What does good ERP benefits realisation look like?
Written by Civiteq’s Lead Principal Consultant, Laura Maitland.
It’s important to understand an ERP programme isn’t just a technology implementation. So, your ERP journey shouldn’t end the moment you switch it on.
Implementing a new system is a big investment, and the only way to get a true return on that outlay is to make sure your council continues to get the most out of it long after go-live.
That means not only realising the benefits you set out to achieve – but tapping into future capabilities as they become available.
Good benefits realisation might include:
- Acceptance of the ‘adopt not adapt’ philosophy for ERP change across your organisation
- Streamlined processes that deliver better ways of working and save time
- Removing workarounds and offline activity to enable productivity gains
- Improving data and MI to effectively analyse performance and compliance
- Taking advantage of built-in tools such as AI agents to drive efficiency and automate tasks
- Improved customer service and engagement
- Meeting key milestones for future change
- Embedding of a cycle of continuous improvement
Why is it important to realise benefits after your ERP system go-live?
When your new ERP system goes live, your entire organisation won’t automatically get the best out of it. In the run-up to implementation, the focus would have been on things like rolling out core functionality and essential modules and preparing for the change.
Post-implementation is when the work to ‘embed and evolve’ your system really starts. Now is the time to give your software investment the best chance of being a lasting success for your council, your people and the community you serve.
To achieve this, we suggest a three-phase approach:
1. Stabilise
This could include:
- Ensuring your ERP is steady post-go-live, creating a solid base for benefits realisation and continuous improvement
- Structuring and setting up the support process
- Embedding the ‘adopt not adapt’ ethos
- Tracking of KPIs and metrics to reach stability
- Resolving high-risk issues
- Removing workarounds
- Open communications with the organisation to understand and resolve operational pain points and keep them informed of key changes
2. Optimise
This stage includes:
- Introducing further functionality
- Reviewing benefits, and identifying and closing gaps to unlock more value
- Looking at pain points and how these can be addressed
- Identifying and delivering ways to improve productivity, so your organisation performs better
3. Innovate
This involves:
- Building a transformation roadmap based on new technology coming down the line, while making sure this fits in with your strategy and clearly defines the key development stages required to achieve the ambition
- Exploring the ‘art of the possible’ to set the ambition and appetite for future change and benefits realisation
- Developing credible business cases that clearly describe the future state and articulate the benefits, ROI, budget and resource required to deliver the changes.
- Embedding a cycle of continuous improvement, driven by your council’s needs and goals
What benefits can you expect to achieve a year after going live?
Change doesn’t happen overnight and not all benefits are realised at go-live, so it pays to give new ways of working a chance to ‘bed in’ while your people have time to use them and for issues to be ironed out.
A first anniversary review is a good way to find out:
- Has your ERP system delivered the benefits you were aiming for?
- What are the impacts on productivity and finances?
- Have your strategic goals changed?
- What do you need to do to get more value out of the system in the future?
By following the embed and evolve approach, you can expect to see benefits a year after go-live, such as:
- Faster processes that save time and money
- Customer satisfaction thanks to improved service delivery
- Better, more accurate reporting, so you can review your processes easier and make more informed decisions
- Improved data and MI delivering improved compliance and organisational risk reduction
- Organisation-wide acceptance of the new ways of working
- Confidence that you have a strategy in place to take advantage of future technology opportunities and continuously improve how your council runs
We’re currently supporting Sandwell Council to get more from their cloud-based ERP system read more here.
Get in touch to discuss our ‘embed and evolve’ services.
Have a chat with our Account Director, Chris Batt, to discuss getting the most from your ERP investment.