ERP Takes Time
Implementing an ERP system is a complex process, where the duration is influenced by factors such as process scope, organizational complexity, and data quality. Thorough planning and an understanding of these elements are essential for a successful implementation.
There are many factors that affect how long it takes to implement an ERP system. It can therefore be difficult to compare implementation timelines across different projects, and doing so requires assessing the specific conditions relevant to each project.
Some of the factors that affect the duration include:
- Scope of processes – number and complexity of business processes
- Organizational scope – number of countries/companies/departments/users involved
- Degree of homogeneity – uniform or divergent business needs across the organization
- Extent of change – the level of change the project introduces
- Politics – agreement or disagreement regarding needs and solutions
- Scope of data conversion – number of data sources and data objects to be converted
- Data quality – extent of necessary data cleansing activities
- Integrations – number and complexity of integrations with other systems
- Customizations – number and complexity of system customizations
- Reporting scope – extent and complexity of the reporting solution
- Resource availability – access to the necessary internal and external resources
- Importance of the project – management’s prioritization and focus
- Other related projects – dependencies on other projects that must be completed first
Ensure that momentum is maintained in the ERP project so that deliverables are produced continuously!
It is therefore important to have an overview of the above factors from the beginning — some are organizational, some business-related, and some technical. Based on the conditions within each company, ERP projects are rarely completed in under six months — twelve months is not unusual — and in very large companies and complex organizations, the duration can extend over several years.
