The Cost of Delaying ERP Implementation: Why Your Business Can't Afford to Wait

So you’ve decided to delay your ERP implementation

Business is busy (perhaps that’s why the ‘Busi’ is the beginning of the word Business?) and there are all kinds of competing initiatives for our time, talent, and treasure.  Some investments have easy to calculate return on investment (ROI), such as production machinery or building an eCommerce website. 

Others, like ERP systems have more difficult to justify and perhaps ‘nebulous’ ROI’s.  Is there really going to be a significant gain in productivity?  Can we measure it?  Will the access to information really be worth it? 

A typical scenario is the ‘ERP System’ is placed on the annual plan and may be avoided for the first couple of years, but eventually a ‘champion’ emerges to push the project.  Sometimes an outside consultant is brought in to do an assessment and help in the selection process.  These initial steps can take months to complete, and eventually the company identifies their ‘vendor of choice’ – that answers all of their needs and seems to be a good fit.

Then…..we get to the final decision. Think back on when you were a child, and it was your first opportunity to dive off a diving board.  You understand logically that it’s reasonably safe and potentially fun to spring off a diving board, high in the air, and splash into the water.  But as you actually get close to the steps of the diving board, your stomach butterflies start to swarm, and you head begins to think about all of the bad things that might happen.  What if you hurt yourself?  Will this be embarrassing?  Suddenly the relative safety of going back to your lounge chair is appealing. 

The same thing happens with ERP systems.  There is the extra cost of the old system(s) continuing in place while the new system is implemented.  There’s the risk the new system won’t work the way the old system did.  And, why are we getting a new system when the old system has kept us in business for many years anyway?  Another consideration is the time it takes for each staff member to participate in the implementation in addition to their full time job.  The implementation will be stressful and we’d hate to lose key staff because of a system change.  Will the operational efficiency be worth stressing out the organization?  Will business process automation provide enough ROI to pay the extensive bills for the project? 

In most cases, ERP system changes are done because the company either can’t grow or can’t be scalable with their old system.  Either they are operating an obsolete system that doesn’t function well, or there hasn’t really been a ‘real’ ERP in place and the company has been run on spreadsheets and a combination of disparate systems.  Nothing talks to each other and reconciling these systems is next to impossible. 

But here we are facing the steps to the diving board.  The butterflies are circling and it feels like the world is watching.  We don’t want to embarrass ourselves.  Our vulnerabilities suddenly come to the forefront of our thoughts.  Why did we want to do this in the first place? 

Let’s say there was a different way to approach this.  What if you had a coach that had prepared you with all the skills necessary to dive?  You had practiced on a trampoline.  You had improved your leg and back muscles so it’s easier to dive.  Perhaps you’ve watched video of other people diving to see how they did it?  Wouldn’t that make you more confident in your ability to dive for the first time?

That’s the role of the implementation consultant or team of consultants.  They have the experience and expertise to coach you through the process so when the day comes to climb up onto the diving board – you are well prepared, and know what to expect.  Every eventuality has been vetted and you know how to spot troublesome areas. It isn’t about all of the justifications and ROI, it’s about understanding your organization and working with a qualified ERP implementation consultant.  They will keep you on track to properly address the right issues and help make you successful. 

This is our wheelhouse.  EpiCenter has done over 225 successful implementations, with zero failures.  Let us help you prepare to dive into the ERP success pool.