Implementation team
At the start of any implementation, you should identify the team that will ultimately be responsible for the implementation. Some companies believe that they can hire an external consultant or a new employee to complete a Dynamics GP implementation with minimal involvement from other company resources. This typically results in frustration, unrealized expectations, and a poor implementation. There can be no successful implementation of an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system without active involvement from the end users and company management.
Who should be on the implementation team
Involving the end users does not mean all end users of Dynamics GP must actively participate in the implementation. However, one or more core end users need to be identified and involved in the process from the very start. Typically, this will be the controller or a senior accountant who has been with the company for some time and knows all aspects of the operation from the accounting perspective.
In addition to having someone with knowledge of the company's accounting practices, the implementation team should include someone who understands the business very well from an operational standpoint. That is, a person who comprehends the overall vision for the company's products and services, as well as the detailed flow of the company's operations and transactions. This role may be filled by one or more persons, depending on the size and complexity of a company.
Another key component of the implementation team is a knowledgeable IT resource in the company. This should be someone that has a good understanding of the company's infrastructure and the systems that are currently in place, as well as what future IT projects and changes are planned. The IT resource should be one that has appropriate permissions and passwords for the systems needed during the implementation, whether or not this team member will be the one performing the actual installations. Often this will also be the person in charge of maintaining the Dynamics GP system after the implementation.
Typically, a company will not go forward with a Dynamics GP implementation without the direction of the owner, president, or someone at a high position in the organization. It is important to have this person on the implementation team. They may not be closely involved with many details of the project, however, this team member, frequently called the project champion or sponsor, is the one ultimately responsible for motivating the staff and getting the company employees to accept the inevitable changes that come with switching to a new system. This team member will be the resource to go to if there are issues or roadblocks during the implementation.
When an external consultant performs the Dynamics GP implementation, the assumption is that you chose this consultant for their experience with Dynamics GP. However, if someone with limited or no experience with Dynamics GP is performing the implementation internally, it is important to have access to a knowledgeable Dynamics GP resource. This can either be a consultant provided by your Dynamics GP partner or someone that you contract with independently. No book or manual can cover every scenario and situation, so having this resource will help fill in any gaps in understanding and knowledge. It will also provide a security blanket—the implementation team will know they have a resource available for any Dynamics GP questions that come up.
Project manager
After you assemble the individuals on the team, you must identify the project manager. The project manager may be one of the people we have already talked about or an additional resource. While the project manager may not be the one performing many of the implementation steps, they absolutely must be involved with all the details of the implementation, from beginning to end. Because of this, the project manager should not be the company's president or someone that already has numerous demands on their time; this should be someone who has the time necessary to delve into the minutiae of your Dynamics GP implementation.
What's coming next may be a somewhat radical idea. If an external consultant or company is performing the Dynamics GP implementation, the project manager should be an employee of the company, not an external consultant. An alternative to this is to have two project managers working together—the consultant and a company employee. The reason for this is that the project manager must internally drive the project and make sure it keeps progressing as planned, getting all the company resources to do what they need to do. Very rarely will an external consultant have the same ability to command resources within a company that an internal employee will.
The team and practical considerations
To sum up, the implementation team will consist of the following:
- Project manager—internal
- Co-project manager—optional/external
- Accounting resource—internal, controller, and/or senior accountant
- Operations resource—internal
- IT resource—internal
- Champion/Executive—internal
- Dynamics GP resource—may be another team member or an additional, external resource
Depending on the size and complexity of a company, the Dynamics GP implementation team may be just a few people or could be comprised of up to 10 people or more. There are a few thoughts to keep in mind as you are putting together your team:
- When in doubt as to how many people should be on the implementation team, err on the side of having a smaller team. If there are three people that make up the accounting resource, select one for the team and consult the others as needed. Often, the implementation time frame grows as the team grows. For a company of 20, the implementation team should not be 10 people.
- Put together a list of all the contact information for the implementation team and distribute it to all the members of the team at the start of the project. Getting this out of the way upfront will save time as the project gets going.
- Put together a list of additional resources and support staff that may be important for the team to have access to, and distribute it to all the members of the team at the start of the project.