SAP B1 blog

Perhaps the most important thing when introducing business software is that it's not about the software. Rather, it is about the strategy, the business processes and the employees.

There are some typical points that should always be taken into consideration.

Technology is a secondary consideration when introducing business software.

The first thing to avoid is a common reflex: to start with the technology. In other words, you should not make the mistake of getting too excited about technology without first considering the needs of your organisation.

It's easy to get caught up in artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud technology, big data and other technological breakthroughs. However, these innovations are meaningless if they do not support your business and are not aligned with your strategic goals. Successful implementations start with business strategy, improving business processes and the organisational structure - before determining how these future requirements can best be implemented with technology.

Define your business needs and requirements

But how exactly do you start with something other than the actual software? One of the first steps is to define your business needs and requirements. When introducing business software, you should ask yourself a few questions:

What is your overarching business strategy in terms of digital transformation? Is there such a Strategy?

- What should your business processes look like in the future?

- What will your company structure look like in the future? What hierarchies are there? Who has which role?

- When do you expect the return on investment for your potential technology investments?

- What does your planning horizon look like? How far ahead are you able and willing to look?

The answers to these questions will change over time, but it's important to have at least a first draft of these and other requirements before evaluating and selecting potential business software solutions.

Consider all your options when implementing software

If you talk to software providers, you will hear promises of patent remedies and one-size-fits-all solutions. But don't take the bait unseen.

What may make sense for one company when introducing software can be disastrous for your organisation. What industry analysts tout as the next big thing or essential may not make sense for your organisation's strategy or culture. Be sure to filter out any nice sales messages and take them with a grain of salt. Also, be suspicious of any immovable authorities. The top position in the Gartner Magic Quadrant does not have to be and cannot always be top for everyone.

There is no one "right" answer for your and all other companies. The variety of solutions is much broader than many an expert will try to tell you. Between on-premises and cloud There are countless variations, none of which follow the "pure doctrine", but which could be the ideal solution for your company. And yes, there are "best practices", but for those who are not in the other "club": with the others.

Focus on architecture, data and integration

The biggest technological challenges when introducing business software are not usually caused directly by the software. Rather, it is the way in which all your systems are connected via the integration communicate with each other, how the data is cleansed and migrated, and your overall solution architecture that supports or hinders processes.

It is important to have a clear plan for the solution architecture as part of your system integration. This also helps to ensure that you have a realistic idea of the technological risks, timelines and resource requirements to manage a successful overall implementation.

Do not forget the people

The key to the success of your software implementation rarely has to do with the technology alone, but with the people. The success of your software implementation depends on how well your employees, project members and all other stakeholders understand, accept and implement the desired change.

Change management is more than just communicating changes and training employees on the new software. It goes far beyond that. It starts with mapping out the future state of the organisation and how exactly the different departments and employees will be affected.

Not easy but possible

Introducing business software is never easy. However, with the right focus and the right priorities, it can be done. You should concentrate more on the organisational and less on the "software" components of your digital transformation.