In this second instalment of “Building a Successful ERP Business Case in 3 Key Steps” we’re talking about CHAMPIONS.
You won’t find details about wonder horses, Katie Taylor, or league finals here; but what you will find is advice on the type of person you should approach to be your ERP champion, and tips on how to rally them as an advocate for your project.
NOTE: If you missed part one of this blog series, you’ll find it here.
In step one of this blog we spoke about the importance of completing the right kind of homework before putting your business case for an ERP project to a decision committee. The primary take-away from this step was to stop generalising about the results of an ERP project and get really specific about its impact on your company.
Now, lets move on to Step Two.
STEP 2: Gather Your Champions!
Someone told me once that they felt like Sisyphus when it came to getting their ERP project off the ground. They were forever trying to roll that project up the hill only to have it roll right back down again because senior management looked upon ERP as a costly technical issue, not a value driving company necessity.
So let’s be realistic, you are never going to get sign off on a project if it is not championed by senior management, and I use the word ‘championed’ very deliberately.
Your project needs at least one advocate with decision making power, that will entice/cajole/demand that all the other key stakeholders are on board.
So, if you don’t already have a senior management ‘champion’, make it your business to identify (at least) one within your organisation and get them working on your behalf.
Get them on board by sharing your findings (from step one).
Ask for their council on approaching other key stakeholders,
Decide what language would resonate with each decision maker,
Identify what pain points concern them most, and
work with them to sow the seeds of requirement within other departments.
That way, when your proposal / business case comes before the decision committee, they’ll already know what value the project will deliver for them specifically, and they’ll be more open to the discussion.
Next, in Step 3, you’ll need to craft an ERP Project Case that sticks to the Be Bright, Be Brief, Be Gone theory of reporting!
Written by Leeann Matthews, June 2022
