Select Page
The 10 Principles of ERP Selection Success & How to Apply Them: Be Persistent and Work Hard!

The 10 Principles of ERP Selection Success & How to Apply Them: Be Persistent and Work Hard!

by | Jun 17, 2015 | ERP Selection

Goal #5 in Selecting Your The Best Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) System: Be Persistent and Work Hard!
The 10 Principles of Success

We continue to delve into the ERP Selection process with the 5th Goal for Success: Persistence and Hard Work Pay Off!

The 10 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 selecting, implementing and using them.
How does the 5th Principle of Success apply to:

Choosing the Right ERP System for Your Business?

Principle # 5:  Persistence and Hard Work Pay-off!

If no one has told you selecting an ERP system is hard work.  To choose the right system your company’s selection team needs to be doggedly persistent; believe me your hard work will pay-off.
“How You Think”, “Establishing Goals”, “Taking Action” and “Learning” are all important Principles to successfully choosing the right ERP system, but Working Hard and being Persistent in your review of ERP systems is equally important.

Remember an ERP system will touch every facet of your business, so it becomes critical that an ERP review team is focused on sharing their knowledge on an on-going basis with one another on how the operation functions today and how they want it to function when you start using an ERP system.  Upper management needs to consistently sit in on this review process and provide on-going feedback to the team to stay on task.  The hard work and persistence comes in scheduling and attending weekly ERP meeting discussions with other review team members.  The hard work and persistence comes in attending/actively participating in all day ERP system demonstrations.  The hard work and persistence comes in taking detail notes as the ERP demonstration is being done and then writing them up to share with the other review team members.   As with most team functions, your company will have stronger team members than others.  The hard work andpersistence for upper management is to provide the review team with the needed encouragement to not take short cuts through the review process and to do the hard work it takes to make the right ERP selection for the company.  Oh yes, upper management also needs to set an example by showing up for planned ERP review meetings and actively participating with their thoughts as well.

The hard work and persistence involved in selecting the right ERP system means you show up early for work and leave late.  The pay-off in selecting the right ERP system is your company runs more efficiently and effectively which typically means you ultimately make more money as well as you can get your work down as you grow, in a normal 8 hour workday.

Need help doing the hard work necessary to select the right ERP system, let EstesGroup help, we’ve been doing this type hard work for years.  Our business experience, industry knowledge and our work ethic sets us apart from all other consulting firms.

We would love to talk with you about HOW to take the right action in your ERP selection process. 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.

Download our “Get Ready For Your Epicor 10 Upgrade” Worksheet.

Epicor 10 Tricks To Make Your Life Easier Quicker and More Efficient

by | Jun 15, 2015 | Epicor, Epicor 10

Hey, folks. It’s Matt Thompson here with a real quick video for you all. I’m just going to show you some tips and tricks in Epicor 10—how to get around. There are a couple key features here that a lot of folks don’t know about. I just want to be able to make sure everybody kind of has an idea.

 

I’ve pulled open a real quick dashboard tracker here that’s showing our year-to-date sales. It’s got some nice buckets. It goes all the way across the screen here with a lot of information. So, I want to show you some things.

A lot of folks want to be able to take this out to Microsoft Excel and be able to massage that. Well, anywhere you see this grid view it’s no problem. You can right-click, copy to Excel. Then it’s going to open up Excel and dump everything in there for you and you can be on your way.

A lot of folks want to be able to see and massage the data a little bit. They can still do that. So I can right-click and say show group by. Now I can bring my cust. ID up here. I’m showing where I’ve got my customers grouped into these nice neat buckets. I’ve got that information now dissected so I can look at things a little bit more clearly. In addition I can right-click here and say show me my filters. I’m going to filter this down to only show and say Boeing. Now I’ve got only the Boeing Company’s information that’s actually here in front of me.

That’s all fine and dandy. Those things are great for filtration and everything. Now let’s say I still want to massage it in Excel. If I right-click copy to Excel, it’s actually going to fire this thing up. I can see that it brings it over, and it still has my group-bys automatically brought over into Excel. Then I can expand and see my data column sets. That’s really cool and a really neat function here with Epicor 10.

In addition to this, I got a lot of information rolling out to the right. Maybe I want to be able to lock my screen or freeze panes. This is a little hidden gem that a lot of folks don’t know about. Anytime I see this scroll window in a grid view whether it’s horizontal or vertical, on the capstone here, I see this little rectangle. When I roll my mouse over it, my cursor changes. I can click and drag that guy right over to where I want that to freeze. It essentially just made a mere copy on both sides of the same dashboard data.

