ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING

Restructuring Your Manufacturing Team for Cloud ERP Success

Making sure a new system is good for your business is as much about the platform, as it is about the team, or teams, that use it. Jeff Schaffner reviews how to structure the teams that will help bring a new ERP online and make the best use of it for your organization.

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Adopting cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications transforms how organizations deploy and support ERP systems. Manufacturing sector management must restructure their ERP support teams to manage the transition effectively. This article provides practical recommendations and insights for restructuring your team to support cloud ERP and exploit new cloud dynamics.

Proper planning to build a new infrastructure before working with your new ERP is paramount, and may need to have a professional agency help with the technical architecture and implementation.

Key Findings for Implementing a New Could ERP

1. Restructure the ERP support organization: Redefine roles and responsibilities to align with the new dynamics of cloud ERP. Ensure your team has the right talents and skills for cloud success.
2. Define new roles and responsibilities: Update job titles and descriptions to reflect the specific requirements of cloud support roles. Empower your team members with clear paths for growth and development.
3. Establish an ERP governance framework: Implement processes and frameworks to guide your team's operations and ensure effective collaboration between IT, vendors, and business stakeholders.

Critical Roles and Responsibilities within a Cloud ERP Support Organization

The most effective way to ensure that you have all your bases covered when it comes to the implementation of a new Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning platform is to make sure that you have the right teams in place to get the job done. 

The right support organization will help things progress smoothly and effectively. It has been suggested that splitting your teams into two groups, function and technical, is the best route for forming your teams.

ERP Functional Group

Business Analysis (BA) Team 

• Identify improvements to the ERP strategy and coordinate their deployment. 
• Evaluate new functionality in releases from the vendor and maximize business value.

Quality Assurance (QA) Team

• Coordinate testing activities and accelerate testing execution to support the frequent cloud ERP releases. 
• Ensure business and IT testers are available and ready for testing. 

Vendor Management (VM) Team

• Optimize the performance and business value derived from the ERP vendor. 
• Manage contracts related to cloud ERP applications and monitor the cloud platform's security.

ERP Technical Group

Security and Administration (S&A) Team

• Ensure the security and performance of the ERP platform. 
• Collaborate with the vendor to manage infrastructure, backup, recovery, and patching.

aPaaS Coding and SaaS Configuration (ACSC) Team 

• Make changes to the ERP setup using aPaaS or configuration options. 
• Extend the solution through coding to meet specific user needs.

Integration Team

• Integrate the ERP applications with other systems in the environment. 
• Connect extensions and ensure smooth data flow between various cloud solutions.

Data and Analytics (D&A) Team

• Provide reporting, analytics, and data management services. 
• Enhance master data management and leverage advanced analytics capabilities.

Recommendations for your ERP implementation

Restructure your teams

• Adjust the management structure to accommodate increased vendor responsibilities.
• Foster collaboration by organizing teams based on functional, technical, or management focus.

Define new roles and responsibilities

• Update job titles and descriptions to reflect the specific responsibilities of cloud support roles.
• Work with HR to establish development paths for upskilling existing staff and attracting new talent.

Establish an ERP governance framework

• Document workflows and procedures to guide the team's operations.
• Set up an oversight group and establish guiding principles for compliance and consistency.

Restructuring your manufacturing team for cloud ERP success requires understanding the various roles and responsibilities. By redefining roles, updating job titles, and establishing an ERP governance framework, you can build an agile and efficient team capable of effectively supporting your organization's cloud ERP journey. Embrace the transformative power of cloud ERP and position your manufacturing organization for long-term success.

Manufacturing management must have internal discussions and decide if the company will add new team roles. The challenge of filling these technical roles can be an issue. If this is the case, hiring an agency to project manage from the company side can fill these gaps at reduced costs when considering salaries and implementing governance framework best practices. 

Need help deciding how to best build your team and get the most out of your Cloud ERP? Our consultants are here to help!

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