Prepare to Succeed!

This is how you lay the foundation for a software project’s success in the preparation phase.

In today’s markets, not many print companies can afford for their next ERP implementation or digital transformation initiatives to fail. Unfortunately, there is a persistent misunderstanding that the preparation for a project’s success really starts once a system is shown and you are connected to suppliers. But are you aware that the most important decisions that determine success or failure are taken in the beginning of the preparation phase?

Where do you lay the foundation for your next project’s success?

Major shifts have occurred in the past 5 to 10 years in the success and failure factors for print software implementation projects. Over time, these factors have shifted from purely technical aspects (think: system failures and performance) towards wider organizational aspects including the willingness and ability to change your business processes, mindsets and company culture. With this shift, it makes sense to consider a different approach to your prep phase.

A solid preparation for an organizational project starts much earlier compared with the traditional, more technology-driven projects. This needn’t be a complete paradigm shift, but it can certainly trend that way. And because of the nature of today’s projects, there is an urgent need to include different roles in your project if success is the only acceptable option (isn’t it?). Ideally, the main principles and preconditions for the project are determined before contact is made with suppliers.

Here are some important questions which are ideally answered in your preparation phase:

• What are the strategic goals that we want to achieve with this initiative?
• How can we define these goals in an attractive, straightforward format so that every single employee can understand them?
• How can we secure active involvement from the complete management team?
• Who is the active and skilled sponsor on board level that will be responsible for both success and (unhoped-for) failure?
• Will this project be the only project receiving 100% focus or will there be more projects running at the same time?
• Are we adapting the new software to the way we work or are we open to changing our business processes towards the best practices in the software?
• Are we opting for a ‘big-bang’ approach or is a series of ‘baby steps’ a better approach?
• Where are the greatest risks of failure and how can we limit or even eliminate them?
• How can we motivate our people to share their best ideas with the project team?
• How can we optimize communication to involve the entire company at an early stage?

Communicate!

It is of course of crucial importance to share the answers to these questions with the entire company. An additional advantage to this approach is that you can also inform your potential vendors and implementation partners in a much better way about what you want to achieve. It’s said that preparation contributes 90% to a successful result. So, consider taking such a measured approach to your print MIS/ERP implementation project.

PrintVis is the Microsoft-certified MIS built specifically for the print industry, built directly on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, the world-renowned ERP system for mid-market businesses.

Our powerful solution meets both the most basic and advanced needs of any type or size of print company, from the first quote until the job is produced and delivered to the customer – including a complete financial package and robust business intelligence from Microsoft.

If you feel you’ve answered the above questions internally and you’re ready for the next step of your ERP implementation journey, get in touch with us! We’ll connect you with one of our certified PrintVis Partners and help you get off to a great start, just like we’ve been doing for nearly a quarter of a century.

Start a Free Trial of Microsoft Certified Print MIS/ERP Software Today

Likewise, if you’re reading this and you’ve never heard of PrintVis, what better way to try out our complete solution for the print industry than to get your own sandbox and play in it? Now that we can offer you a free trial through Microsoft AppSource you have every reason to get your hands “dirty,” get to know the look and feel of the sleek Business Central interface, use some of our handy how-to guides on basics such as creating user roles, quotes, cost centers (your machine park) and more. It’s browser based so all you need is an internet connection to get started. We’ll be happy to connect you with a Partner to answer all of your questions and show you the steps – either before or after you’ve downloaded a trial database.