They take time and money - more than necessary if you are not careful. Specifications are intended to help keep track of finances and time management in ERP projects. But even a functional specification is time-consuming and requires a lot of attention.
ERP projects in particular are all about time. The long hesitation of some companies before introducing a new system increases the desire for early implementation. The time-consuming search for the right system is also a reason for a certain tension towards lengthy ERP implementations. Nevertheless, projects should not be tackled under time pressure. A requirement specification should help here. By precisely documenting wishes, possibilities and implementation plans, the customer and the ERP provider should be clear about the process, timeframe and financial background.
To do this, the company must first open all its doors to give the provider the necessary insight into the work processes. Initial suggestions can then be made regarding the processes in the new ERP solution. However, the customer often already has precise ideas about which processes they would like to have mapped and how, or which they would like to take with them. This is the first point at which the actually helpful functional specification becomes a time stopper.
