It’s not every day that your company goes through an ERP implementation to optimize your organization’s systems. How you plan for your Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementation will have a big impact on your ultimate level of success.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a long-term solution that requires all hands-on deck from your company for the project to go smoothly. As statistics go an estimated 60% of ERP projects fail, but while this stat may be concerning it’s important that you realize that by taking the first step and reading this blog, you’re already taking the necessary steps to ensure success in upgrading to Dynamics 365.
Specifically, with Dynamics 365, if you’ve chosen this powerful ERP system you’ve made a good decision as well. Dynamics 365 is a substantial software platform that provides data that’s collecting in real time, a sleek inventory management system, and a plethora of other useful applications. These are likely the things you considered as you evaluated Microsoft Dynamics 365 vs. NetSuite and other leading ERP systems.
So, without further ado here are some tips on how to successfully plan a Dynamics 365 implementation.
Figure out important goals
The first step to any project that your company undertakes is identifying important success factors as goals that help the project along. For Dynamics 365 it is imperative that you set aside goals that determine whether your company is doing things right. By outlining success factors, you can also determine if a component is necessary and if it should be included or not. In order to outline your goals, you also need to determine the scope of your project. Start by figuring out which teams within your business will be using Dynamics 365 and which processes will be supported by the software. You will also need to accurately estimate the time and cost for your Microsoft D365 project. By outlining these key factors, you can gather an understanding of your company’s needs and better help the overall planning.
Assess current systems and tools
A lot of the time a Dynamics 365 implementation fails because of older, outdated systems, half heartedly integrated application sites and programs being built on archaic programming languages. If you take note of the current systems, databases, etc. that you have you can better understand what your organization needs in terms of an ERP system. Implementing Dynamics 365 is the perfect opportunity for your company to migrate data over and get new system upgrades. As we have found in our experience as an Microsoft Dynamics 365 expert witness, failed implementations typically happen because of delays and waste due to a misunderstanding of a company’s current systems.
Understand Microsoft Dynamics 365 functionalities
Before you start implementing the software it’s important that you learn about all its functionalities. This software gets continuous updates from Microsoft so there’s a high chance that you’ll be missing out on some cool settings if you don’t keep up. Understanding the software inside and out will help you when it comes to customization as well.
Create a good group to spearhead the project
The best leader for a project this important is a leader who can use the right skills and knowledge of everyone involved in order to achieve the project’s goals. A lot of time, skill, and knowledge needs to go in to creating the perfect Dynamics 365 implementation and it’s important that you put together a team that can juggle these tasks while simultaneously work together to make the project work. This should be an important consideration when choosing among the best Microsoft Dynamics 365 system integrators.
Conclusion: Microsoft Dynamics 365 success begins with proper planning
At the end of the day a lot of ERP implementation projects fail not because the solution is a failure but because the people involved did poor planning and didn’t support the project every step of the way. By understanding your software and taking time implementing it you can ensure that your Microsoft Dynamics implementation goes smoothly; and as always, we at Third Stage Consulting will always be here to help you out in case you have any questions.
