What Should an ERP System Include?
Questions to help you and ERP vendors understand what is important to your business.
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80+ Questions to Guide your ERP Functionality Priorities
There are many aspects to your business, some of which are more important than others. It is important that everyone knows what the priorities are, particularly when choosing a new ERP system.
You may find that elements of your business which are minor or not core to your future plans are over-emphasised in ERP selection, while other aspects which are far more important are overshadowed.
What an ERP system should include depends entirely on your specific business requirements. What is needed is an understanding of your business as it is now, as well as your strategic goals. Knowing these will help you focus on the most important functionality when it comes to ERP selection. We have compiled a list of questions that will guide you and potential ERP vendors on what your ERP system should include.
You should be prepared to get asked many of these questions by the vendors themselves, so knowing the answers ahead of time is a good idea. More importantly, however, is figuring out what you want out of the system. Knowing what makes your business tick, now and in the future, will ensure that you shortlist the right vendors and prioritise critical functionality.
Example high level questions:
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What are our top 3 goals for the company in the next 3 years?
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What is the biggest problem or need that the business needs to solve in order to operate at a higher level?
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Under the new government imposed trading restrictions in South Africa, what does our company need to offer to be more competitive?
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Do we or will we need a multi-company, multi-branch environment?
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How many users do we expect to use the new ERP system?
Example detailed questions:
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Is our supplier and procurement BEE scorecard management integrated and easy?
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How many Tax / VAT registered entities make up the company or group?
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How many bank accounts do we manage?
The free interactive PDF contains over 80 such questions which you can circulate to the relevant staff to complete. You can then decide on what the most important functionality is, and use it to guide your ERP selection process so that you are able to look past the bells and whistles and make sure the ERP meets your needs.
Download the Interactive PDF
A guided set of questions to help you and ERP vendors understand what is important to your business.