Project Management
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.
4 Questions About Change Management and ERP
In our experience as an independent ERP consultant team, an ERP selection and implementation initiative is only successful with an understanding that the process is much more than just swapping out legacy software or tweaking a few IT solutions.
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.
The Second Deadly Sin of ERP Implementation
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.
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.
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.
What is the Role of an ERP Consultant?
We often talk with manufacturers and distributors about their enterprise technology initiatives, and the specific role of an ERP consultant. It’s important the company understands the value Ultra’s independent ERP consultant team can deliver to their organization.
How to Overcome User Resistance to ERP
How can you overcome user resistance to ERP within your teams? For today’s manufacturing and distribution organization looking to transition from the status quo of
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.
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.
You Know It’s the Right Time to Select a New ERP Solution When…
As independent ERP consultants, we’re often asked about the right time to select a new ERP solution.
Over and over again, we’ve seen the many red flags that tell manufacturers and distributors it’s definitely time to upgrade from an aging legacy ERP system.
A Food and Beverage ERP Solution Success Story
Today’s food and beverage processor faces significant industry disruptions. New products and markets, expanded distribution channels, segmented consumers and a changing regulatory environment all work to impact today’s processor.
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.
Finding the Right ERP Consultant
ERP projects are difficult and complex. Which is why the expertise and experience of an ERP consultant is highly valuable, and often necessary for a successful project and, ultimately, the realization of critical benefits. How do you find and select the right ERP consultant for your company?
The Third Deadly Sin of ERP Implementation
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.
What is the Role of an Independent ERP Consultant?
We find that most mid-market manufacturing and distribution organizations are challenged when selecting and implementing new ERP technologies. The reasons center on project scale, skills, resources and experience. Which is where an independent ERP consultant comes in. Expertise is valuable.
Stories from the Field: The Importance of Change Management
As part of Ultra’s independent ERP consultant team, I spend my weeks out in the field teaming with Ultra’s manufacturing and distribution clients on business process improvement, ERP evaluation, selection, and implementation projects.
A Look at Three PLM Success Stories: A Story from the Field
As an independent ERP consulting firm, we are often asked to guide project teams from manufacturing and distribution firms looking to work through enterprise system selection, evaluation and implementation.
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.
ERP Toolkit Guides Companies Looking to Drive Business Process Improvement
The Ultra ERP consultant team is known for its commitment to providing independent perspectives and educational resources about enterprise systems relevant to today’s manufacturing and distribution companies.
Is Your ERP Project on Hold? 5 Things to Do While You Wait
Many manufacturing and distribution organizations put an ERP project on hold for a variety of reasons.
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.
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
Choosing the Right ERP Implementation Methodology for Your Company
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.
Why Change Management Plays an Essential Role in a Successful ERP Implementation
As an independent ERP consulting firm, Ultra guides manufacturing and distribution project teams to business process improvement.
To that end, ERP implementation success is a topic that comes up often as project teams look to Ultra to understand the best way to work through enterprise system selection to improve key processes.
6 Software Selection Pain Points (and Proven Solutions)
Establishing accurate requirements and relevant priorities
Incorrect requirements will yield the wrong software choice, and faulty priorities direct attention and effort away from core issues.
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.
Make Communications Part of an Effective Change Management Plan
In our experience as an independent ERP consultant team, an ERP selection and implementation initiative is successful when the project team understands that the process is much more than swapping a modern application with legacy software or tweaking a few IT solutions.
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.
Seeking Smart Use of ERP? It’s All in the Planning
The smart use of ERP is based on a philosophy of integration, continuous improvement, the simplification and standardization of business processes, and the elimination of waste throughout the organization.
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.”
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.
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 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.
Project Management and Group #1: The Initiating Process Group
As we discussed in our Project Management Process Groups blog, a process is a series of interrelated actions and activities performed to achieve a product,
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.
