|
Almost anyone you talk to in the business world today
will have at least one horror story to share concerning the
failure of a major information systems implementation.
Typically, in large IT projects, the deployment of an
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, entails a
considerable amount of effort and also a major investment
of resources. As a consequence, one would expect an
appropriate level of consideration in the planning and
management of this type of work. So, why then is failure
such a common occurrence? Indeed, given all the projects
undertaken by a typical IT organization, one would assume
that IT managers have a hand on formula for repeatable
success in the launch of large-scale information systems.
Unfortunately, many enterprises have not invested in the
development and documentation of a proven IT project
management methodology and tool set. Any major IT project
has its own unique set of challenges, and yet there are
foundational steps that the delivery team might undertake
to mitigate project risks in order to satisfy customer
expectations.
The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with
a simple yet comprehensive framework for the design and
delivery of project plans for ERP system deployments.
Beyond this model, the author pays special attention to two
of the most common pitfalls in IT project execution, namely:
initial project scoping, and ongoing customer expectation
management and project reporting. The approach outlined
below focuses on field tested methods and tools. For larger
IT organizations, the author also recommends the
establishment of an internal Project Management Office(PMO) to support the ongoing project management process. In addition, the author supplies
a checklist of “do’s” and “don’ts” for ERP system implementations. Finally, at the close of
this article, the author has included a list of lessons learned from his study of ERP system
deployments as well as suggestions for better ERP project management. |
