Developing a roadmap will allow your organisation to have an overview of the high-level tasks, milestones and deliverables, to ensure the success of your migration.
If you’ve never created a roadmap before, you may not know how necessary it is, or where to start. While not every project needs a roadmap, migrating to new software is a complex process and would benefit from a careful execution.
Adopting the latest ERP technology is a large investment for businesses, and poorly planned transformations are not uncommon.
To make the most of your new software and avoid unnecessary expenses, the migration needs to be done right the first time. By developing a project roadmap, you are eliminating some of the risk and setting a reminder of the objectives, to keep the project on track.
Here are the key areas you should consider when creating your project roadmap:
Outline your objectives:
To kick-off the project roadmap, know what you want to accomplish. The roadmap should give your project focus, and by setting clear objectives you are creating a sense of direction. Why have you decided to migrate? How will this help you achieve your business goals? The aim of most transformations is to improve productivity and efficiencies, so the objectives could be based around these.
Develop the project schedule:
When will the project begin and end? Setting a timeline is one of the most crucial parts of the project roadmap, to ensure that you are meeting the important milestones and deliverables are being achieved. Working with a trusted partner will give you a rough indication of how long things should take.
Deliverables and milestones:
What are you wanting the ERP system to do by the end of the project? This relates back to setting the objectives for the migration to a futureproof system, but are there any specific milestones to account for? To ensure a smooth migration, the milestones should be outlined at the beginning of the project.
Potential risks:
What potential risks should you and your team account for? Data migration is a complex and tedious task that should take a lot of careful planning and consideration. At the beginning of your ERP journey, discuss with your ERP advisor about the blockers that could stand in the way of a successful migration.
There are countless things to take into consideration when preparing for ERP migration. Using a strategic business planning tool, such as a project roadmap, will help you to outline the future vision of your system.
If you want to find more information, read the next blog from our ERP series.