Precise F.I.T
Your ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) journey with us begins with a discovery process that delves into where your business is now, and a forward look at where you want to be. We call this process Precise F.I.T, which stands for Business Foundations, Improvements and Transformation.
Often the jump from where you are now to where you would ultimately like to see your business is significant (otherwise, are you really aiming high enough?) and can take several years to realise. For this reason, ERP projects are typically multi-faceted and can extend over time as the business grows and our customers’ immersion in ERP and experience with using the solution matures.
Our Precise F.I.T ERP maturity model aligns the typical business growth stages with the ERP lifecycle, and is used by us in discussion with our customers as both a diagnostic tool and a roadmap.
How does Precise F.I.T work?
By truly understanding the current maturity of your business across key areas and which of these areas you will be most focused on growing, we can recommend the right mix of solutions and services to support you on that path. The scope of your ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) project will depend on where you are now, where you want to be in the future and what you would like to achieve along the way.
Every one of the customers we work with is different and so is every project. Using Precise F.I.T as a tool and through a deep-dive consultation with key members of your team to understand your business and your aspirations, we will gain a detailed understanding of the most important factors to your business, the scope of the project and the extent of the impact the project will have; both in terms of replacing your existing systems, and the significance of the effects on your people and business processes.
If the scope is particularly large, Precise F.I.T helps us to break activities into manageable chunks, so you can start realising a return on investment sooner and avoid change fatigue in your business. The Precise F.I.T maturity model is then also revisited at the end of your ERP implementation project, no matter how large or small, to help you plan for future phases of your business growth.
Read More
Together, we will tackle the small mountain first to get you to ‘base camp’ – the Business Foundations mountain. Then you will stabilise for a period before assessing how the solution you have implemented impacts on your business processes and people before attempting to climb the next mountain, which is Business Improvements.
The business improvements mountain is where further streamlining and process improvements are implemented for greater efficiency and effectiveness, based on the insights gathered through your Epicor system and the initial implementation process. Again, we expect you to stabilise and work with us to tweak the system before your most challenging but rewarding climb to the Business Transformation peak, where the most modern technologies are used to bring Industry 4.0 and other innovative business trends – in the context of your particular ambitions – into reality.
Can you imagine trying to do all of that at once? As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day and with a staged process that happens over a period of time our customers can progress up the mountain at the pace that suits them, depending on what they are trying to achieve and the culture, experiences and resources they are working with.
Read Less
Business Foundations
Most of our customers, unless they have already been through significant business improvements activities and/or used a similar-sized ERP solution before, will begin with implementing the base foundations of Epicor ERP. These are the basic building blocks that can be built upon later, depending on the areas of focus for the business.
Due to Epicor’s focused target markets and our own selectiveness when it comes to which customers we work with, the standard functionality included for your industry and best practices do much of the heavy lifting here.
The flexible nature of the software, however, means that you need not compromise on the aspects of your business that differentiate you from your competitors and make you, you. Processes, workflows, reporting and integration with other key systems in your business can all be configured based on what you tell us is important to you.
To provide faster time to value, key processes and functions are implemented for ‘go-live’ in this phase.
Business Improvement
Whether immediately after your Business Foundations go live as part of a larger project, or a phase two down the track once you have had a chance to experience ERP working in your business, the business improvement stage is about making those natural improvements to your processes, reporting and compliance that will make your business hum.
This phase for a business is usually about real-time access to the right information, alerts, analytics and actionable intelligence, so you can make decisions and plans for improved efficiency and effectiveness.
Automated workflows can also be built in at this stage, once you start to identify where to replace manual processes or making existing processes leaner.
Business Transformation
Business Transformation for the industries we service usually centres around making the business as truly agile and customer responsive as it can be to drive a genuine competitive advantage in a global and connected economy.
In this phase of growth, companies are looking to leverage the latest web technologies and interconnectivity options to shorten supply/service chains and increase business velocity.
For our manufacturing and trade distribution customers, you may be interested in how ERP can support industry 4.0 through smart factories and the Internet of Things (IoT). If you are an aged and home care provider, you are probably wondering how your ERP will keep up with trends in mobility, wearables and artificial intelligence.
Our investment in understanding your business, and relationship with you throughout your entire business journey makes us the perfect partner to help you consider what those next add-on technology solutions may be for your future growth, and provide expert advice on how to integrate these with your existing business processes and technology as seamlessly as possible.
Are you ready to get started?
Discover the Precise F.I.T for your business needs.
Contact us today to arrange an obligation free consultation with one of our ERP solution experts.
Is Your Business ERP Ready?
Prepare your business for a successful Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project with our 12-step guide to success