Global ERP Template and Rollout
Many
enterprises - small or large - use Enterprise Resource Planning
systems. ERP systems cover almost all processes and functionalities
a business needs and include purchasing, sales, logistics, production,
finance, controlling and other areas. Today ERP systems are
almost entirely based on standardized software, e.g. from SAP.
International groups use ERP systems at many different locations worldwide. One approach is to adapt the ERP software to the individual needs of a local site before using it. Although this guarantees that at Go Live the solution covers exactly what is needed the disadvantages of this approach are that the deployment can be costly and time-intensive. But the biggest disadvantage is that by using an individual approach many versions of very similar processes are generated. This increases the complexity of the overall IT landscape and impedes the collaboration within the group.
Therefore
ERP systems are usually no longer deployed individually but have been deployed
for many years now on the basis of so-called global templates. A main objective
of this approach is to develop standards for processes and data that are
mandatory for all. These standards then form the global template. A global
template does not only include the preconfigured system but also the complete
methodology how to deploy it, e.g. standardized concepts for testing, training
and data migration. The
introduction of the ERP system on the basis of the global template is done
in a so-called rollout. During a rollout all processes needed for a local
site are implemented. Approximately 80 % of what is needed can be adopted
directly from the template. Only processes and functionalities that are
really unique, e.g. country-specific legal requirements are added.
Projects
for the introduction of a global ERP template are complex transformation
processes as they bring many changes for a company and take a few years
to completion. In the beginning important strategic questions have to be
answered, e.g. benefits the template shall bring, which processes shall
be standardised or the maximum allowed duration for such a program. Groups
are more and more questioning the aspect if large ERP solutions are efficient
for small affiliates, e.g. pure sales affiliates or if less complex solutions
like SAP
Business One or SAP Business by Design shall be used. In these cases integrated
networks of different ERP types can be implemented, based on predefined
integration scenarios. But still a major prerequisite for this are standardized
and harmonized master data.
Almost all topics mentioned at consulting4bit you will find in a project for the creation and rollout of a global template. The service "ERP Template" includes all aspects that are relevant for such a program.
Service
Description "ERP Template"