Scope and timeline
The first thing to look at is the scope and timeline of the vendor’s implementation methodology. How well does it align with your business goals, requirements, and expectations? How realistic and detailed is the project plan, and what are the milestones, deliverables, and dependencies? How flexible and adaptable is the methodology to accommodate changes and unforeseen issues? How does the vendor manage risks, quality, and communication throughout the project lifecycle?
Resources and roles
The next aspect to consider is the resources and roles involved in the vendor’s implementation methodology. How qualified and experienced are the vendor’s consultants, developers, trainers, and support staff? How well do they collaborate with your internal team, and what are their responsibilities and accountabilities? How much time and effort do they expect from your staff, and how do they provide training and knowledge transfer? How do they handle staff turnover, availability, and escalation?
Tools and techniques
Another aspect to evaluate is the tools and techniques used by the vendor’s implementation methodology. What software, hardware, and infrastructure do they use to design, configure, test, and deploy the ERP system? How do they ensure data security, integrity, and migration? How do they document and track the system configuration, customization, and integration? How do they perform testing, validation, and verification of the system functionality and performance?
Change management and adoption
A crucial aspect to assess is the change management and adoption strategy of the vendor’s implementation methodology. How do they address the organizational, cultural, and behavioral changes that the ERP system will bring to your business? How do they engage and communicate with your stakeholders, users, and customers? How do they assess and measure the user satisfaction, adoption, and benefits of the ERP system? How do they provide feedback and continuous improvement opportunities?
Support and maintenance
The final aspect to examine is the support and maintenance services offered by the vendor after the ERP system goes live. How responsive and reliable are they in resolving issues, bugs, and errors? How proactive and preventive are they in monitoring, updating, and optimizing the system performance and security? How flexible and scalable are they in providing enhancements, upgrades, and new features? How transparent and fair are they in charging fees, penalties, and incentives?
SORCE: https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/how-do-you-assess-erp-system-vendors-implementation
