Discovering the implementation team

It is important for companies that want to implement the ERP to understand that its implementation is not an easy task and it requires a professional partner. For example, Value Added Reseller (VAR), which has a consulting team experienced in implementing the ERP, preferably has a partner that is an expert in the customer industry. There is a high level of engagement between customers’ top management, key users, and end users in the implementation life cycle. The implementation team is considered as the key success factor for the ERP implementation.

The following diagram illustrates the ERP implementation team that consists of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and key users from customer- and partner-side applications, and technical consultants. This team works together closely during the implementation, where the customer representatives (SMEs and Key users) deliver the business requirements (that is, what they are expecting from the ERP), with the consulting team that bridges the gap between the business requirements and the implemented application. The implementation deliverables comes through several workshops from analysis, design, development, and testing.

The implementation team should focus on two types of internal clients: business executives and end users. Each client has a different perspective of the ERP implementation, and the implementation team should consider their requirements during the implementation lifecycle. The executives' management focuses on reporting and end results, and the implementation team delivers policies and procedures to end users who then operate the final product, which is the ERP application.

Responsibilities and motivation of an ERP consultant

Application consultant, Functional consultant—the job title differs from one company to another, but whatever the title is, the application consultant is considered as a middle man between the ERP and the customer, where the application consultant is specialized in the ERP application and is able to understand the business requirements and adopt it to the ERP software. The application consultant can start their career after graduating from university; they can major in business administration, finance, or information systems, if it covers subjects related to business.

Alternatively, the application consultant can start working in other fields. Some people start out as an accountant, procurement agent, commercial agent, or even sales representative. I do not consider it a career shift; I consider it as an advance in one's career path. In other words, it is capitalizing on previous experiences.

Traditionally, consulting skills are divided into two main areas: the business side, which is known as a functional consultant, and the technical side, which is known as a technical consultant. Then, there is a more general soft skills set that all application consultants need, as they spend most of their time in discussions, workshops, and training, related to business.

Some of the key skills a company should look for in an application consultant are highlighted in the following diagram:

The application consultants have a very important role in the implementation of the project, as they are involved in implementation tasks and activities. Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step has defined the application consultant role during implementation phases. It is a long and broad list of tasks, and this range of tasks is what I believe keeps most application consultants motivated and satisfied with their jobs. The challenges are always changing and the career path offers many opportunities to develop new skills.