ERP Training Done Right

When it comes to training your employees and/or IT staff about a new software solution, it’s important to get it right the first time in order to avoid any problems or issues in the future. An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution acts as the backbone to any company, as it allows an organization to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business and automate many back office functions related to technology, services and human resources.

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According to Gartner, of all technology implementations, 50 percent are severely challenges, 25 percent completely fail, and 25 are a success. The primary reason for this training, or lack thereof. If your organization is going to implement an ERP software solution, it’s important to assign a great project team who knows what they are doing, develop a training plan suited to your specific project, and extend the training to not only the project team, but end users as well.

Thorough training is required if you wish to be successful. This might mean repeating certain tasks until it’s perfect, and that’s okay. You do not want to have incomplete training because that leaves end users and project teams in the dark. According to the META Group, 76 percent of users have a below-average competency with their ERP solution. If not properly trained, users will lack the knowledge to design new processes or configure new systems and will most likely revert to the “old way” of doing things, which is now the “wrong way.”

Be careful about when you choose to train your employees about the new ERP solution. Train them too early in the project stage, and the staff may forget what they’ve learned and lose momentum. Train them too late, your team will be unprepared and project delays will occur. It’s important to train end users so they are ready to use new processes on day one.

Public training includes travel costs, and if you have to cancel a training session or a class, you may end up frustrated and the ERP project delayed once again. Private training means more staff members involved and a more custom training session on your specific data and tailored for your staff. Depending on your organization, employee size and financial means, both options are available but choose wisely.

Generally speaking, eLearning is learning conducted via electronic media, typically on the Internet. There are two fault points involved with too much eLearning: 1. lack of face-to-face / instructor-led training, 2. lack of student-to-student and student-to-instructor interaction. It’s crucial to have the appropriate blend of training modalities, making sure your entire team gets the most out of their training, no matter how they prefer to learn.

If you choose not to train your entire staff about the new ERP solution, it’s important to consider the qualities needed specifically to your implementation strategy. For example, the ability to meet tight deadlines, ability to work well together and / or a team who possess a wide range of skills.

This is where it can get tricky. Training just one person involves overwhelming limitations, but training two or three employees involve role changes, meaning an illness / absence can dramatically impact an ERP project. It will help to include decision makers in every aspect of your business (and the project) and to create a team able to make informed design and configuration decisions.

Looking for more? Download our ERP buyers guide for free and compare the top-24 products available on the market with full page vendor profiles. The guide includes four key capabilities to look for in an ERP solution, plus five questions to ask yourself and five questions to ask the software provider before purchasing. It’s the perfect resource for anyone looking to find right ERP for their business/organization.

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