Programme overview
Introduction:
ERP implementation projects stall when requirements stay vague, the chosen system is bent through customisation, legacy data arrives dirty and users meet the new screens for the first time on go-live day. This Core Concept course gives delivery teams the working methods for each stage: building the business case, selecting a system, running fit-gap workshops, deciding between configuration and customisation, migrating and reconciling data, testing, cutover and adoption. Participants apply each method to case material and assemble an ERP Implementation Workbook of registers, plans and checklists for their own project.
Course Objectives:
- Prepare an ERP business case and requirements catalogue that ties module scope to measurable process benefits
- Run a structured ERP selection using a request for proposal, scripted demonstrations and weighted vendor scoring
- Facilitate fit-gap workshops and resolve each gap through configuration, process change or controlled customisation
- Plan data migration with profiling, cleansing rules, trial loads and reconciliation sign-off
- Organise system integration testing, user acceptance testing and a rehearsed cutover runbook
- Deliver role-based training and hypercare support, then track adoption and benefits after go-live
Target Audience:
- Staff responsible for planning and coordinating ERP implementation workstreams
- Business process owners accountable for finance, procurement, inventory, human resources or manufacturing processes in a new ERP
- IT staff responsible for ERP configuration, integration and application support
- Data owners and analysts responsible for preparing and validating legacy data for migration
- Key users and super-users responsible for testing, training colleagues and supporting adoption
Course Outline:
Day 1: ERP Foundations, Modules and Implementation Readiness
- ERP Module Map: Financial Accounting, Procurement, Inventory, Human Resources and Manufacturing
- Integrated Transaction Flows on Shared Master Data from Requisition to Payment
- Current-State Process Inventory and Pain-Point Log
- ERP Business Case Template: One-Off Costs, Running Costs and Measurable Benefits
- ERP Readiness Checklist for Processes, Data, People and Technology
Day 2: Requirements, System Selection and Implementation Approach
- Requirements Catalogue by Module with Priority Ratings and Acceptance Criteria
- Request for Proposal Structure and Weighted Vendor Scoring Model
- Scripted Vendor Demonstrations and Reference Site Checks
- On-Premise, Cloud and Hybrid Deployment Comparison on Cost, Control and Upgrade Cycle
- Implementation Phases and Rollout Options: Big-Bang, Phased by Module and Phased by Site
Day 3: Business Process Design, Fit-Gap and Solution Build
- Future-State Process Maps for Procure-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash and Record-to-Report
- Fit-Gap Workshop Method and Gap Resolution Register
- Configuration Versus Customisation Decision Tree and Upgrade Impact Check
- Functional Specifications for Reports, Interfaces, Conversions and Extensions with an Interface Catalogue
- Change Impact Assessment, Role-Based Training Plan and Super-User Network
Day 4: Data Migration, Testing, Cutover and Post-Go-Live Control
- Data Migration Lifecycle: Profiling, Cleansing Rules, Trial Loads and Reconciliation
- System Integration Testing and User Acceptance Testing Scripts with a Defect Log
- Cutover Runbook, Mock Cutover, Parallel Run and Rollback Criteria
- Hypercare Support Model: Ticket Triage, Known-Error Log and Exit Criteria
- Benefits Tracking Register and ERP Adoption Metrics
Day 5: ERP Implementation Case Work and Workbook Build
- Guided Case: Distribution Company Finance and Inventory Rollout Fit-Gap Review
- Guided Case: Public Service Body Payroll Migration Reconciliation Failure
- Workbook Build: Fit-Gap Register, Data Migration Plan and Test Schedule
- Workbook Build: Cutover Runbook, Training Plan and Benefits Register
- ERP Implementation Workbook Presentation and Peer Challenge
Skills You Will Gain:
- ERP Requirements Definition
- Vendor Evaluation and Scoring
- Fit-Gap Analysis
- Solution Configuration Decisions
- Data Cleansing and Reconciliation
- ERP Test Management
- Cutover Planning
- User Adoption Support
Why Attend This Course:
- Return with an ERP Implementation Workbook of registers, plans and checklists ready to use on a live or planned project
- Spot a gap that should be closed by changing the process rather than the software before it becomes costly customisation
- Reach go-live with reconciled data, signed-off test results and a cutover that has been rehearsed
- Compare implementation practice with project, process and IT colleagues from manufacturing, distribution, services and public bodies
Conclusion:
An ERP system only pays back when processes, data and people are ready to use it in the same way. The course moves from modules, business case and readiness, through requirements, selection and deployment options, to process design, fit-gap decisions and solution build, then to data migration, testing, cutover, hypercare and benefits tracking. The final day applies these methods to two cases and produces an ERP Implementation Workbook that participants take straight back to their project team.