Training should be be center stage during and after ERP implementations

1/16/2012 at 2:31 pm by The Sage ERP Team

There are many things that planners and managers need to oversee when implementing ERP systems. Costs are likely to be preeminent in the minds of those in charge of a business software installation as there is a great deal of pressure to ensure positive returns on investment. Schedules must also sit heavy in the minds of the company leaders that are responsible for getting things done in time to move onto new projects.

However, a very important consideration that must be made early and can’t be put off very long is the training that staff members must receive to make enterprise resource planning effective. Without putting the roles of personnel into perspective, companies will find themselves with onerously ineffective hardware and software that is curiously not producing the results that their software vendors assured them they would.

This means that training should be one of, if not the largest, centerpiece of an implementation. Don’t let other problems or concerns overtake it in importance for any reason since customization should be carried out with the abilities of particular staffs and workers in mind. Here are some options for conducting training planning sessions, all of which can be used in tandem or highlighted on their own.

eLearning
One of the most important changes that technology is bringing to business is the ability of workers to learn efficiently and independently on mobile devices. By using eLearning software, both new and veteran employees can be educated and tested on new types of functionality independently, in groups or one-on-one with people who already know how to use ERP systems.

Mentoring
One of the best ways for people to learn is by receiving wisdom from those who already have experience with certain practices or programs. A mentor-mentee relationship allows for a vigorous back-and-forth exchange that will give learners the opportunity to ask any questions that a curriculum might not cover. It also lets organizations devote significant attention to their employees that will work with ERP systems quite a bit after implementation.

Seminars
For other kinds of employees (those, for example, whose contact with the systems will be either limited or specialized), enterprise resource planning techniques can best be communicated using seminars and other large lectures and demonstrations. This is a cost-efficient solutions that companies should employ only if they lack the resources for more personalized methods or if their large staffs need basic introductions to business software and commercial applications before starting more detailed educational sessions.