We Want to Lag Behind (And other things business users never say)

According to Aberdeen Group, the average lifespan of an ERP system is seven years. A lot can happen in that time.

While no one intentionally plans to lag behind, it happens more often than it should. Not staying current with ERP technology puts your organization at a competitive disadvantage and creates poor user experience for workers used to consumer-grade technology.

ERP is the foundation of business success and you’re only as good as your technology. There are solid reasons to keep current and we’ve got some strategies to help you get up to date:

Understand what you’re trying to accomplish.

What’s the right technology? It’s the one that will solve your business challenge. Before embarking on an implementation project, assess existing technology investments and business processes. Identify what’s working and where there are opportunities for improvement or short and long-term wins. Use this information to ensure investments align with business goals.

Embrace Change.

The longer you put off the upgrade, the more likely it will be disruptive and costly. Delaying access to the latest features and functionality limits competitive advantage, and waiting often means users have to adjust to even bigger changes down the road. Remember when there were no mobile devices in the workplace? When the copier was the communication hub? When interoffice envelopes ruled the day? Businesses have to prepare for change with technology that will enable them to scale, evolve and meet changing business demands. Staying current gives organizations access to industry-specific functionality and the most current technology advantages whether it's mobile, social, or analytics or best practices added to the solution by the vendor.

Invest in a solution that can scale.

The right ERP solution will scale to support future business changes. How ERP is used as well as business needs will change as time goes on. Cloud ERP is gaining traction, making it easy to scale, add new users, modules or capabilities as soon as they’re available.

Look for a services provider who understands how to ease the process.

No one wants to disrupt the organization, so look for a services provider who has done similar work, understands your business and the industry, has tools to streamline installation activities and a track record of success. The right partner can help identify a solution to keep costs in check, increase access to information for decision-makers and support changing and evolving regulatory requirements.

A lot can happen between releases, and being just one version behind can result in missed opportunities, expensive modifications and other costs just to catch up. A strategic focus on staying up-to-date can help your organization build and maintain the capacity to innovate, collaborate and differentiate in a competitive market.

Contact Avaap to discuss your upgrade roadmap.