ERP Go-Live: Expecting the Unexpected

[Scene Opens in a Typical Conference Room at the Acme Manufacturing Company]

The ERP team has completed the Business Process Workshops and has an agreed-upon functional scope. The various process team members have resolved configuration issues through Conference Room Pilots. End users and shop floor operators have carried out User Acceptance Testing. Next comes the dynamic data cut-over and go-live.

The anticipation is palpable - a combination of thrilling excitement and held breaths - that all will go according to plan.

[Suspenseful music plays in the background]

This scene plays out in companies all over the world, every day. But will your ERP Go-Live be a Blockbuster or a Box Office Flop?

What Does the ERP Go-Live Process Look Like?

When an ERP implementation gets to the go-live date, the teams are prepared, the implementation team has cut-over the static data and is ready to cut-over the dynamic data, users have been trained and the team has tested the system for every scenario they can think of. Whilst it's impossible to plan for every unexpected issue, QAD's industry best practicesfor go-live result in an effective ERP implementation.

Generally, go-live is scheduled over a weekend. Users log off the old system on Friday and come back on Monday ready to use the new system. It's all about working manually between those two days for the shortest period possible, then catching up on the weekend's transaction once the new system is live.

With our large global customers that operate 24/7, we understand the strategic importance of the go-live process, which requires the joint team to maintain exceptional focus and attention during this time. With global projects, the first go-live is a chance to implement a pilot of the global core model at one major, or a wave of smaller plants. This would then be followed by more waves of roll out to other plants or businesses.

A successful go-live is characterized by quantifiable statistics about resolving issues in a rapid, agile and effective manner, with good communication and escalation plans in place. All the teams are on alert to make sure the process goes as expected. Senior level management is available to deal with any escalated issues. QAD deploys a period of 'hyper-care' after go-live that lasts between one and four weeks as the project team hands over operations to the support team.

A recent QAD blog post describes the benefits of ERP go-live success.

Who's Involved in ERP Go-Live?

The ERP implementation teams from the customer and QAD come together at go-live to launch the new system. From the customer, the implementation team includes:

• Project team/functional staffwho define the processes covered by ERP. Usually there is a process lead for each function, particularly within a global project. In larger implementations, we'll see a global functional lead and representatives from each region.
• Technical/IT and application teams. (For leaner industries and manufacturers, QAD takes on a greater portion of the IT work).
• Governors/C-Suite/stakeholder championsfocused on change management, providing strong business sponsorship.

QAD implementation members include process and technical transformation consultants working with the functional and technical champions from the customer.

Senior QAD Executives sit on the Steering Committee with the customer Senior Executives to oversee the program.

At the shop floor and functional level, we conduct daily and weekly sessions with the teams leading up to the go-live. At senior levels of the organization, the steering committee focuses on strategic issues before and during the go-live.

QAD genuinely sees the ERP implementation and go-live process as an equal and joint partnership, where the customer and QAD experts work closely together with robust and open communication.

A Customer Go-Live Success Story

QAD implementation and go-live statistics bear out our success in ERP implementation and go-live. Nothing is more important than the positive comments from satisfied customers.

Simon Smith, head of IT at Amtico International, a leader in the specialty residential and commercial flooring market, described his experience with QAD go-live: 'Go-live went astonishingly well. The day we went live, everything was working as expected. It was a very successful implementation.'

His colleague Martin Stott, project leader, also commented, 'QAD Effective On Boarding had the greatest impact on the entire upgrade process. We carried the EOB methodology all the way through and it provided a very good framework for managing the project. EOB gave us the direction to do what we needed to do from start to finish.'

An ERP go-live is successful when the entire implementation team is successful, and our Effective On Boardingand QAD Adaptive ERPimplementation process makes it all possible. QAD Consulting and Transformation Servicesare able to guide our customers through the go-live process and provide thought leadership in rapid, agile and effective digital transformation.

[Upbeat music plays in the background]

The ERP team has wrapped up the final steps of the Go-Live process. All systems are a go - a job well done!

[Scene Closes at the Acme Manufacturing Company with all members of the Implementation team heading off to a joint celebration event followed by some much needed sleep]

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