What is a Reasonable ERP Implementation Timeline?
We are often asked about timelines for ERP implementations.
Consider the analogy of running a marathon.
You can run (or walk!) a slow marathon - making sure you're always comfortable, possibly never breaking a sweat, and allowing yourself ample breaks along the way. This would be a very slow marathon, and the course may even close before you finish (oops!).
Or you could sprint the marathon, pushing harder than is sustainable, and wearing yourself out before you finish the race.
The third option is our choice - keep an "assertive" pace. Push just enough that you are moving intentionally at a clip a little faster than your conversant pace, but not so fast that you won't be able to finish. This is a great analogy for a good pace for an ERP implementation.
Assuming that you are prioritizing the implementation, ensuring that the right Core Team has time to give to the project, and that the team will not be distracted by competing priorities such as other high profile projects or changes, the timeline below is a reasonable assertive expectation for a mid-market ($50-$300MM revenue) company to implement an ERP.
The BIGGEST requirement for this, however, is to have a competent Project Manager who is ensuring the work happens in a timely manner.
We often augment the PM with a Project Coordinator who handles more tactical scheduling, note taking, action item follow up, and internal coordination - though a single PM can do it all with more hours than what are shown. We do not require a PC, but find that this work is lower level but time consuming, and we can save clients money when either WE or THEY provide someone in this role. Many options, and we love discussing them with clients!
The Change Manager focuses on End User Adoption - and can also be a coached role if someone internal to the company if they have the hours shown below.
What do you think? Should you do this yourselves or Book a Meeting to see if we may be a fit for you?
Here is a mini self-assessment to determine if you can Do It Yourself (DIY):
Do you have an Individual Contributor who has 15-20 hours per week s/he can devote to a non-daily operations project for ~8-12 months?
Does this person have any experience leading large cross-functional projects with both internal and external team members?
Does this person prefer to get work done even at the expense of feeling that s/he is “well-liked” (i.e. is this person a driver?)?
If you can say YES to all three of these questions, then DO IT YOURSELVES - save the extra $ and get it done without letting the timeline drag out.
If, however, something comes up or you say NO to one or more of these questions, think about how many months of everyone’s time you would save, not to mention the Opportunity Cost of how much faster you’ll get where you need to be for growth; figure out a budget in your mind, and let us know what it is. We’ll do the best we can to work with you.