Written by: Jamie Rosenkranz, PCI Lead Consultant
For most people, change is a very difficult concept to grasp. Whether it’s change in schedule, change in diet, or change in business, these situations always prompt different challenges and emotions that must be experienced to successfully get to the other side of the change. The challenge of change and change management is extremely prevalent when migrating to a new ERP solution.
I have been working with what the industry would classify as advanced ERP solutions for the better part of a decade, and my role at PCI is to design our internal processes and procedures to assist customers with migrating to Deltek provided solutions, more specifically Costpoint and WorkBook.
Switching backend business solutions is often sold as an “easy fix” and “seamless” transition. While we have worked at PCI to make the transition process as streamlined as possible, there are always hurdles that are going to be encountered along the way that require conversation and potential change. If you want my unsolicited advice on how to mitigate change and manage, it would be to do the following two things:
- LISTEN
- BE FLEXIBLE
Let me explain. Often times during implementation discussions, there are different agendas presented that may clog the efficiency path. This is not only on the customer side, but also on the consulting side of the conversation. It is important for all parties to LISTEN and HEAR the business requirements of the customer and listen to the capabilities of the platform being set up so that it is designed and configured correctly the first time. Rework and multiple conversations get in the way of efficiency, and rework is a costly endeavor for any business to incur, especially small to midsize businesses.
Second, become a yogi. Okay, maybe not a full yoga master, but be flexible when discussing capabilities and design of the product. It is very common for businesses to become comfortable with the status quo, regardless of how painful it may be (I’m talking directly to those with 100’s of excel spreadsheets that are manually maintained after hours). Systems and business solutions are designed to streamline these business requirements, but they do take time and energy to develop. Being flexible with timelines and modifying current processes will result in better conversations with the consultants, and eventually result in a better business solution.
Companies are not looking to make changes for the sake of change, rather they want a solution that works with minimal disruption and offers long-term success. Working with an ERP expert like PCI, to assist in seamlessly navigating the process of migrating to Deltek solutions can be a great source of value and avoid frustration from spending too much time on tedious tasks and difficult obstacles.
After all our years of experience, we have found that having meaningful conversations about the business, and then being flexible when needed is truly how successful implementations are achieved. If you’d like to learn more about the services we offer or discuss any other ERP related topics, please do not hesitate to reach out and get in touch with one of our consultants today!
Let’s work together to find the best solution for your business needs. Also, if you’re looking for more insights from PCI, feel free to check out our blog on current topics related to ERP solutions: it’s there where you’ll discover how PCI’s knowledge can turn into actionable success.
Learn more about Deltek Costpoint and Deltek WorkBook on our product pages here.
