To plan or not to plan
This should not really be a question, but we will answer it anyway, once and for all. Planning is not optional. You might think that you have a small and straightforward implementation and, to save time and money, you should just get the software installed and start using it. There may be some software for which this approach works. This will not work for Dynamics GP. In the long run, you will spend more time and money fixing things if you do not plan your implementation. You may also never get the intended results from Dynamics GP without proper planning upfront.
How to start planning
Planning does not have to be a scary prospect, or something that takes an inordinate amount of time and produces a 200-page document. There is a fine line between not enough planning and over-planning. For a typical implementation in a small to mid-size business, planning every detailed step of an implementation is not warranted. You should plan for key steps, dates, and deliverables.
Many companies find that planning to implement a new ERP system can provide an unexpected opportunity: a chance to re-examine some of the current workflows and reporting and improving both. While it may require some additional effort during the planning process, that effort will more than pay for itself very quickly with resulting efficiency and better reporting. As you plan, do not simply accept that things should be done the way they always have been. Take time to understand the reasoning, and to question any reasoning that does not make sense. Don't be afraid to suggest improvements.
Keep in mind that the business requirements should drive planning, not the infrastructure. Certainly, planning the infrastructure is a critical step, but understanding and planning for the business needs should be the first priority. As you plan your implementation, there are five main topics to understand and document:
- Start at the beginning: Have a good grasp of what the company does at a high level. You may have worked with the company for five years and already know this—that is great. However, if you are new to the company, take the time to understand the basics; it will help put the implementation into perspective.
- Understand the vision: What are the plans for the next one to five years? Is the plan to keep offering the same products and services that are offered now, but double the volume? Or is there a plan to go in a new direction? Understanding the vision will help you properly size the infrastructure, as well as give you an idea about what future requirements you may need to keep in mind as you are implementing Dynamics GP.
- Identify current issues and limitations: Find out the driving factors behind the decision to implement Dynamics GP. Is the current system not meeting critical needs? Is it simply not able to handle the volume? Often the answer to both of these questions is yes. A good understanding of the current issues will help you make sure that the newly implemented system will address them. Your understanding of the issues will increase as you delve into the planning, but you should know the critical complaints upfront.
- See the finish line: What are the expectations at the end of the implementation? While this goes hand-in-hand with understanding the reason to implement a new system, it is worth separating. Many companies will have clear-cut goals that they want to achieve once Dynamics GP is implemented, for example:
- Close each month by the tenth of the following month
- Present financial reports in a particular format to the management or investors
- Allow tracking of processes or transactions in a multi-user system, instead of entering details in Excel spreadsheets maintained manually throughout the organization
- Allow for faster processing of transactions
- Allow for faster searches of transactions and balances to better address customer and vendor requests
- Allow for more concurrent users working on similar tasks
- Allow remote users to enter transactions or run inquiries and reports
Similar to the current issues, you may add more items as you continue with your planning, but the key deliverables should be clear from the beginning. As you identify these goals, prioritize them—some may be the key reasons for the Dynamics GP purchase, while others may be incidental. Know what the foremost objectives are so that you can make sure you meet them.
- Document the workflows and gaps: What are the steps taken for each transaction type and are there any gaps in the Dynamics GP functionality? This is perhaps the most challenging of the planning steps as it requires not only understanding existing accounting and business workflows, but also identifying what is currently done that may not have corresponding functionality in Dynamics GP.
To identify and document all the current workflows, first spend time with the accounting and operations resources on your team, then briefly visit some of the users actually performing the day-to-day work. Once you have documented the workflows, use your Dynamics GP resource to identify any gaps between the needed functionality and Dynamics GP. The Dynamics GP resource can also help to come up with alternatives or solutions to bridge those gaps.