There is a point in every ERP talk when the subject of customization takes the floor. At Klear Systems we believe that most of the ERP solutions we represent are well equipped for most tasks but that at least a small portion of customization is necessary for every business and we are glad to be of service. But what criteria should be used to focus and prioritize the best value for the project?
Custom programming for ERP is a delicate balancing act
involving cost, quality, benefit, and ROI.
Our team has the experience and skills needed to help plan, prioritize, implement, and maintain a solution that meets your specific needs but for time's sake we can offer the objective framework for prioritizing customization developed by the leading business consultant and author Geoffrey Moore.
In his book ‘Dealing with Darwin: How Great Companies Innovate at Every Phase of Their Evolution’ Moore outlines business concepts he calls 'core' and 'context' as a way to prioritize growth strategies which is really the end goal of ERP customization.
All businesses have core and context parts:
- Core business processes refers to any activity that creates sustainable differentiation.
- Context business processes is any activity that does not create differentiation.
Core processes tend to involve what customers value, but this does not mean context should be ignored. Failure involving a context process may contravene a regulation or alienate a customer, however you don't show value to customers when performing a context task.
As a general rule, ERP customizations should be prioritized to create value through competitive advantage for your business, resulting in increased productivity and future success.
Once the core of the business has been identified, our team at Klear Systems will give you a range of options for customization. From changes that can be made by ordinary users - what we call personalization - to more sophisticated modifications that an administrator or skilled user can do - also known as customization.
It's important to keep in mind that core becomes context over time. Therefore once core has been identified and customization is implemented, a business thrives and therefore the process must be repeated to look for new core for further improvement. For this reason a business needs to keep re-visiting the customizations to insure each still delivers differentiating value and the ERP system doesn't fall into disrepair. Therefore, as a result, updating customization is not simply a strategy, it is a requirement.
Klear Systems can help.
As a Sage 100 ERP Master Development Partner, Klear Systems designs and deploys customizations and enhancements that meet expectations and business needs. To determine a custom programming project we first roughly define your needs, determine if we can reasonably meet those needs, and then develop a more detailed specification of work.
Once we have the specification, we’ll put together a detailed estimate with time and cost information. We would be happy to conduct a business process review consultation to help define your needs and get the ball rolling on customizing your ERP.
For more information on custom programming,
Please CONTACT US today!
