independent. ERP implementation project management needs to be handled by a certified member of the ERP software system.
If the “independent” consultant recommends your company review an ERP system prior to doing a “Business Process Review” or reviewing one you’ve provided them, their “independent” status is questionable.
Software Vendor Personnel:
If the Software Vendor offers to do a software demonstration of their system, prior to understanding your business you are most likely are not dealing with someone that wants to know. Ask them for demo, if they say yes without having a detailed conversation about what you do and how you do it they just want sell you a system.
If the Software vendor offers you a month/quarter end price special before going through the ERP sales process, they are not going to be the partner your company will want over the long haul. (If you want to understand what the ERP Sales Process is, from a software vendor’s point of view, give us a call at EstesGroup, we’ll share it with you, as well why it’s so important to follow it).
Ask the ERP software vendor for references of companies they’ve sold in your industry. If they are reluctant to do so, or they never provide you any names, chances are they have none. This should cause you concern.
The software vendor should put together a demonstration script that follows your business processes. If none is provided they are not equipped to show you how the “Best Practices” in their system can help you improve your company.
Because ERP systems are more complex today, it’s extremely rare for a software vendor to have one person do it all (i.e. software demonstration, infrastructure discussion, implementation overview, etc.). Get to know the software vendors entire team that will be involved in your review of their system. If there’ only one person, chances are the software vendor might be too small for your company to work with.
Company Employees:
Prior to beginning your company ERP review, the project lead should provide the “Review Team” a questionnaire asking them directly if they have any ERP system bias (i.e. for or against a particular ERP system).
If a “Review Team” member consistently only participates in the review of one of the systems your company is reviewing, then they may have bias.
If a “Review Team” member continually criticizes or speaks highly of what they’ve seen/heard of onlyone ERP system Vs the other systems being reviewed, they mostly likely have already formed an opinion on their recommendation. Every ERP system has pros and cons and that should be kept in mind throughout the selection process.
The homework that is assigned by the ERP Review Leader to the Review Team Member is late or consistently not completed it might be an indication that person doesn’t want to embrace the new system.
Embracing change is an important part of selecting, implementing and using an ERP system. If a critical person or group of people in your organization have not provided the ERP Review Leader with any ideas in how a new system can help them or their area function more efficiently and effectively this should be a red flag that needs to be dealt with immediately in the selection process.
If you’d like to learn more about what and how to measure the honesty and dependability of the people you’re counting on to select the right ERP system, prior to buying it, give EstesGroup a call, wecan help! We’ve been providing this type of help to the manufacturing/distribution industry for years.
Pick up the phone and call 1 888 300 2340 and together we will:
Simplify Technology, Improve Operations, and Gain Efficiencies…
Learn From Our Experts: Access Our Epicor 10 Out Of The Box ToolsVideo Series.
