How to identify requirements for ERP software?

3 key considerations for the ERP requirements gathering process

What ERP software you select for your business depends on your organisation’s needs. If you do not consider these, you may end up with misaligned ERP software. So, prepare a checklist of your ERP requirements and gather them carefully to make the best use of the ERP software.

Your key considerations while gathering ERP requirements must be:

Discover the business needs

The first point of consideration is finding the answer to “Why do you need ERP software?” Answering this question will lead you to the organisational goals. It gives you an idea about the application of ERP software in your organisation.

You might be aiming to:
• Automate all your processes
• Improve the understanding of customers’ expectations
• Monitor the ordering process
• Generate insights from data
• Or any other goals

Once you identify your organisational needs, prepare a list. Get together with the team to know their perspective on these requirements. Also, determine what changes you will be required to manage in processes, people, and responsibilities due to the ERP software.

Ensure that these business requirements are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely).

Identify the gaps that the ERP software will fill

Once you identify the goals of implementing an ERP software, understand how the processes will benefit from the ERP system. You are aware of the ‘to-be’ situation from the definition of goals; now, you must analyse the ‘as-is’ condition. The gaps between the two are what the ERP software will fill.

Conduct process mapping to understand the ‘as-is’ situation better. Study your business processes to identify its pain points or loopholes that lead to inefficiencies. Ask yourself questions such as:
• Is the process efficient enough?
• Can its functionality be improved?
• Can you reduce the process dependency on humans?
• Can an improvement in technology be enough?

Doing this helps you match the pain points with the goals in place. You can also prioritise these for better consideration while finalising the ERP software. Also, it will give you a better idea of the need for customisation in the selected ERP software.

Plan for the change management

When the ERP software will be implemented, it will bring a change to the processes. Find out who will be affected by the change. The actual beneficiaries of ERP software. And plan how you will manage these changes to the methods and business operations.

You will be required to plan for the training of these employees. You must check whether they are ready for the big change or hesitant to adopt it. Also, identify the reasons for hesitance that you can address for a smooth adoption process.

Not only employees, but you also need to prepare for the change in processes and workflows. You may probably need to automate the existing process or create a new one. Business process reengineering helps in this case.

Concluding thoughts

With these three considerations, you are ready for the ERP software selection and implementation process. Budget, timelines, senior management approval, integration, ERP deployment types, etc., are other considerations in selecting an ERP software.

Besides these factors, it is essential to pay attention to selecting the right vendor for your ERP software.Websys Infotech is one such vendor with expertise in ERP systems. Websys ERP is the perfect fit for any business that aims to grow. It is a complete solution with the capability to manage:

• Customer relationships
• Loyalty programs
• Promotions and offers
• Inventory and ordering process
• Accounting and finances
• Payroll
• And many more