Welcome to today’s installment of The 6 Stages of ERP Implementation. We discussed the 6 Stages briefly and we covered Stage 3 – Developing and Analyzing – in-depth last week. Today we’re going to talk about the fourth stage.
The fourth stage of the ERP implementation process is testing. While we list the testing stage as stage 4, after development, there really is no definite boundary between development and testing. In testing, you will start working with the configurations and customizations made in the development stage, but there will be significant overlap between the two stages.
Stage #4: Testing
To adequately test a new ERP system, you must:
Train Your Employees
This is often done with a “walkthrough” of the system.
For example, you might select your warehouse team for the walkthrough. You would open the accounts payable module and show them, step by step, how to set up a vendor. You would show them how to enter contact information, payment methods, terms of agreement, etc. You would show them the process of submitting an invoice and getting an order approved; they would also need to see what cycles the orders and payments go through. Now is also time to point out the ways in which the new system will differ from the old system.
Now let your employees practice.
Adjust Configurations
The testing stage will show which configurations need adjustments in order for them to be fully optimized.
Here is an example of stage 3 and stage 4 overlapping – if adjustments are needed, you’ll go back into stage 3 and develop/analyze new configuration settings.
Define Your Cut-off Place
Traditionally, companies that implemented ERP systems did so by running them side-by-side and/or converting one module at a time. Because this method more than doubles the workload for employees, however, this is no longer the most common practice.
The new approach is to test, test, test and train, train, train – and then quit the old system “cold turkey” to start using the new system.
The implementation team must choose which approach to take and when the old system must go officially off-line.
Run a Mock Go Live
We have said it before, but it bears repeating: a mock go live is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Consider the mock go live to be a dress rehearsal – it is the best way to determine if all your actors know their lines, if all your scenery is set up in the right places, if the microphone works, and if the lights will turn on.
Then, before the official go live – but after the mock go live – the implementation team and the users should “compare notes” on how they felt the mock go live went. Hopefully this will confirm that the team and the system are ready for the final step.
Do More Employee Training
Start training, keep training, and do not stop training. (No, really – that goes for this stage, but also for every other stage as well as after go live and through the entire lifespan of the ERP system.)