Now as I scroll, I have the effect of freeze panes right here in my window. I can actually scroll across, see my year-to-date totals while still keeping my name in check here without having to change and manipulate where I’m dragging and dropping different columns. It’s a really nice feature there to be able to see very quickly how your data looks, feels, forms and everything else.

Then in addition, the one last one here, you can show summaries. That will give you the ability to do summarized totals here within the different column sets. You can actually see some aggregate sums out there as well. I hope this is definitely helpful for you. There are some tips and tricks that a lot of folks just don’t know about. Make sure to start a conversation with us—estesgrp.com/ask-an-expert.

Talk to us about your business & we'll show you how EstesCloud solutions can help!

Schedule a FREE introductory meeting with a cloud consultant now.
BEGIN A CONVERSATION

The 10 Principles of ERP Selection Success & How to Apply Them: Never Stop Learning!

The 10 Principles of ERP Selection Success & How to Apply Them: Never Stop Learning!

by | Jun 15, 2015 | ERP Selection

Goal #4 in Selecting Your The Best Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) System: Never Stop Learning!
The 10 Principles of Success

We continue to delve into the ERP Selection process with the 4th Goal for Success: Never Stop Learning!

The 10 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 selecting, implementing and using them.
How does the 4th Principle of Success apply to:

Choosing the Right ERP System for Your Business?

Principle # 4:  Never Stop Learning!

As you are going through the ERP selection process “Never Stop Learning” about each system you’re reviewing so you ultimately find the right one.  Paying attention to the small details of each ERP system your company is thinking of purchasing to help you run your business will truly make the difference on making the right choice.  So what’s does that specifically mean “Never Stop Learning”.

It means you need to ask the hard questions of each of the ERP developers you’re reviewing, so you truly learn what each system’s Pros and Cons are before it’s bought.  Questions such as:

  1. What’s the cost of your annual Maintenance?
    What’s Maintenance based on, modules purchased, users or both?
  2. Learn in detail each module of the system your thinking about purchasing to make sure you really need it.
    Request a detailed demonstration of each module the software developer says you need to learn and understand it.  Take detail notes of the module that are being demonstrated as the developer is showing it to you.  That will be valuable information to refer back to when you’re making your final decision, as well as when you implement it and use it.
  3. Learn how the developer (or their partners) plans to implement their system into your environment.
    This should be a detailed task list with realistic dates; that you and your implementation team understand!
  4. Learn if any of the pieces/modules of the system you’re reviewing are developed by third parties.  If so, how does this impact:
    System updates
    Maintenance
    Training
  5. Learn from each ERP developer what hardware/operating environment they’re software operates on.
    On-Premise
    Hosted
    SaaS
  6. Combination of all three above.  Is this good or bad?
  7. What’s the best for your company?

Whether you are doing the review of ERP systems on your own or your working with a consulting organization to help you through the ERP system review process, you need to make sure you and your review team are engaged taking detailed notes as well as you’re truly learning from the software developers how their ERP systems are going to help your company through the “Best Practices” they’ve incorporated in their system, function better.  If you don’t learn that detail through the review process, you most likely won’t learn that through the implementation and use phase of the system either.

EstesGroup understands what “Best Practices” of an ERP system are.  The key of how to incorporate ERP “Best Practices” into your facility are related to what your company’s income streams are (i.e. Value Stream Scripts).  If you’d like to learn more about what we mean by this and how it truly makes the difference in changing your company’s implementation/use of ERP, let us know, we can help!

We would love to talk with you and learn together what the next step is for you in your ERP ERP selection process. 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.

Download our “Get Ready For Your Epicor 10 Upgrade” Worksheet.

Baseball America’s Pastime and the ERP Business

Baseball America’s Pastime and the ERP Business

by | Jun 14, 2015 | ERP, ERP Consulting

The season is in full swing and I can’t help but compare the ERP business to America’s pastime.

Baseball isn’t always the most exciting thing to watch unless you’re a die-hard fan. Working on your ERP in many ways is the same … Unless you’re in it for your career it’s just not as alluring from the stands, but both are magical when everything is clicking.Baseball, while a team sport, always sets people apart in individual settings. It’s just the pitcher against the batter and when he makes contact the focus quickly shifts to the player that has to make the play. In ERP the same happens. The focus is intense on processes but can

very quickly shift in a moments notice. ERP teams have to work together to cover all of the holes and are always looking to minimize risk. Sometimes the pitcher just doesn’t have his best stuff and the manager has to get the crook out and yank him. Project team members can have the same struggles and quick moves can save the game and it doesn’t mean that they’re getting shipped back to the minors.
Implementing ERP is an intense job for all involved. A strong manager is required on both sides to make the game memorable. Who do you want running the show? What version of the game do you want to be a part of? Good balance and solid teamwork is infectious and makes everyone play to a higher level. Bring a sports mind into your next ERP meeting and see if you notice a difference.

