The introduction of a new ERP system offers many opportunities for a company. However, employees and their habits often stand in the way of the ERP project. Nevertheless, the ERP project is an opportunity to adapt processes.
Adjust routine or processes
Initiating change using our own energy is no easy task. We almost always need an external influence to break out of our routine. It's not for nothing that they say: the power of habit. And that is entirely human, says brain researcher Gerhardt Roth in currently. "Confronting new and complicated things requires awareness, attention and concentration - the brain therefore strives to routinise everything". There is the routine of reaching for a cup of coffee, the routine of shopping in the same supermarket and the routine of dealing with other people in everyday life. This makes processes tangible and reliable. This behaviour is adapted in the world of work and is therefore reflected in work processes.
So we adjust this processes We are following the familiar and common route as far as possible. However, this does not mean that this path is also the best and most comfortable. We often make things unnecessarily complicated and arduous, but stand in our own way, as we find it difficult to leave the beaten track without an external incentive. A good way to create such an incentive is an ERP project.
Habit vs Software
Although one says a good ERP software is characterised by the fact that it can map the existing processes of the respective company. However, this is only true if these processes also function optimally. Processes in companies that have been working without or with an outdated system solution are often functional but not optimal.
The developments in process optimisation in the digital sector, which have now been achieved at breakneck speed, also exceed the imagination of most companies in terms of what is even possible. In this context, the ERP consultant It is our duty to present these options and make recommendations for adapting processes. But what sounds so good and simple must first do battle with the human habitual animal.
Company and ERP consultant: hand in hand in the ERP project
It's hard to believe, but often it is project Manager to die-hard process defenders in the ERP project. And once the ERP consultant has convinced them of a new variant, the employees tremble at the unfamiliar innovations. However, if management and ERP consultants work hand in hand, those who reject new processes are quickly appeased. This includes the management clearly communicating which processes are changing and why. It makes sense to present the final decisions as such (final), but to explain exactly how the respective change decision was reached. When making decisions, the management can in turn ask the employees involved in the processes for suggestions for improvement.
The ERP consultant should support both sides in this process. Only for him (and hopefully also for the management) is it clear how the processes work together in the end. The task of the ERP consultant is to make this work comprehensible for everyone. News updates during the project and training for all employees are suitable for this purpose.
Replace habits with new ones
But why all the effort? Because it's worth it and makes the introduction of a new ERP system worthwhile. Even if only small parts of the processes change, ERP software can deliver much better what it promises. The big promises of faster processes, more transparency and greater efficiency can only be fulfilled if the processes are also adapted in the necessary areas. For example, a document management only through a better search function if the data is stored correctly. As long as parts of the information package are missing, it cannot be found.
However, these steps must be understandable for the runner, otherwise he will not see the way for the many wise men. Only when a sensible alternative is available to us can we let go of our habit and replace it with another.
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When does an ERP system have to adapt?
