RSMUS.comThe first thing that is often cut in any project is training. The dollars are looked at as expendable. The system is intuitive, the staff are smart, why spend all those hours on consultants training then right?
The reason for not touching those hours are that it’s an investment in your team, your company and your success.
At this time you are taking your star players and resetting their knowledge of their system and their jobs to the beginning. All those months and years of learning the tips and tricks to the old system, customization’s, short cuts and happy paths are gone in an instant. Panic and shock set in. “Who picked this new system? I can’t do anything! The old system was faster.”
These are the first reasons that the investment in training on a new ERP system is critical. You need to take your star team and invest in them to get them up to the same high level they had originally if not more. They will be your star team who mentor and train your junior members. They will be the ones who create the agent of change you need.
The second reason you need this training is to ensure all requirements were appropriately gathered, all configurations meet your changing business needs (did you just take on a new client with new business processes, did a supplier require something different that you can now do to increase their satisfaction with?). During these training sessions your team may want screens reconfigured to better meet their needs and create greater efficiencies. These are the times to listen carefully to their feedback.
Lastly as many states and locals are offering tax credits and incentives for training you should look to your solution consultant to assist you in finding out if that training can be paid for through one of these options to increase the ROI on your new ERP implementation and ensure your success. Training is that final finish on your new system that protects your investment for years to come.
By: Sheldon Watson – California NetSuite Solution Provider
