ERP Systems Journey: Stages, Benefits, and Company Experiences

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the ERP systems journey, emphasizing that "going live" is not the endpoint but rather a significant milestone in a continuous process. It delves into the reasons why the ERP journey is ongoing, driven by evolving technologies like cloud ERP and mobile applications. The report outlines the various stages of an ERP system's lifecycle, starting from discovery and planning to ongoing support, and discusses the potential benefits of each stage, such as improved business processes, cost reduction, and enhanced employee morale. Furthermore, the report identifies the key drivers and barriers that influence companies as they move from one stage to another, including factors like financial investments, employee training, and the need for continuous adaptation to market demands. The report also incorporates case study examples to illustrate different company experiences in reinforcing the benefits and weaknesses of different ERP implementations. This comprehensive approach provides a roadmap for organizations to optimize their ERP systems and achieve sustained success.

Running head: GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
Going live is not the end of the ERP journey
Name of the student:
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Author Note

1GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
Introduction:
A “go-live” typically relies on the array of complicated factors. It particularly takes place for
the bigger organizations or those business who are found to be deploying the costly, wide-scale ERP
systems. Various go-lives never run smoothly and suffer the outright kind of failure. The reason is
that going-live has been arguably one of the complicated milestones seen in implementation in
technology systems. In any enterprise technology project the ‘going-living” indicates the
culmination of weeks and months and at many times the years of project planning, controls and
monitoring, groundwork and project planning. This includes the internal and external stakeholders of
the company. Any successful kind of “go-live” led the organizations to cost millions of dollars and
give rise to cascade of business concerns. The following study demonstrates why going live can
never be seen as the ending of ERPs journey. To understand the scenario the reason why ERP
system journey might never finish is discussed. Next, the probable stages of the journeys of ERP
systems are analyzed. Further, the potential advantages of every stage are discussed. Lastly, the
driving forces and limitations for the organizations in moving from one step to the other is
demonstrated.
The reason why the journey of ERP system might never finish:
E-resource with the latest innovations and the exclusive ERP that is industry-specific for all
the industrial verticals are gaining broader acceptance. The products of cloud ERP has been leading
to the ways of providing smarter experience for the users, relevant to customization and
implementations. Since mobile technology is seen as the buzzword, the eresource has been to
concentrate and implement applications. This is merely compatible with different mobile operating
systems (Harwood 2017). On the way to deliver the eresource, to offer the practical and simple-to-

2GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
use mobile interface is for ERP applications. The efforts are to bring the ERP implementations for
the entire mobile-devices that has been compatible to permit the users in finishing activities to use
the mobile-devices. For using the mobile devices, there has been high necessity of development of
the user interface of ERP. For better engagement of users and rise in productivities the main
advantages of utilizing the ER applications in effective way. The reduction of the time of processing
to seconds and minutes is able to bring various advantages to the process of business. For the support
and service departments, the improvement of productivities has been delivering smart benefits
(Huang and Yasuda 2016). Here, the cause has been that, there has been some business running on
the legacy applications. They are found to be uninterested in changing them quickly. This has been
important for the business to start through asking the users wishing instead of forcing them in
working on with the prior systems of legacies. As one thinks to develop the ERP or make any
replacement of the legacy system, there have been various available options. Nevertheless, the
exercise has not been more straightforward and not complicated. Mapping the present practices and
the stages the employees have been using the accomplishment of tasks with an effective beginning
point. Having that process, the organizations are able to collect the experts of software and end-
users.
Next, the following steps are to have the end users to finish the ten or twenty tasks and then
narrate what they have been doing. Through understanding the experiences of workflows, the
developers and IT managers are able to determine methods to create smarter ERP. Here, the
developments have been taking the format of developed forms, eradicating the steps and delivering
smarter integration with additional departments. Here, the usual scenario in ERP market is that
various business is planning to deploy or update the ERP system that has not been properly guided.
Without understanding what ERP systems to go for, they can finish with the section of the wrong
element that has been proving to be less helpful and lots of money are also wasted (Bradds et al.

3GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
2017). This resource is useful to the customers with extensive analyzing and choosing the process to
determine the ERP modules. This can best enable future business necessities and include
development aims. The eresource has been collecting primary data for measuring the overall system
in modules and generals, especially against the distinct technical and business needs. Further, one
can determine the overall ownership cost for determining the proper cost for the clients. This
outcome helps the clients to undertake simple decision related to capital budgeting.
Possible stages in ERP systems journey:
The first step is discovery and planning. It begins during the process of sales. Next, it
continues with the post-scale. At this period goes on, the team of the project is developed. Here,
initial meetings are there and the documentation is created as the team functions to determine the
potential solutions and present issues. Here, the essential part of the phase is to construct the plan of
the project serving as the guide across the residual portion of the project (Kocaoglu and Acar 2015).
Then, there is the design phase. Here, the project team and the team of implementation is able to
work out on different configurations for documenting standard process, defining roles and new
systems. Next, there is the development phase. It helps in preparing the overall system to go live. It
involves tasks like finishing the needed customizations, developments of user pieces of training and
vital information. Through deploying ERO, similar to any customer development project, the issues
are to be solved first (Kramer 2017). Next, the codes are to be written.
Further, there is the testing. It is found out here whether the functionality of the system is
aligned to the set perquisites for that project. The development and testing phases can overlap. This
might happen as the deployments and the project teams are able to jump between the two. This
constantly fine tunes the method of configurations. Till the completion of the phase, the members of
the project team will be comfortable to perform the tasks in the latest system. It is the ultimate stage

4GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
to dive the live network. Next, there is the deployment phase. Here, the implementation and project
team can analyze the case and make the ultimate go and no-go type of decision (Mueller, Mendling
and Bernroider 2019). Besides, going to live the final live can be validated and loaded. Here, the
project team can train the other staffs who can begin working on new systems and totally halt the
usage of old ones. Lastly, there is ongoing support. As the ERP system goes live, the cause of the
team would change. In due time, the method in which the users can work as the system
developments, the changes and adjustments to the configurations of the system is required.
Potential benefits of the above stages:
The discovery is helpful to define the “as-is” or the current business process. Analyzing how
the business operates is useful to determine the gaps earlier. The gaps are accommodated through
altering the configuring and process of the applications is a distinct way. The knowing of the
transactional amount assures that the latest configurations are able to control the transaction volume
needed during daily operations. The defining of the project metrics and goals are helpful to place the
project on the track. This helps to provide the foundation of data for justifying the process of
investments. It is helpful to consider the internal resources available to the project deployment. The
time of budgeting for the suitable personnel for participating the deployment would assure the
success of the project (Cyrus, Aloini and Karimzadeh 2015). Nonetheless, there is the continuation
of the usage of ERP system after the completion of going-live. It also helps in analyzing the distinct
end market and the requirements of end customers since any particular necessity is deployed by the
clients to affect the ERP deployment. These are deployed by clients to affect the implementation of
ERP. Here, one should assure all the aspects starting from shipping requirements, packaging and
particular labelling to the way how clients make the transaction of business. Defining of reporting is
overlooked until the end of the project. There is importance to lay the perquisites out of front. This is

5GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
useful to set aside the learning of tools of reporting for modifying and developing the reports that are
needed. The plan of project implementation serves the road map towards deployments (Yang 2016).
It depends on the project as it is detailed fairly and might be of higher level. This involves the data
from the design and development processes. It can be thought as a kind of backlog list of activities
for guiding the team of implementation. This is the tool of communication for every involved to
possess the visibility of priorities and open items. Here, the bottom line for the process of discovery
is that the team of implementation and the team for the project is to agree and understand the
business process and project objectives. Here, the plan of the project is the ultimate aim of the
discovery process and is the foundation of the residual project.
The design phase considers the cost of implementations. Though the cost of prewritten
software has been cheap as compared to the in-house development, the overall expense of
deployment is 3 to 5 times the price of purchase of that software. This cost of deployment would rise
with the rise of a degree of customizations. Next, ERP vendors are to be considered. There are
approximately 500 ERP applications that are currently available. Further, there are few
consolidations of companies performing that. This has been much vital that the software partners can
economically go well off. The selection of the proper product that is highly vital. Then, there is the
selection of the proper staffs. Organizations have been intending to deploy the ERP systems to
dedicate few of the best staffs to the project regarding successful deployments. Next, the designing
phase considers the training of employees (Lech 2016). Moreover, the updating and training of
employees on the ERP can be seen as an important issue. Here, people are seen as one of the hidden
expenses of implementing ERP. Instead of suitable training, approximately 30% to 40% of the
workers of front-line has never been able to control the demands of new systems. Next, the design
phase is useful to uplift the employee morale. It is seen that the staffs who have been working on the
project of ERP deployment have been dedicating long hours. Though the experience of costly for the

6GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
growth of career, the implementation of stress can be coupled with constant duties of jobs. This can
decrease morale quickly. In the development phase, the team is needed to get prepared for the
overall systems such that they are able to go-live. This involves the essential customizations like data
import and creation of the user pieces of training. Through making the smart usage of ERP system
deployment like customized software development projects, this is possible to solve every conflict at
the first stages and then move on the real writing of codes (O’Shea 2017). Further, the testing
permits the finding of the functionalities of system to be aligned to the pre-defined necessities for
specific project.
At many times, the testing and development phase can overlap. This might occur as the
project teams and implementation groups move back and forth. In this way the fine-tuning
consistently the program’s configurations. Till the ending of the phase, the members of project teams
are able to shift the new systems and is comfortable in controlling the assignments with that. It is a
reality the ultimate phase prior the go-live of the project. In the deployment phase, the on-premise
deployment the company is able to own the software licenses and hardware infrastructures. Next,
there are the off-premise deployments. This considers the cloud-based and partner-hosted
implementation of the ERP solution. The cloud is commonly utilized by the current IT world.
Nevertheless, there are vital differences where every vendor provides a cloud service (Nordin and
Adegoke 2015). At this the phase, with the public cloud, the ERP can take the move of web-hosting
were application and data resides at distant servers and can be accessed through online browsers
over web-browser applications of the tablet and mobile devices. Here, the clients can rent the ERP
system and the infrastructure is been charged on the pay per user basis and pay-per-usage. Lastly,
here the private clouds adopt the self-service virtualized model of public cloud (Zare Ravasan and
Mansouri 2016). Neonetheless, this is done under the firewall of the company and has been
collocated at the vendor-based center of data and the company. Here, the company owns the ERP

7GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
system and the infrastructure and might provide the cope to lease that as the service. The ongoing or
refresher training is vital to develop the present capacity of the users to utilize any system and
initiate new users and changing roles of users under any business. The training of the refresher
indicates to the ramping-up of the knowledge of trained users to permit a better understanding of
systems and deploy developed features of software. It is seen that most of the training during pre-
implementations concentrates on the functional usage of software instead of why and how business
processes change (Leyh 2016). Thus ongoing training is important to provide education to the end-
users regarding wider ideas of ERP systems and process of businesses. Here, the constant training
indicates to ensure the ongoing training irrespective of whether it is online or class-based. Few types
of constant training are vital to cater one staff and the changing roles of employees at businesses.
Any common ERP issue can be seen as the failure of providing the development of end-user
expertise. Nevertheless, at the barest minimum, the company must provide the refresher training at
the vital evolutionary times of the lifecycle of ERP.
Drivers and barriers for different companies in moving from one stage to next:
To understand the barriers first the Fastway Couriers at Perth a Courier service located at
Welshpool WA, Australia is chosen. The business has been found to witnessing fast growth with the
franchises that are regarded as the SME in the present analysis. Here, this type of typical SME is
chosen for the case study understanding, since its rapid development needs the ERP system, to
deliver the integration of dynamic kind of business activities and making agile support for decisions
(Abdinnour and Saeed 2015). Although the SME has been moving very quickly, the current data
systems have never been integrated and the company consists of distinct applications of stand-alone
like MYOB, various file-based utilities and spreadsheet-based software. Their present information
systems have never comprised of ROI and are found to be incurred using significant cost of

8GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
operations. As the IT infrastructure has been based on different platforms, this can be complicated
and also costly to maintain. Apart from this, the current systems have been unable to get coped up
with the rise in business services and franchises. Thus above all, there has been the prevailing
concerns for Fastway that has been there for the current systems (Cyrus, Aloini and Karimzadeh
2018).
 Fastway is found to lack essential data on the performance of business, growth and ROI
forecasts. This is because it could get retrieved through numerous sources utilizing the IT
support manually.
 Furthermore, the systems are found to be crashing very often because of the interoperability
of system and issues with a performance like the growth of emails and rise of franchises
daily.
 Moreover, there has been the processing of new customs of Fastway that has needed manual
interventions and then duplicate the efforts of data-entry. This has been losing the
productivity of human resources.
 Apart from this, there have been critical customer order data needed by ales workforce in the
area (Virtanen 2019).
Regarding success factors, there have been various case studies chosen from Australia. The
software alignment with the business process of SMEs has been a vital driver. At Drivetrain Power
and Propulsion, through external and internal integration, ER solution has provided distinct reporting
tools and functionalities online that is customized for provisioning the business process of their
SMEs. Then, there has been improved access to data to the franchises. For instance, Clifford Hallam
Healthcare has access to integrated tool for business management that is also robust in nature to
control the overall business cycle, involving customer relationship management, sales and finances

9GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
(Huang and Yokota 2016). Then, there has been rise in new customers. At Ausgrid, new customers
have been doubling every month under the initial three months despite any alterations to the strategy
of sales. Then, there is a decrease in conversion time for different types of prospective clients to
place orders for customers. Queensland Nickel has its time of conversion decreased from a couple of
months to a single week (Ward 2016). Then, there is a rise in annual revenues. Here, at Drivetrain
Power and Propulsion the taxes are being doubled at the ending of every ninety days. Further, there
are savings in the recurring costs. BHP Billiton has the recurring expenses decreased through one-
fifth due to the tools and prospect data available on tablet devices and smartphones (Sun, Ni and
Lam 2015). Lastly, there have been savings under maintenance costs as a vital success driver. For
example for Metcash Trading, the repairing and maintenances have been decreased because of the
compelling features of predictive features of ERP framework (Junior, Martens and de Oliveira
2018).
Conclusion:
No more than ever, it is seen from the above study that the organizations have required to
streamline their processes. This is to develop their productivities, rise inefficiencies, lessening the
expenses, empowering the staffs and gaining flexibilities at current dynamic business scenarios. In
achieving that in obtaining the higher value of business from IT systems, the market can integrate
information under and around the process. This has been the central aim of ERP. Recently, it is seen
from the above analysis that the Australian SME market has turned to be the focus of ERP
deployment. ERP vendors have begun to provide solutions in clouds helpful to decrease the myth
that innovation is just viable for more significant enterprises. Hence, the above study has
demonstrated different Australian SMEs as practical case studies for unearthing their present

10GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
constraints and problems of information system. This is mainly as the SME can see that expensive
and complicated to input information with the growing franchises.

11GOING LIVE IS NOT THE END OF THE ERP JOURNEY
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