If you're reading this, it means you're seeing gaps in the way production or project work is currently managed. You no longer have as much control over what's happening in the company, you have to ask several people to get a piece of information that matters to you (each of them only knows their own slice). You see your employees making simple mistakes, and you don't understand why. You're short-staffed, even though you've just hired new people. Preparing a report and analyzing what's going on in the company takes a lot of time. The symptoms vary, but you're wondering:
Can an ERP system solve these problems?
How do I implement one, and do I even need an ERP system?
This question is hard to answer without an analysis of the process and of what's happening in the company. The real problem may be hidden. Some examples?
- Have you lost that level of control? It's possible the company has grown to the point where personal oversight is no longer feasible, and the processes and systems haven't kept up. Or maybe it's just temporary chaos caused by a few employees being absent.
- Are your employees making simple mistakes? They may not know their priorities, jumping from task to task because something suddenly becomes urgent. Or the process itself involves copying or re-entering data (heaven forbid) – and errors are built right into it. Sales has data in Excel, the design office uses Trello, and production uses a notebook. That breeds mistakes.
- Are you short-staffed? There's a shortage of skilled workers on the Polish market. Are your people working on tasks they're actually qualified for? Maybe they're spending time on manual work that could be automated? Maybe employee turnover comes from not having the right tools to work with, having to work in the same Excel file as several other people, which leads to frustration?
- Does preparing a report and analysis take too long? Do you have to dig through your disk and email for data? Did someone forget to send you important invoices? Does copying and typing in data take too long?
The sources of the problems I've described here can vary. An ERP system will definitely solve some of them (like report preparation) – after all, it's software, and calculations aren't a challenge for it. Mainly, you need to make sure everyone is aware of the process and their obligation to supply the input data (invoices). A company is a system of interconnected vessels – you have to look at it as a whole.
ERP implementation is a process. It's not just the system that changes.
The facts, however, are worrying. Over 50% of ERP implementations end in failure. Some sources even cite 70%. A tragic statistic. Failure means going over budget and schedule, dissatisfaction with the system, or a complete mismatch between the system and the company. Statistically, you have a greater chance of the ERP implementation not going according to plan.
So make sure you're well prepared. One of the problems with implementation is a shortage of hands to do the work. During the implementation, key people from your company will need to get involved in the change process. Another problem is focusing on choosing the tool itself, instead of on a thorough analysis and redesign of the processes that tool is supposed to support.
Implementing a system isn't just about configuring a tool. It's work on changing the processes of the entire company.
How should you approach this?
Different approaches to ERP implementation:
Implementing it yourself
This is possible in a smaller company, but I definitely don't recommend it. You'll save some money at the cost of your time, or the time of key employees. With the help of internet forums and AI, you'll get to a point where the system solves some of your problems.
If you're mainly the one who's going to use the system, this approach can make sense. Requiring employees to train themselves on using it and work on a system implemented this way will cause more chaos.
Implementation by specialists
There are various ERP systems out there. There are also many companies that specialize in implementations. With this approach, you gain professionals who know the system and its most common issues (nothing is perfect!).
Keep in mind that you need to choose someone who genuinely wants to solve problems in your company, not just sell licenses. Your company's goals and the implementation company's goals need to be as closely aligned as possible. The goal isn't the implementation itself. The goal is fixing problem X through implementation. The problem needs to be identified first.
What does Adapt IT offer?
Adapt IT takes a somewhat different approach. My approach comes from a unique combination of experience in modeling production and logistics processes in heavy industry, and years of software development practice building SaaS products.
That's why, before we start an implementation, we carry out an Action Plan, during which we run workshops with key people from your company. This lets us see the company as a system of interconnected dependencies and design an implementation that minimizes the risk of the failure I mentioned earlier.
Planning an ERP implementation?
Book a 20-minute Needs Analysis – this is the first step, during which we verify whether the problems you want to solve are ones we specialize in. During this meeting, we'll decide on further cooperation, which is developing a Digitalization Action Plan.