Project Management
Starting an ERP Project? Why do a Current State Assessment?
ERP project teams ready to embark on a new or upgraded enterprise technology project are often eager to jump immediately to vendor demos to see the latest and greatest in new tech.
Stories From the Field: Evans Food Group Acquisitions Require Rapid ERP Deployments
Evans Food Group Ltd. had just finished its complex – and successful – Ultra Consultants-managed ERP transformation in May 2017 when the Chicago-based company experienced major changes.
Making the Case for Business Process Improvement in 2020
Thinking ahead to 2020? Making the case for Business Process Improvement (BPI) is likely on your mind.
What’s the Best Approach to Project Management and ERP Implementation?
As an independent ERP consulting firm, Ultra has guided manufacturers with project management leadership for hundreds of enterprise software projects over the years.
The Sixth Deadly Sin of ERP Implementation
There’s no debate. A successful ERP rollout can only be achieved with strong organizational buy-in. Too often, organizations focus on C-suite sign-off.
What Does it Take to Effectively Negotiate an ERP Contract?
Many of the manufacturing and distribution teams we speak with look with dread when it comes time to negotiate an ERP contract.
While this task comes at the end of business process improvement, technology evaluation and selection, we certainly understand the fear and trepidation project teams might experience when anticipating this task.
Greater Efficiency Requires Organizational Change: Case Study
Pacific Plumbing Supply is a 71-year-old, family-owned and operated company, with 14 branch locations and 200 employees. We weren’t looking to spend the kind of money it would take to implement a modern ERP solution,” Stafford continued, “but we understood that the ROI is in new capabilities and new tools we can use to operate more efficiently.”
5 Change Management Strategies for an ERP Project
Implementing or upgrading an ERP system is a good opportunity for a manufacturer to create lasting business change within an organization. That’s why change management strategies for an ERP project are so important.
Your 7-Part Checklist for a Winning ERP Implementation Project Kickoff
When is the right time to consider what it takes for an effective ERP implementation project kickoff?
We’ve all heard the expression “don’t put the cart before the horse” which warns us against placing tasks or items in the wrong order.
Is Your ERP Project on Hold? 6 Things to Do While You Wait
Many manufacturing and distribution organizations put an ERP project on hold for a variety of reasons.
Remote Management Expertise Key to Successful ERP Projects Amid Pandemic
As U.S. companies continue the transition to remote work, possibly for the long term, ERP project teams continue to face significant challenges in management, coordination, communication and collaboration.
Why is Effective ERP Project Organization Critical to Success?
As an independent ERP consulting firm, the topic of ERP project organization comes up often as manufacturing and distribution teams look to Ultra to understand the best way to work through enterprise system evaluation and selection to improve key processes
The Third Deadly Sin of ERP Implementation: Excluding Critical ERP Users from the Process
The IT department and the C-suite do not own (and may never interact with) your core business processes. So the project team should include key people – end users and functional managers – from across your organization who are regularly involved in those processes.
Setting a Budget for ERP? Keep These Top 10 Factors in Mind
Many of the mid-market manufacturing and distribution organizations we team with are thinking of setting a budget for ERP, especially those organizations entering into a new fiscal year.
Starting an ERP Project? Start Here
For most ERP project teams, starting an ERP project is a daunting task. It’s common for selection teams to get pulled into a variety of directions, often losing focus because they are responding to pressing demands and fighting for internal resources to drive effective ERP selection.
The Second Deadly Sin of ERP Implementation: Less-Than-Thorough ERP Requirements Gathering
Organizations invest in ERP to enable greater execution and efficiency. So it makes no sense to implement a solution that simply automates your existing processes.
Resources to Help Manage Risk During an ERP Project
It’s a challenge for project teams to manage risk during an ERP project. We know as an independent ERP consulting firm with extensive experience in ERP selection and implementation projects that no enterprise software implementation project comes without some risk.
Be Wary of 4 Types of ERP Implementation Risk During Solution Discovery
In my research and consulting engagements, I have worked with the largest enterprises to smaller and mid-sized manufacturers. One of the more intriguing issues I’ve seen is ERP implementation risk during solution discovery.
How to Overcome User Resistance to ERP
BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT How to Overcome User Resistance to ERP For today’s manufacturing and distribution organization looking to transition from the status quo of legacy
ERP Implementation Go-Live Checklist
A lot can go wrong when an ERP system goes live. Critical severity defects, security holes and other technical problems can cause disruption, wreak havoc on operations, bring your business to a dead stop, and even result in multi-million-dollar lawsuits.
How to Find the Best Independent ERP Consultant
A handy checklist helps manufacturing, distributing companies locate the best ERP consultants.
We often talk with manufacturers and distributors about their enterprise technology initiatives, and the specific role an ERP consultant can play in evaluation, selection and implementation.
Stories from the Field: Milbank Leverages ERP to Boost Productivity and Margins
Thanks to technological advances in the industry, the global smart meters market is expected to grow from $20.7 billion in 2020 to $28.6 billion by 2025, a compound annual growth rate of 6.7 percent. For companies at the forefront, it’s a chance to gain ground and boost revenue.
Overcoming Remote Work and Other Challenges
The rapid spread of COVID-19 means that we’ve all seen new challenges in our companies. We at Ultra Consultants are largely a remote workforce, but that doesn’t mean that we didn’t also experience some difficulties.
Choosing the Right ERP Implementation Methodology for Your Enterprise
In the last few years, we have seen two different implementation methodologies emerge. When buying a new ERP system, you should make sure you understand the ERP implementation methodology proposed by the vendor or re-seller and its pros and cons.
Mounting an ERP Recovery Effort? Check Out These Resources
We hear from many manufacturing and distribution teams about ERP project failures and how to mount an ERP recovery effort. Based on our depth and breadth of experience with enterprise technology projects, we know what a failed project looks like and we know how to avoid it.
