How to Find the Best System Implementation Partner

Selecting the ideal system implementation (SI) partner is essential if you intend to implement or upgrade any enterprise-wide system in your company. For years, organizations have implemented an Enterprise Resource Planning tool, or ERP for short, to manage your core business processes,. Customer Relationship Management tools (CRM) organize and manage customer data. Work Management Systems (WMS) create and manage a standardized and efficient workflow process. All of these tools help optimize business operations and assist in making accurate and timely decisions.

These tools automate and streamline workflows, saving time and money, increasing customer satisfaction and service, and facilitating improved analysis and decision-making throughout the company, to name just a few advantages.

Yet, implementing an enterprise-wide system is complex. Preparation, organization, and execution are needed to guarantee that the system satisfies your unique requirements and objectives. Choosing the best system implementation partner is also one of the most critical choices you'll have to make.

A good SI partner will provide a range of services to support your implementation, including project management, configuration, customization, integration, testing, training, and support.

Selecting the appropriate partner can significantly impact how well your implementation goes. A competent partner can assist you in managing change and user adoption, avoiding typical errors and risks, ensuring quality and compliance, completing the project on schedule and under budget, and achieving your intended results and advantages.

However, finding the ideal system implementation collaborator for your initiative isn't always easy. Here are some things to consider:

1. Specify your requirements and objectives

As a business leader, you must be very clear about your goals and objectives for your enterprise-wide system. Each of these tools are so robust and offer many key opportunities for data collection and management. Its important to be concrete and resolute on the and the essential features and outputs you want before you begin searching for a partner. Additionally, you want to establish a key performance indicators (KPIs) to gauge your project's success.

To accomplish this, its helpful perform a complete examination of your current workflows, procedures, and systems to define requirements. Also, talk deeply and deliberately with your employees (at all levels) and subject matter experts to obtain their opinions and suggestions. Also gather input from your partners (e.g suppliers) and customers. It is also essential to think about future company objectives how these new tools will help you achieve them.

2. Look for possible partners

Once you have defined your requirements and goals, you can start researching potential partners that can support you to meet them. Its optimal to meet with multiple SI companies to evaluate different methodologies and approaches. To find SI partners to meet with, start with the relationships that your organization has with consulting providers you like working with. If those options don't pan out, ask colleagues for referrals or review vendors you find online. There are many databases with reviews and lots of promotional content to review.

Always verify the credentials and qualifications of potential partners, including their track record of completing enterprise-wide system implementation projects on schedule and within budget; their availability and ability to handle your project within your desired time frame; their approach and methodology for managing these projects; and their pricing and terms of payment for their services. These include their experience and expertise in implementing the particular system you chose, for an organization of your size, complexity, region and industry.

3. Assess the partners that made the shortlist

For your shortlisted few, ask for references, meetings with potential (onsite) project leads, ask for materials from previous projects (project plan, risk matrix, testing plan...) so you can see how they work and you can ask references about their ability to manage the project on time and on budget.

During the assessment, inquire about the following:

• How do you plan to implement our system?

• What are the main challenges or risks that you foresee in our project?

• What does your governance structure look like?

• Talk to me about how you see the communication plans coming together?

• What does the project org structure look like and estimate how many employees we will need to move to the project team?

• How will you handle change management and user adoption?

• How will you ensure quality assurance and testing?

• How will you provide training and support for our users?

• How will you communicate with us throughout the project?

• What are the roles and responsibilities of your team members?

• How do you measure customer satisfaction and project success?

• Who can I contact if things are not going as planned with the project management team?

Each partner should be asked to submit a full proposal that includes their terms and conditions, deliverables, budget, schedule, and scope of work. These bids should be thoroughly compared; check for gaps or differences that might impact the project's cost or quality.

4. Choose the most suitable companion

Following the assessment process, you should possess sufficient knowledge to determine which SI partner is best for your system implementation. You should weigh the pros and cons of each option carefully and consider factors such as the quality and suitability of their services, the compatibility and alignment of their vision and values with yours, the trustworthiness and reliability of their team, the flexibility and adaptability of their approach, the value and affordability of their pricing. The cheapest one is often NOT the best one! The team's experience and capacity to build productive working relationships are essential.

Finding the right SI partner is a big factor in the level of success. But understand, they cannot do everything. It is highly likely you'll be hiring other specialized firms for activities such as data governance/management, change management, compliance and data security. In addition, the company's members of the project team play an equally important role in ensuring success.

However, by following these basic tips, you have a better chance of finding a partner that can help you achieve your business goals, optimize your processes, enhance your performance and grow your business.