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Step 1: Get started with the right ERP selection project plan

Use our sample ERP selection project plan to ensure your selection project stays organized and on track for success.

ERP selection project planning and timing

Gather the right information for your ERP selection project

The Project Preparation and Planning phase is the first step in a successful ERP software selection project. Before contacting ERP vendors, you and your organization will need to lay a foundation for your ERP selection project. This foundation ensures you’re armed with the necessary background information and requirements that you’ll use when communicating with potential vendors.

Questions you’ll want to answer ahead of time include:

What are your organization’s key business drivers for evaluating a new ERP system?
How many users will your organization need for the new ERP system?
Have you calculated your ERP project budget?
Most importantly, does the ERP project have executive sponsorship to support the project moving forward?

Our ERP Selection Toolkit helps you address these and many other questions that will inform and guide your ERP selection process.

Get our sample ERP project plan and checklist

Companies have been known to undergo an ERP selection process multiple times before finding the right fit.

Making the right selection the first time is crucial to the future success of a manufacturing or distribution company. But without a proper ERP selection project plan, the number of tasks for the project team to organize, track, and execute can seem endless. Additionally, it usually takes several months for most organizations to complete the ERP selection process. Having the right ERP project plan in place keeps the project organized and moving forward.

To help you keep your ERP selection process on track, we have included a sample ERP selection project plan and checklist in our ERP Selection Toolkit. The sample ERP selection project plan and checklist are formatted as a spreadsheet you can download, edit, and share. This tool offers a simple yet complete template to help you track your project’s tasks, assign owners, and manage completion dates.

More ERP project planning resources

Needs Analysis

Are you beginning to see warning signs that your current systems are starting to breed operational inefficiencies?

Lessons Learned

ERP selection projects have seen successes and failures. Learn from others to make your project a success.

Selection Criteria

Knowing the right questions to ask is critical. Go beyond software requirements, and get to know the ERP vendor.

User Calculation Worksheet

Before calculating a budget, you’ll need to know how many user licenses are necessary for the new system.

Project Budget

Learn how to develop a detailed ERP project budget that gains executive sponsorship.

ROI Analysis

Can you justify your ERP selection project budget through a return on investment (ROI) analysis?

ERP selection
process steps

Successful ERP software selection projects must follow the right system evaluation process and methodology. Following and executing these five steps of the ERP selection process will provide your organization with the necessary information to make a well-informed, quantitative software selection.