ERP Planning
Why ERP Planning Matters
Effective ERP planning is essential for complex transformation success in a fast-paced business world. Engaging in the right planning for your ERP will enable you to unlock the full potential of your resources, connect your teams, and provide real-time insights that you need to make confident decisions. Through consolidating your data from across your organisation into a single, integrated system, ERP planning empowers you to cut through complexity, reduce costs and drive efficiencies.
Don’t get caught out into thinking that ERP planning is only about the system and the technology though. It’s aligning the technology with your people, processes and culture to achieve your business objectives and strategy that makes the change stick. The right ERP plan will give you a clear map of your operations, helping you identify opportunities for improvement and areas where performance can be boosted. With this you will gain the agility to respond quickly to market changes, stay ahead of the competition, and futureproof your business.
Nine Feet Tall were the ideal partners to quality assure our change program implementation. Their ability to maintain program oversight and be a critical friend while having the skills to deep dive into problem areas was very useful and helped us implement a smooth and effective transition into our new business wide ERP solution.
Suraj Subbarao
Head of Digital Transformation,
Weetabix
Key Steps for Effective ERP Planning
A successful ERP journey starts with a robust plan. Without a plan you could lose direction and sight of project priorities, ultimately leading to scope creep and rising costs. Here’s how we help our client’s setup for success:
Define your vision and objectives
Engage early with stakeholders
Scope your requirements
Select the right system
Build a strong project team
Plan for change management
By following these steps, you lay the groundwork for an ERP implementation that delivers real value and stands the test of time.
Challenges to ERP Planning
ERP planning is complex. Even the best plans can encounter challenges that can impact timescales, costs, resource and change fatigue. Some common challenges to plan for include:
- Resistance to change
- Unclear requirements
- Scope creep
- Underestimating resource required
- Data migration
- System integration
Overcoming Planning Challenges
If not planned effectively, these challenges can derail progress when not addressed early.
To overcome these challenges, it’s important to foster a culture of openness and collaboration. Engage stakeholders at every stage, communicate the benefits of change, and address concerns head-on. Clear leadership and rapid decision-making are vital for keeping the project on track. Define and agree on the project scope from the start and revisit this regularly to avoid costly deviations.
The Magic Sauce to Effective ERP Transformation
How can you effectively manage a change the size and scale of an ERP transformation?
In this article we explain:
- The factors needed to land your transformation programme successfully
- How to lead and embed change
- The importance of splitting out the elements involved in change
How we work with you
We will take the pain away and get projects over the line. We bring a practical and pragmatic approach to project recovery from our people-focused team. We thrive on the difficult and succeed by understanding stakeholder sensitivities with an agile and ‘just enough’ approach. We re-build momentum, bring back the passion and help get back on track, whilst supporting teams to deliver successful go live.
Our Latest ERP Insights
How we’ve helped our clients thrive
Frequently Asked Questions
Organisations work with ERP consulting specialists like Nine Feet Tall because they provide independent expertise and structured methodologies for complex transformation programmes.
Experienced consultants help organisations align technology, processes and people to deliver long-term value from their ERP investment.
A strong ERP consultant should combine technical knowledge with business transformation expertise.
Important capabilities include programme management, stakeholder communication, change leadership, data strategy and a deep understanding of enterprise systems and operational processes.
ERP consultants reduce implementation risk by applying proven delivery frameworks, structured project governance and strong change management practices.
Their experience across multiple ERP programmes helps organisations identify potential issues early and avoid common pitfalls such as scope creep, poor data migration or lack of stakeholder engagement.
Organisations should engage the best ERP consultant during the early planning stages of an ERP project.
Bringing in expert support early helps shape the business case, select the right ERP platform and establish governance structures that improve the chances of successful delivery.
An ERP consultant supports organisations through the full lifecycle of an ERP transformation.
This includes defining business requirements, supporting system selection, guiding implementation, managing risks and helping ensure the new system delivers measurable business benefits across the organisation.
Yes. Hiring an ERP consultant helps organisations manage people, processes and training effectively, improving user adoption and long-term ERP success.
ERP consultants support system selection, project management, implementation planning, change management, data migration and user training.
Hiring an ERP consultant brings experienced project management, governance and change management, helping organisations avoid common ERP implementation pitfalls.
Businesses should consider hiring an ERP consultant during the early planning stages of ERP selection, implementation or digital transformation to ensure the project is set up for success.
Hiring an ERP consultant provides independent expertise, structured delivery frameworks and experience managing complex ERP implementations, reducing risk and improving project outcomes.
ERP inventory management offers several advantages for retail businesses, including seamless multi-channel integration. By using ERP systems, retailers can manage inventory across multiple sales channels, such as physical stores, e-commerce platforms, and marketplaces.
This ensures consistent and accurate product availability information, leading to improved customer satisfaction. Furthermore, accurate inventory data provided by ERP systems reduces instances of backorders and out-of-stock items, enhancing the overall customer experience and fostering customer loyalty.
ERP systems excel at managing surplus inventory by providing insights into slow-moving or obsolete items. By analysing inventory data, ERP systems help businesses make informed decisions about discounting, liquidating, or repurposing excess stock.
This reduces surplus inventory, freeing up valuable warehouse space and capital, ultimately improving the bottom line.
Additionally, ERP systems enable businesses to minimise the risk of excess holding costs associated with surplus inventory.
ERP systems facilitate efficient planning of replenishment orders by integrating various factors such as current inventory levels, historical sales data, lead times, and demand forecasts. By analysing these variables, ERP systems generate accurate and timely replenishment suggestions, minimising the risk of stockouts or overstocking.
This helps businesses optimise their inventory levels, reduce holding costs, and ensure timely availability of products to meet customer demand.
The future of ERP is being shaped by trends such as cloud-first adoption, composable ERP architectures, artificial intelligence integration, and a shift toward modular, incremental implementations.
These innovations enable faster deployment, greater flexibility, and improved business insights.
AI is transforming ERP by automating data analysis, predicting project bottlenecks, and streamlining configuration and testing processes.
This leads to smarter, more efficient ERP implementations and helps organisations make data-driven decisions faster.
Composable ERP allows businesses to select and integrate only the modules they need, resulting in enhanced agility, scalability, and cost savings.
This approach supports rapid adaptation to market changes and evolving business requirements, making it a cornerstone of the future of ERP.
Plan your ERP today
Give your ERP transformation the robust plan it needs to succeed – get in touch with one of our ERP experts.