Simplify Technology, Improve Operations, and Gain Efficiencies…

Download our “Get Ready For Your Epicor 10 Upgrade” Worksheet.

MATT THOMPSON
Vice President, Professional Services
[email protected]
Direct: 941.302.6510

The 10 Principles of ERP Selection Success & How to Apply Them: Take Action!

The 10 Principles of ERP Selection Success & How to Apply Them: Take Action!

by | Jun 9, 2015 | ERP Selection

Goal #3 in Selecting Your The Best Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) System: Take Action
The 10 Principles of Success

We continue to delve into the ERP Selection process with the 3rd Goal for Success: Take Action!

The 10 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 selecting, implementing and using them.
How does the 3rd Principle of Success apply to:

Choosing the Right ERP System for Your Business?

Principle # 3:  Take Action!

It really is true, establishing Goals (as discussed in Principal #2) and doing nothing about it is discouraging, unproductive and quite frankly a waste of company time if you don’t take the next step and start reviewing ERP systems that are sold to your industry.  Remember, the overall Goal of going through the process of selecting an ERP system is to be a better company.

So how do you start, if you have no idea of what ERP systems are available to review?  The “Do It Yourself” answer is to Google ERP systems for whatever industry your company is in.  Your search most likely will provide you with 4 to 5 names (if not more) of ERP systems that are sold to your industry.  This isn’t a very sophisticated approach, but it’s a start that really doesn’t cost your company anything.  What next, go through each and every ERP system website, carefully reading the information that’s provided, taking detailed notes along the way.  Download whitepapers and literature as well as review any online webinars the ERP developers/publishers offer.  By the end of this process (maybe a week or 2 at the most) you’ll have a pretty good idea of what ERP systems your company will want to start a detail review of.  In doing your own ERP system research add to the “To Do” list to contact your industry trade associations to find out what other companies in your industry might be using or would recommend.

If you don’t like the “Do it Yourself” approach to selecting an ERP system or you don’t have anyone in your organization that has the time or inclination to do this type research, it’s time to think about hiring an independent ERP consulting company to help you.  How do you go about selecting and hiring the right independent ERP consulting company to help you find the right ERP system?  Same process as above, Google (Independent ERP Consultants), trade association(s), other businesses in your industry that you’ll be able to find some information.  Once you have four to five names of consulting companies that you want to talk to, you’ll want to interview each of them.  This will help you determine how well they know your industry, what ERP systems they might initially recommend, what their ERP system review process is, how much time and money it will cost and if they can provide you a few references of similar companies they’ve helped.  Make sure they provide you with a written estimate of time, their rate, the specific review process they’ll be following (w/dates of completion) and whom from your organization they will need to involve (with the hours they will need them).

Now what?  Take the written “Goals” (established for the 2nd Principle) and send it to the ERP Developer/Publisher(s) or Independent ERP Consultants you researched to get their overall written input on why they feel their system or service might be the right fit for your business.  Again, there isn’t anything that magical that happens with this step other than if you don’t get any feedback from your request you know they aren’t interested in your business and you can concentrate on the ones that did respond.

The last basic “Take Action” steps at this point might be to simply a) establish a ballpark budget, put together your ERP system review team, establish a date for when you’d like to complete your ERP system review and start scheduling overview demonstrations with the ERP Developers/Publishers of choice (if you’re going to take the “Do It Yourself” approach).

If you feel your company needs to have your ERP system “GOALS List” reviewed or polished up for completeness prior to looking for your next (or first) system, you can always look at using a professional consulting organization (i.e. EstesGroup) that knows your industry and what GOALS your business should expect by using an ERP system.  A hint in how EstesGroup accomplishes the GOAL setting process for selecting an ERP system revolves around our industry experience and how we conduct our Business Process Reviews.   For more information on this, please leave your name and email address below and we’ll have one of our industry experienced sales people share that with you.

Now that you are taking action in your ERP selection process, we will move onto our next priniciple of success: Never Stop Learning.

We would love to talk with you about HOW to take the right action in your ERP selection process. Pick up the phone and call 1 888 300 2340 and together we will:

Simplify Technology, Improve Operations, and Gain Efficiencies…