Quite often, an organization replacing a complex ERP or Maintenance and Engineering system will look to the software vendor, or vendor-certified partner to provide the implementation services.  What is often overlooked is the extensive amount of work that will still be expected of the customer.  This scope of work is not typically well understood or communicated until the contracting where a RACI matrix may be established in the Statement of Work (SOW).  

Often, this “customer-side work” can catch buyers off-guard, understaffed, and put the entire implementation effort in considerable jeopardy.  When searching for an implementation provider, the customer should always look for a vendor who clearly communicates the “customer-side work” expectations, can articulate what is required, and moreover, provider services to take on some of the traditionally customer-staffed activities.  

”Customer-side work” includes:

Project Management at a Named Resource level – no implementation partner is going to be able to access and manage customer resources.  Properly defining and maintaining a joint project plan will usually be the responsibility of the customer, and the critical path and duration cannot be determined without customer resources being assigned to the plan to properly resource level all the expected customer-side work.

Change enablement – implementing a large ERP or M&E system means you are moving a large organization along with it.  Developing a Change Enablement strategy, putting a plan in place and then executing it is complex and challenging.  The majority of this is going to be expected to be delivered by the customer unless a capable partner is found, most IT vendors won’t provide these services.

Data Creation, Cleanings and Validation – the data needs of an ERP and M&E require a lot of care and attention.  It isn’t a small effort, and a lot will be placed on the customer’s shoulders.  The automation and tooling used to make this process easier and faster is critical; as well as the ability to backfill the business while knowledgeable SMEs are taken away from their day jobs.

Operating Manual Updates – for aviation organizations, updating the GMM and other operating procedures will be required to reflect the new system and processes put in place at go-live and beyond.  Qualified individuals and the proper amount of liaison time with regulatory bodies need to be allocated well in advance to ensure this crucial task is completed in-line with the project.

Continuous Improvement Post Go-live – now that the heavy lifting is done, the hard work begins!  The software that has just been implemented will continue to evolve with new features and enhancements, as well as the customer’s organization’s own growth and evolution.  Evaluating and implementing continuous change can’t be overlooked.

SME Day Jobs – often, customer staffing profiles are readily available from the vendor for an ERP or M&E implementation.  A typical pitfall is the customer assuming their employees can maintain their full-time allocation to their day job while executing the myriads of project activities they will be assigned.  When SMEs are expected to learn a new tool, document procedures and use cases, review and validate data, write test scenarios, write training content, etc., the project team will quickly become overwhelmed.  The customer needs to develop an SME backfill strategy for the business.  Software vendors can’t fill SME traditional day job roles, but a qualified implementation partner can take on project activities, and in the case of Tsunami Tsolutions, business activities also.