Technical Survey for developing an ERP system.
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A technical survey for an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) project consists of a comprehensive process of research, collection, and documentation of all functional and technological information of a company. Its objective is to understand how the organization currently operates ("AS-IS") in order to design how it will operate with the new system ("TO-BE").
This process is the foundation of the project and aims to prevent surprises during implementation, ensuring that the software meets the organization's actual needs.
Key Components of the ERP Technical Survey.
- 1. Process Mapping (As-Is):
- ......o Document the "step by step": It is analyzed how current activities are carried out in each area (sales, purchasing, inventory, finance, human resources).
- ......o Identify bottlenecks: Detect problems, unnecessary manual tasks, or failures in the current information flow.
- 2. Gathering Functional Requirements:
- ......o User needs: What specific features does the system need for each department to work better?
- ......o Business rules documentation: Define company policies that should be automated (e.g., credit approvals, inventory policies).
- 3. Technological Infrastructure Assessment (Technical):
- ......o Hardware and Network: Check if the current servers, computers and connectivity will support the ERP.
- ......o Integrations: Identify which external systems (banks, online stores, third-party software) should be connected to the new ERP.
- ......o Data Migration: Evaluate the quality, volume, and format of the data to be brought from the old system.
- 4. Definition of Scope:
- ......o Establish what will and will not be included in the project to avoid hidden costs and delays.
- Phases of the Survey.
- • Interviews and workshops: Meetings with area leaders and key users ("stakeholders") to understand their pain points and needs.
- • Direct observation: Analyze how employees use current tools.
- • Documentation review: Analyze invoices, reports, forms, and current procedure manuals.
- • Validation: Submit the final requirements document ("Blueprint") for signature and approval before starting development or configuration.
- Importance of the Technical Survey.
A thorough assessment ensures that the ERP project meets the estimated time and cost, reduces the risk of user disappointment, and guarantees the quality of the final result.
- DATA:
Gathering accurate and structured data is the most critical step for successful implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The data must cover all functional areas of the business to ensure a single source of truth.
Here is a detailed guide to the data to be collected, organized by modules:
- 1. Master Data (Static Data).
They are the foundation of the system and are frequently used.
- • Clients: Names, RFC/NIT/CIF, addresses, contacts, payment terms, credit limits.
- • Suppliers: Tax details, bank information, delivery times, payment terms.
- • Products/Services (Inventory): SKU, detailed descriptions, families/categories, units of measure, prices, warehouse locations.
- • Employees: Personal data, salaries, contracts, positions, organizational structure.
- • Chart of Accounts: Accounting structure of the company.
- 2. Operational Data (Transactional Data).
Information about the company's daily operations.
- • Finances: Balance sheet, income statements, bank transactions, tax records.
- • Sales: Customer orders, quotes, invoices issued, returns.
- • Purchases: Purchase orders, merchandise receipts, supplier invoices.
- • Inventory: Current stock, costs, warehouse movements, traceability (batches/serial numbers).
- • Projects: Times, costs, milestones, allocated resources.
- • Production: Bills of Materials (BOM), production orders, cycle times.
- 3. Processes and Workflows.
- • Current mapping of business processes (flowcharts of how work is done today).
- • Identification of approvals (who authorizes purchases, discounts, etc.)
- • Critical points of integration between departments (sales with inventory, inventory with accounting).
- 4. Technical and Configuration Requirements.
- • Users: Access levels and necessary permissions.
- • Company structure: Multiple branches, companies, currencies.
- • Reports: Key reports needed for decision-making.
- Key Steps in Data Collection.
- 1. Data Cleansing: Remove duplicate, obsolete, or incorrect data from your current systems (e.g., Excel).
- 2. Data Migration: Format the collected information for import into the new system (usually in CSV or Excel templates).
- 3. Validation: Test the system with real data in a secure environment before commissioning ("test lab").
Discipline in recording this data is essential to avoid implementation failures.
- Additional Requirements:
- List of processes.
- List of procedures.
- List of machinery.
- List of machines.
- List of systems.
- List of departments.
- Staff list.
- Customer list.
- List of roles.
- List of production lines.
- List of production plans.
- List of main faults.
- List of current problems.
- List of losses.
- List of main KPIs by department.
- If you are not yet convinced about purchasing our product, service, or course, we can conduct a technical assessment at your facility to provide greater clarity and precision regarding the scope of the report we deliver. This assessment costs USD $60,000.00 and will be carried out over two weeks at your location. This fee will be refunded upon purchase of the product, service, or course; otherwise, it will not apply.
- Technical Assessments: Service Description.
- We offer these options to clarify the technologies.
- Courses for:
- Executives.
- Beginners.