Key Issues for better ROI:-

The three key issues that could determine the success of an ERP implementation and work towards delivering quicker and better ROI ARE:

1 .Functionality: The ability of the package to support the best business practices followed in the company’s line of business would be crucial factor in determining the smoothness of implementation customizations that could put time schedules and budgets off track. A focused evaluation exercise at the selection stage would help eliminate incompatible choices. The quality and commitment of business consultants and product consultants involved in the ERP implementation would also be a very critical factor in ensuring its success.

2. Technology. Scalable ERP solutions that support open, non proprietary technology standards would provide for protection of investment and ensure minimal risk. They should support different kinds of operating systems, databases and operate on moist major client/server hardware platforms, local area networks (LAN) and user interfaces (ASCII Motif, Windows 95, etc) so as to minimize risk towards technology obsolescence. The ERP package¶s programming language; software development tools should permit ready adaptation of the system in response to ongoing changes in production and operational processes. To minimize customization effort and time, the development tool-set for the application should be easy to use.

3. Implement ability of the solution. This would be the most crucial and significant factor as customer satisfaction and the benefit of ERP would depend not only on functionality but also on ease of configuration and the software¶s flexibility to support optimization of business processes. Much of the complexity of a software implementation process has also to do with setting of parameters, designing menus and authorizations. The roles and responsibilities of different employees have to be clearly identified, understood and configured in the system. The involvement and willingness of the employees to accept and use these new procedures laid by the ERP would, to a great extent, determine the success of the implementation. Simple, easy to use processes and procedures go a long way in creating user trust and confident. There have been instances of large and complex packages failing to deliver on implementations because of the misgivings users had in terms of difficulty of configuration and usage. When organizational changes takes place the software solution should grow and adapt to the change in demands of information needs. The ability of ERP package to mange and support dynamically changing business processes is a critical and vital requirement for the organization