ERP finance project: who should be involved in the company?

How should the internal project team be formed?

The team set up for this type of project must be multidisciplinary and representative of the company, but also supervised by a Project Director. In most cases, the latter is either the Chief FinancialOfficer (CFO) or the Chief InformationOfficer (CIO).

Secondly, the role of internal project manager is often taken on by a member of staff who is fully conversant with the technical and functional aspects , as well as with all the business processes of the company sectors concerned by the ERP project. It is preferable that he/she has experience in project management and an ability to convince and engage teams. Several business referents from different departments (human resources, sales management, finance, etc.) are also invaluable in ensuring the smooth running of the team.

Accompany the evolution of the company linked to the ERP project

Upgrading a company’s information system (beyond a simple update, of course) always entails profound changes in employee habits.

According to studies by the American John Kotter of Harvard Business School, 70% of major organizational changes lead to results below expectations, and in over 50% of cases, this is due to behavioral problems.

Despite the creation of precise specifications and the involvement of business referents within the project team, some users may be reluctant to face this radical change. For the success of the project, it is therefore essential to take action in the context of change management.

The aim is to provide future users with as much information as possible, and to reassure them of the added value provided by the new management software through new functions (real-time dashboards, collaborative working, etc.). This type of action must be carried out over the long term to maximize the chances of success.

ERP finance project: some mistakes to avoid

Before setting up a team, be aware of the most common mistakes:

• Don’t include a member of management: don’t forget that this is a project that will impact and structure the whole company.
• Choose to dispense with the skills of a project manager.
• Assign the role of project manager to a member of staff who cannot commit full-time to the project.
• Forget one or more functional referents. Let the editor/integrator’s consultants do it without fully involving you: remember that by proceeding in this way, you will not be autonomous and you will not fully master the ERP software. As a result, you’ll need to call on the services of a service provider every time you need to change settings or enhance functionality.
• Neglecting change management.

Also in our "ERP Finance" section

• ERP software definition: what is an ERP?
• What is the use of an ERP solution for the finance function?
• ERP finance: what do you need to know as a finance manager?
• CFO: what are the advantages of an ERP for the finance function?
• Finance software: which ERP to choose for your company?
• The challenges of a post modern ERP
• Optimize the management of administrative processes with an ERP solution
• Big data, data management, data analytics and ERP: what are we talking about?
• ERP finance: how to ensure data security?
• CFO and CIO: how to implement a successful finance ERP project?
• ERP finance project: who should be involved in the company?
• The different implementation phases of an ERP project