Out with the Old, in with the New: Is it Time for an ERP Update?
As my birthday creeps closer, I realize another year has gone by, and I can’t help but sit here and think, man! I’m getting old! I certainly realize how comical it was to feel so invincible in my teen years. Now I can look back at the stories from my childhood about the fountain of youth and the drive people had (or have!) to halt the aging process – it is starting to make sense now. A new haircut, the fad diets, surgical procedures – nothing will prevent anybody from aging, even though we all try in one way or another.
As I age and think about the efforts we take to keep ourselves in shape, it makes me think about Microsoft Dynamics NAV (Navision) and the efforts we should be putting forth to keep our ERPs clean, in shape, and up to date. You can’t neglect your ERP – one must consider an upgrade or re-implementation at some point, and for you, the time may be now.
What does one need to consider when deciding upon an upgrade or implementation? At ArcherPoint, we can help you with that decision making process. In tandem with the sales representative, a mind map is created to help identify some of the following points:
- Your business goals and operation and why they are important
- Predicted issues/risks related to an upgrade or reimplementation
- Timing of the project
- Budget
- Internal resources to support the work effort
- Whether a technical upgrade or a re-implementation is more appropriate
- Report usage
- What kinds of training and how much support will be needed
With the mind map complete, we then move forward with either a project prep engagement or an upgrade analysis—that path depends on the requirements. In short, an upgrade is a technical engagement to simply get to the new version. A re-implementation is a business need engagement designed to solve a business problem or take advantage of a business opportunity. Although very different, in the end they both get you to the new version. It’s simply about the end goal, and that’s where our sales team helps and the mind map comes into play. The ArcherPoint team—our development team, business analysts, solution architects, and project managers—will help identify the right approach, create an estimate for the project, and formulate a plan to implement. The team members who will be involved with these tasks will vary depending on if an upgrade or re-implementation is best.
In the next blog, we’ll dive deeper into our upgrade analysis path and then our project reimplementation route. If you’re interested in discussing your options, please contact ArcherPoint to speak to one of our upgrade experts.