Planning the implementation
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Installation and implementation may add to costs but if you are to get full value out of your software than you simply have to pay to get it right.
Helen Maggs learnt this by bitter experience when she started a basic computerised system using an MYOB package four years ago. She is a director of West Berkshire Brewery, a business with a £500,000 turnover and five full-time employees.
“I installed the CD and blithely started. But I had no accountancy or bookkeeping experience. I should have spoken to an accountant to ensure I set up the various categories correctly and put figures in the right places. It would have saved problems later on,” she says.
If getting it right can be tricky for those using a relatively simple package, anyone who's thinking about something a bit larger should call in a vendor or consultant to help them through the process.
Consultants should sort out all the technical issues, give advice and iron out any bugs.
Whatever you do on no account delegate the entire responsibility for setting up the system to your IT consultant. A key member of staff - you or a colleague - must act as project manager. You might not have the technical knowledge but you're best placed to ensure you get what the business actually needs rather than what the IT technician thinks you need.
Given your investment it is vital that you get the system working for you, and you shouldn’t wait until the installation is complete to find this out.
It might sound glib but think about what the product looks like when it's actually in use. For example is the on-screen format user-friendly?
Ask how the package presents some of your regular statements and reports. If these don't suit your presentation style you should ask for them to be adjusted and customised to match your requirements.
Involve your main end users in the demonstrations and pilot stages and get their feedback. This will get their buy-in and you'll get a system people are happy to use.
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