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Microsoft’s advertising campaigns would have you believe implementing its Business Central offering into your current company infrastructure is as simple as tapping a few buttons and giving everyone involved a handshake or a fist bump.
While it’s obviously a bit more complicated than that, you and your staff can make it quite a bit easier by preparing for the transition with some best-practice prep work. Throughout the implementation process, a good thing to keep front of mind is that this is a long-term solution, not a quick fix. Things aren’t always going to go just as planned. Here are five ways to have your business ready for Microsoft Business Central.
Determine What the Measure of Your Success Will Be
Massive implementations of new processes are tough, but if you pre-plan them with critical success factors, not only will you know that you’re headed in the right direction, but also whether or not the project was a success when it has reached its conclusion.
Keep Your IT Team in the Loop at All Times
Your Microsoft vendor will undoubtedly want to be active in implementing the new system, but your IT department is the mayor in this town and knows your infrastructure better than anyone. The consultants that your vendor sends will pack up shop and go when the project is done. Your IT department will do the heavy lifting throughout the new system’s lifespan. If they aren’t comfortable will all the tools, nobody else will be either.
Consider the Enterprise Architect
Business Central brings together two previous Microsoft lines in AX and CRM. Enterprise Architect offers guidance to your team and the software provider to make cross-functional teams shine. The toughest thing about two teams merging is each still thinking in its previous head space with its previous intent. Uniting for a common goal is a must.
Determine Project Scope
Is every single team and every single employee transitioning to Business Central? Is it absolutely necessary? Sometimes we tend to forget that there are still siloed business units that neither want nor need to be integrated into a new system where everyone can see everything at any given time. Change just for the sake of change can disrupt systems and confuse your staff when there is not a need for said change.
Customize First, Integrate Second
No system in the history of the world fits exactly with the product that comes out of the box. Between your unit leaders, the vendor consultants, and your IT department, there’s going to be a lot of touch ups done to the product before it will sync up with your existing system and make sense to the workers who will become its caretakers. For the sanity of all involved, make all the customizations first before you integrate the new system with your existing processes. Even your most open-minded of employees are going to chomp at the bit if you try to enroll them in a system that doesn’t function the same way their previous one did. Make sure all the amusement park rides are working before you cut the big ribbon.
Ready to make the switch. Qixas Group sets up and configures Business Central to meet your unique business requirements. Call us today to book your complimentary discovery call. At the end of one hour, you’ll know the questions you need to ask and the criteria you need to use in choosing your Business Central implementation partner.
