ERP's second wave: Post-implementation best practices.

• Position: State of the Art - Enterprise resource planning

Editor's note: This article is adapted with permission from Deloitte Consulting's global research report, "ERP's Second Wave: Maximizing the Value of Enterprise Applications and Processes." For a copy of the full report, visit Deloitte Consulting on the Internet at www.dc.com.

As Columbus proved, you do not fall off the edge of the world, you just keep going. The same holds true for ERP. Until now, however, conventional wisdom viewed going live as the end of the ERP journey. This view is simply outdated. Going live with ERP is the end of the beginning of a more rewarding, long-term journey that enables continuous improvement-from increased efficiency to greater agility and innovation to redefined customer relationships.

There are at least two distinct waves of ERP-enabled enterprise transformation. The first wave refers to the changes that include and accompany going live with an enterprise system. The second wave refers to the actions taken after going live. The goal is not to implement new technology for technology's sake alone, but to maximize the value of enterprise applications. The 12 post-implementation best practices presented below will help organizations reap all of the benefits of ERP-enabled processes.

Focus on Capabilities and Benefits, Not Just Going Live

In the scheme of things, the bright star of going live-large as it looms at the time-is only a point. It is not the point, which should be the full constellation of business benefits realized over time. Improved cost structures. More effective business processes. Better, more valuable customer relationships. Benefits are why you embarked on the journey in the first place, and each one should be a milestone on the way to the full power of the integrated enterprise. Successful organizations may miss a scheduled date to go live, but they never miss out on an expected benefit.

Align the Organization on the True Destination

The destination does not reside in some mission statement or memo, and even the most elaborate rollout will not, by itself, make the destination real. This lesson rings even more true after going live, when all the previous known quantities are suddenly up in the air. Where to now? When will all these loose ends be tied up?

Sensing it is really not over at go-live, people will be relieved to know that there is more to come-that it is all part of a broader plan. This is a time to ensure that everyone in the organization has the same vision about the original...