How to Choose the Best ERP System: 9 Must-Have Buying Considerations
What core functionality should an ERP system include?
Assessing ERP against current workflows spanning finance, HR, manufacturing, inventory and more proves essential. Script demos across all modules mapping features to real-world requirements and pain points end users face daily.
How customisable should device and interface options be?
Evaluate strengths of form builders, workflow configuration tools and UI personalisation capabilities allowing non-technical admins to sculpt platforms to evolving needs of individual user personas from sales reps to shop floor technicians.
What data visibility and reporting capabilities are mandatory?
Robust drilling into integrated datasets, customisable dashboards and role-based visibility controls make systems transparent – not black boxes. Ensure basics like multi-dimensional filtering, forecasting support and self-service access fill gaps left by existing siloed tools.
How pivotal are machine learning and predictive intelligence?
While supplementary, smart ERP increasingly bake in ML to prescribe optimal actions across lines like demand planning, inventory allocation and dynamic pricing helping humans better leverage data. Assess functionality fit.
What third party integration is essential?
Rarely will a single platform consolidate all tech estate data. But advanced ERP integrate with essential adjacent tools via APIs to drive insights from unified CRM, PoS, logistics and expenses data otherwise remaining siloed.
How reliable and secure is the underlying infrastructure?
Little functionality matters if systems succumb to outages or compromise integrity via breaches. Vet vendor hosting, redundancy provisions, security protocols and architecture aligning with internal policies to instill confidence in resiliency.
How positive are vendor implementation methodologies?
Even bulletproof platforms fail absent smooth change management and deployment oversight. Require vendors detail how they guide technical integrations, mitigate issues, provide user training and assign dedicated project managers ensuring schedules stay intact.
What support models apply post go-live?
The relationship with technology partners extends for years post-purchase. Understand technical assistance, enhancement support and roadmap input channels provided along with their pricing models to ensure collaboration fueling long term solution vision alignment.
What commercial considerations influence ERP selection?
Map both perpetual license and subscription models across target modules to accurate TCO projections, factoring phase deployment needs. Compliment with HR change impact planning affecting rollout and realisation of ROI over 3+ years.
While ERP decisions challenge, by invest time reconciling platforms against both current and emerging requirements across essential criteria, organisations turn complex deployments into drivers of efficiency, insight and scale advantages over the long run.
At Ballards LLP we are experienced in providing support for choosing the best ERP system for your business and so get in touch with Sean Devlin on sean.devlin@ballardsllp.com for more information.
Disclaimer. This article has been prepared for information purposes only. Formal professional advice is strongly recommended before making decisions on the topics discussed in this release. No responsibility for any loss to any person acting, or not acting, as a result of this release can be accepted by us, or any person affiliated with us.
