you are senior consultant with a top tier consulting firm - Copeland Kunsch and Berman (CKB). You have been hired by a client, CMS Manufacturing to help them navigate through an ERP system selection and help update them on current trends and best practices for ERP implementations. The company currently runs an old Legacy accounting system (MAS90) with some processes completed manually or in excel. They realize the need for a fully integrated ERP system, but require help in understanding modern ERP systems and making a selection. The company is a midsize company with 50 million in revenue. Their processes are not complex, but they do have inventory and manufacturing. They prefer a streamlined implementation with as little customization as possible. They need a full suite of ERP modules to ensure their organization is fully integrated and automated. For discussion -

Review the article below and comment on the relevant items in the article that would be helpful to advise your client about with respect to their ERP selection, given that they have hired you to assist with this project.

STEP 1 MOBILIZE YOUR ERP SELECTION TEAM If not known already, the first step is to designate your ERP initiative sponsor, evaluation team lead and key stakeholders. In most cases, one or more of these team members will also become your ERP implementation project lead, functional super user, technical super user and key implementation project stakeholders. Key stakeholders are all those who rely on and will be impacted by the new system. To be clear, this is more than just the accounting department. The new ERP system will directly influence day-to-day operations of almost every part of the company for the next 3-5 years! As such, it warrants both senior management's and key operational group stakeholders' full support and participation in the selection process. Viewing the ERP selection process as an "accounting department only" type initiative will not result in successful new ERP implementation.

STEP 2 PLAN YOUR SOLUTION EVALUATION & PROCUREMENT PROCESS

The next step is to plan your actual procurement process. The tasks include: Define and agree on your procurement process steps (using this guide as an initial framework) In planning your procurement process, we advocate a "risk-based" approach. This means, seek to balance "How rigorous a procurement process is prudent?" with "How much work do you want to make for your- selves?" The answer will determine the most prag- matic and cost-effective procurement process for your organization. While it might seem a bit daunting at first, running an effective software selection process does not have to be complicated to be effective. However, it does require some thoughtful planning upfront to define your appropriate software selection criteria. MAKE formal work plan for the procurement process steps defined Count backwards from when you want to go-live to map out the timing of necessary milestones Calendar tenative future meetings as appropriate to set expectations and reserve internal resource availability