The 75 Most Important Lessons
You'll Learn from This Information-Packed Book

1. The six most important fundamentals of successful ERP implementation … without these, your chances of failure skyrocket
    
2. The four emotional phases your team will go through … and how to lead your team through the emotional highs and lows to keep feelings under control
    
3. How to avoid inadvertently creating bureaucratic roadblocks … and how to blast them out of your way if they do occur
    
4. The #1 misconception about ERP implementations that many business executives hold … and how to help them recognize the importance of your effort
    
5. A complete list of users from whom you should seek input – without their support, a successful implementation will be hard to achieve
    
6. How to spot and effectively handle information-hoarding middle managers who fear that ERP will shrink their fiefdoms
    
7. The easy way to build consensus and support among stakeholders
    
8. How to eliminate scope creep … so you can keep the implementation on schedule and avoid overtaxing your resources
    
9. How to negotiate with consultants … so you get the quality of service you deserve at a reasonable price
    
10. Time-tested rules for ensuring lines of communication stay open … so you can easily eliminate nasty surprises and get the support you need, when you need it
     
11. Don't have enough time or money for your project? Here's the best and easiest way to overcome these project constraints … and more
     
12. How to pick your core team … and the qualities you should look for in team members
     
13. How to determine the number of functional units your organization needs for a successful implementation … and then put together an implementation team for each unit
     
14. The three dimensions of a project's success … and surefire strategies for keeping your team's attention focused on achieving these goals
     
15. How to ensure your implementation gets the time you need to do it right – the first time
     
16. Without the authority to execute your responsibilities, it will be difficult (if not impossible) to achieve your project goals. Learn how to ask for – and get – the authority you need to get the job done
     
17. Who should sit on the steering committee … and how their involvement could make or break your success
     
18. The 13 basic phases to a Milestone Deliverables ERP implementation project … and how to customize this time-tested methodology for your project
     
19. How to ensure that expectations are set at a reasonable level and properly managed
     
20. How to create a realistic budget and timelines … and keep your budget and project on track
     
21. How to ensure the new ERP systems work seamlessly across the organization
     
22. How to properly test concepts to ensure that your new ERP system can do everything it needs to do … correctly
     
23. How to enhance worker skills and train end users … so they know how to run the business on the new system
     
24. How to minimize the potential risks, hassles and confusion of cutting over to the new ERP system
     
25. How to continually adapt the way you use your new ERP system to improve business performance
    
    
26. The 15 deliverables that offer tangible proof you've completed particular milestones in the ERP implementation process … your “secret weapons” for producing high-quality, tangible results in a timely fashion
     
27. Good planning is the foundation for successful implementation. Here are the five things your project plan must accomplish
     

28. Five steps to developing a solid project plan … and the six most important sections to include
     
29. Suggested timelines, goals and tasks associated with each phase of the project
     
30. The four most important types of training sessions to offer to your core team members to ensure they master the fundamentals of ERP theory … and specific details about the new ERP application
     
31. The best person to train your core team … and why (Hint: it may not be who you think)
     
32. How to properly map the way your company conducts business … and then develop clear, easy-to-understand diagrams and flowcharts to illustrate how to accomplish daily tasks in each department
     
33. How to adapt existing flowcharts, diagrams and other documentation of business processes to meet the demands of your new ERP application … so that you can spot gaps, identify potential implementation challenges, and identify training needs
     
34. How to use business scenarios to quantify your departments' unique ways of performing business tasks … and then determine which scenarios will be handled by the new ERP application
     
35. The easy way to manage the rapidly accumulating list of gaps and issues that will build throughout your implementation … and how to prioritize the list
     
36. How to ensure that issues and gaps are being addressed systematically … and when and where to hold departments accountable
     
37. Three phases of testing that are required to fully prove your theories of how to conduct business with the new ERP software
     
38. How to eliminate the possibility that one department's way of operating using the new ERP application will conflict with another unit's smooth operations
     
39. Six steps to seek and destroy bugs in the most frequently used business scenarios
     
40. How to develop a detailed, easy-to-understand users manual customized to your ERP software … and how to keep these field instructions up-to-date
     
41. A proven process for validating the instructions you've prepared to teach employees how to perform their new responsibilities
     
42. The #1 most important factor in determining the validity of your department-level test pilots
     
43. The seven ways to effectively train end users on the ERP software … and who should train them (Tip: it's not your company's training department)
     
44. A foolproof way to ensure your ERP software works as intended … BEFORE you give up your legacy systems
     
45. The litmus test for determining whether your user documentation is clear and detailed enough
     
46. How to cleanse and transfer the critical data your new ERP software needs to operate … take a shortcut on this step and your chances of a successful implementation will plummet
     
47. The two basic types of data … and the best time to migrate each
     
48. Giving your data a clean bill of health – discover three ideal opportunities to clean up your data
     
49. Should you convert data automatically or by hand? Here's how to tell
     
50. Your data is clean – learn how to keep it that way
    
    
51. Expert tips for minimizing the hassle of preserving data accuracy during the cutover phase
     
52. How to use different “companies” to preserve the integrity of your data during the testing phases
     
53. How to skillfully handle software enhancements, interfaces with remaining legacy routines, and special projects that aren't supported by the new ERP application … without sacrificing your timeline or budget
     
54. Five reasons you should get specifications on every request your department receives for coding
     
55. The seven basic types of IT infrastructures you need to have in place to fully support your new ERP application and its users … and the steps required to get each set up
     
56. Three ideal times to cutover to the new ERP application … and how to determine what's best for your situation
     
57. The three distinct events the make up that cutover phase
     
58. A 17-step countdown to cutover day – follow this time-tested process to ensure you don't miss a beat or encounter any last-minute crises leading up to the big day
     
59. How to ensure that no tasks are overlooked or details are missed right down to the last minute of cutover
     
60. What to expect from employees once the cutover is finalized … and how to deftly handle their emotional highs and lows
61. The new ERP application is in place. Everything is done, right? Not a chance … discover the five sections of your “to-do” list that you can safely address now
     
62. How to ensure that your meetings are worthwhile and productive
     
63. What to do before, during and after a meeting to make sure you're sucking every drop of value out of the manpower you're taking away from the business
     
64. Expert tips for getting participants to meetings on time … and keeping the agenda on course
     
65. INSIDER TIP: Inadequate kickoff meetings will hinder your project's success. Learn how to properly construct yours and ensure it's well supported
     
66. The connection between pre-game locker room pep talks and a successful kickoff meeting: what your agenda should cover … and how information should be delivered
     
67. The minimum length of time your kickoff event should take … and who should lead the show
     
68. How often the steering committee should meet … and who should attend
     
69. Samples agendas for every type of meeting you'll be holding during ERP implementation
     
70. Why micro-management is a necessary evil during ERP implementations … and when you should use it for best effect
     
71. Why you need a “War Room” … and what mission-critical goodies it should be stocked with
     
72. The three phases of implementation where you must never take shortcuts … even when you're handed near-impossible deadlines
     
73. The five characteristics of key users who could successfully implement ERP on a compressed timeline (if any of these pre-requisites are missing, you're practically doomed to fail)
     
74. The six implementation steps that can be compressed without dramatically affecting your implementation's success … and how to compensate for the shortened timeline
     
75. The four qualities you should look for in an ERP consultant (if your expert is lacking in any of these areas, you might just want to run for the hills)