Module 11 Enterprise Systems: You make the Decision

You decided that the level of support included with the program will help you determine the best option. Given that the system will be entirely new, cloud-based, and that it will be done in phases, this will help ensure that you and your team have customer service support over the phone and over chat when you need it during the migration. As your team begins working on the migration to the new module, you discover a compatibility problem between the new POS system and the old inventory management system that you were planning on replacing later. After consulting with the new vendor's support team, you realize you have two options: replace the inventory management system at the same time, or invest some money into adapting the old system so it will work until you can replace it later.

How do you handle the integration between the old and new systems? Replace the old module with a new module provided by the ERP

You chose to upgrade the POS system. Because this system controls the software needed for customers to make purchases and returns, it aligns with the goals the executives charged you with. The company executives are happy with your choice, because it will directly address the customer complaints regarding long wait times and pricing inaccuracies. Next, you need to select an ERP provider that includes a POS system, as well as other features, such as inventory management, that you will need to address down the road. The ERP you choose needs to meet all of your needs so that the different facets of the systems integrate smoothly. The number of ERP providers is overwhelming. Each seems to offer similar services and tools. You decide to focus on one indicator that will help you differentiate between the options.

What factor do you prioritize? Level of support included

You decided to make the transition to cloud-hosted ERP services. This turns out to be a great decision because it makes the entire system more accessible for store locations throughout your region without requiring any significant investment in new hardware. As you learn more about what's involved in migrating to the cloud, you decide to tackle this project in phases by replacing one module of the old ERP system at a time. The POS (point-of-sale) and inventory management systems are the oldest and most out-of-date. Company executives have requested that you focus your initial efforts on upgrades that will have the biggest positive impact on customer satisfaction as soon as possible.

Which system do you start with? POS

You work for a large craft supplies retail chain that has store locations throughout the southeastern U.S. About twenty years ago, the organization implemented ERP (enterprise resource planning) software to manage its inventory, sales, financials, and payroll. However, the software has not scaled well recently as the number of store locations have increased and customer expectations in the market have risen. For example, cashiers must manually enter prices or item numbers because the system isn't designed to support scanning barcodes. Customers frequently complain of long lines and of being charged the wrong amount for an item. You've been tasked with leading a team to spearhead some major upgrades to your company's systems that will improve the efficiency of inventory availability, speed up the checkout process, and feed transaction data directly into the recently updated accounting system. As you begin planning the upgrades and selecting software solutions, you have to make some key decisions. You've been talking with vendors about software and solutions that will meet the needs of your organization. The first decision you need to make is where this solution will be hosted. The current ERP is hosted on-premises at the home office location, but the hardware is old and outdated, and would not support a large upgrade. This means you'll either need to purchase new hardware, or find a cloud-hosted solution.

Which type of solution do you choose? Select a cloud-based provider