1. Project leader was the VP of Manufacturing so we started with top
management support. You can't get it done without support from the top.
2. We started early in the year with a goal of changing over before year
end.
3. This was a priority project for us so the Project Leader was assigned
50-75% of his available time to the project. Other work was delegated to
other employees.
4. There is no way I would let a consultant lead a project of this type for
all of the reasons given. We hired a Epicor consultant to help with the
implementation. It helped a great deal to have a sounding board who knew
the software and had experience with other implementations in similar
industries. An experienced consultant who knows Vantage is an invaluable
resource but the consultant is not the person I would let make decisions
that affect how the company is run.
My $.02
Mitchell Kirby
Riten Industries, Inc.
740-333-8719 Direct
800-338-0027 Sales
800-338-0717 FAX
-----Original Message-----
From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
Lydia Coffman
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 3:42 PM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Survey - Implementation Project Leaders
I agree with other comments, but would caution you about item #4 on your
list.
Someone independent of your company may not have an opportunity to
understand all of the ins and outs of both how your company works and how
the software works. That was a recipe for disaster here. They hired an
independent consultant who a)didn't know anything about Vantage, and
b)didn't understand the current way the company worked, AND c)didn't have
any idea where the Vantage software could take the company. There were lots
and lots and lots of accommodations made to keep the "system" running
exactly as it had been prior to implementation. In three months, no one was
using the system AT ALL, in ten months the consultant disappeared, having
charged them an arm and leg and no one even knew how to close a job, or even
that they should be closed. Not all experiences will be like this--but some
can be. Even the possibility is scary.
Vantage (and really, any ERP software), is a complex system. People will
buy in if they think they have some "say" -- except for those few who
believe change is only good if it comes from a vending machine. With upper
management support, those people will eventually cave in, change jobs, or
have to have CPR.
Lydia
From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
ami_miker
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 11:11 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Survey - Implementation Project Leaders
I am curious how other companies have managed their ERP
implementations (Vantage and others, significant upgrades
included). The following were from post implementation discussions
among team members.
1) Who was the Project Leader for the Implementation? (IT will
always be involved, but I have see others in the lead role for
pratical and political reasons.)
2) What was the Implementation Window?
3) What percentage of the Leader's work week was spent on
Implementation?
4) Would you consider contracting an independent ERP specialist to
be the Project Leader? This person would have no ties to the
software being sold, giving unbiased direction to the team while
freeing the person normally shackled with the Lead role. There
would still be interaction with the software company's consultant,
but the independent ERP specialist would work on the details of a
company's process gaps / improvements from the implementation
instead of simply explaining the software.
Any other comments in the area of successful ERP project leadership
are welcome.
- Michael Randolph
Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
_____
Yahoo! Groups Links
* To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/
* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>
* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
Tracking #: 83CB2AB2828478499DBA06C7C46EF54B2DEF4A8D
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links
Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links
management support. You can't get it done without support from the top.
2. We started early in the year with a goal of changing over before year
end.
3. This was a priority project for us so the Project Leader was assigned
50-75% of his available time to the project. Other work was delegated to
other employees.
4. There is no way I would let a consultant lead a project of this type for
all of the reasons given. We hired a Epicor consultant to help with the
implementation. It helped a great deal to have a sounding board who knew
the software and had experience with other implementations in similar
industries. An experienced consultant who knows Vantage is an invaluable
resource but the consultant is not the person I would let make decisions
that affect how the company is run.
My $.02
Mitchell Kirby
Riten Industries, Inc.
740-333-8719 Direct
800-338-0027 Sales
800-338-0717 FAX
-----Original Message-----
From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
Lydia Coffman
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 3:42 PM
To: 'vantage@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Survey - Implementation Project Leaders
I agree with other comments, but would caution you about item #4 on your
list.
Someone independent of your company may not have an opportunity to
understand all of the ins and outs of both how your company works and how
the software works. That was a recipe for disaster here. They hired an
independent consultant who a)didn't know anything about Vantage, and
b)didn't understand the current way the company worked, AND c)didn't have
any idea where the Vantage software could take the company. There were lots
and lots and lots of accommodations made to keep the "system" running
exactly as it had been prior to implementation. In three months, no one was
using the system AT ALL, in ten months the consultant disappeared, having
charged them an arm and leg and no one even knew how to close a job, or even
that they should be closed. Not all experiences will be like this--but some
can be. Even the possibility is scary.
Vantage (and really, any ERP software), is a complex system. People will
buy in if they think they have some "say" -- except for those few who
believe change is only good if it comes from a vending machine. With upper
management support, those people will eventually cave in, change jobs, or
have to have CPR.
Lydia
From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
ami_miker
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2005 11:11 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Survey - Implementation Project Leaders
I am curious how other companies have managed their ERP
implementations (Vantage and others, significant upgrades
included). The following were from post implementation discussions
among team members.
1) Who was the Project Leader for the Implementation? (IT will
always be involved, but I have see others in the lead role for
pratical and political reasons.)
2) What was the Implementation Window?
3) What percentage of the Leader's work week was spent on
Implementation?
4) Would you consider contracting an independent ERP specialist to
be the Project Leader? This person would have no ties to the
software being sold, giving unbiased direction to the team while
freeing the person normally shackled with the Lead role. There
would still be interaction with the software company's consultant,
but the independent ERP specialist would work on the details of a
company's process gaps / improvements from the implementation
instead of simply explaining the software.
Any other comments in the area of successful ERP project leadership
are welcome.
- Michael Randolph
Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/>
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
_____
Yahoo! Groups Links
* To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/
* To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:vantage-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>
* Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
Tracking #: 83CB2AB2828478499DBA06C7C46EF54B2DEF4A8D
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links
Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links