Why You Need a Needs Analysis

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2015 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

Did you know that, statistically, over 60% of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations fail? That's a lot of failures.

Why Implementations Fail

There are several reasons that ERP implementations fail, but here are the top 10:

1. Choosing a consultant who doesn’t have enough knowledge to lead the project
2. Failing to define the exact system requirements before choosing a system
3. Not understanding or utilizing the full potential of your chosen system
4. Failing to get employees – management and personnel alike – “on board”
5. Not providing adequate training
6. Setting up an unrealistic time constraint
7. Not considering return on investment (ROI)
8. Not planning for future updates, patches, upgrades, etc. or system maintenance
9. Having inadequate resources

And above all:

10. Choosing the wrong system.

There are more, but those are 10 great examples of why you NEED a Needs Analysis. But what is a Needs Analysis? At Asyma, our Needs Analysis is how we determine your goals, get an understanding of how you and your employees expect a new system to work, and decide which requirements a system needs to meet those goals/expectations.

Our Needs Analysis is available to our clients and prospects for free and analyses nine different aspects of your business.

They are:

• Enterprise Resource Planning
• Manufacturing
• Service Management
• Point of Sale
• Human Resource Management
• Customer Relationship Management
• Fixed Assets
• Executive Reporting
• Payroll

Why We Do This, and What Happens Next

This analysis allows us to gather information about your current processes, what you like and don’t like about how you’re currently operating, and what you would like to see changed. Armed with this knowledge, we know which system is right for you.

After this, we recommend a full Business Process Review, where we:

1. Interview key employees and make note of their requirements
2. Analyse your current processes
3. Find and eliminate existing barriers and roadblocks
4. Determine which management practices will meet your processing requirements
5. Prioritize issues and problems
6. Create a full design and flowchart
7. List custom processing requirements
8. Develop a clear map and flowchart the steps
9. Provide recommendations and implementation
10. Develop a systematic approach to continuous improvement

Good management is only possible when you have good business processes. The above process ensures that your business will have a successful future. Please contact us for more information.