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 Information Officer(CIO).

Secondly, the role of internal project manager is often held by an employee who masters the technical and functional aspects , as well as all the business processes of the company’s 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

Changing a company’s information system (beyond a simple update, of course) always leads to profound changes in employees’ habits.

According to studies by the American John Kotter of the Harvard Business School, 70% of major organizational changes result in less than expected results and in more than 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. It is therefore essential, for the success of the project, to carry out actions within the framework of change management.

They consist in giving the maximum of information to the future users and in reassuring them on the added value brought by the new management software thanks to new functionalities(dashboards in real time, collaborative work 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:

• Do not include any member of the management team: do not forget that this is a project that has an impact on and structures the entire company.
• Choosing to do without the skills of a project manager (AMOA).
• Assigning the role of project manager to an employee who cannot be involved on a full-time basis.
• 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. Thus, for each change in settings or functionality, you will have to call on the services of a service provider.
• Neglecting change management.

Also read in our " ERP Finance project " file:

• What are the key challenges facing finance managers today?
• What are the key regulatory issues for CFOs in 2019?
• Digital transformation of the finance function : where do you stand?
• Digitization of the finance function: what should we expect in the future?
• What changes does dematerialisation bring to the finance function?
• Finance management: what technological tools are available to CFOs?
• 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?
• Postmodern ERP: the right choice for your company?
• Should you consider a Postmodern ERP solution?
• The challenges of a post modern ERP
• Post-modern ERP: the checklist
• Help in choosing ERP finance: why use a firm?