ERP Sourcing and Implementation

Symphony’s mission is to (a) keep you from overspending on software, (b) ensure the SI’s work is properly scoped with the right schedule, (c) make sure you only implement modules that are fully understood and required to achieve your stated business objectives, and (d) project-manage your implementation to help you stay on time and on budget.

Examples of services we can provide:

• Readiness Assessment – Before deciding on any ERP selection and implementation, you need to understand what problem you are trying to solve, or what capability you want to enhance. Without this upfront analysis, you are susceptible to choosing a popular package for the wrong reasons. Symphony works with your cross-functional team to articulate your business needs and optimize your business processes so the core functionality is understood and ready for transport to a new ERP system, should one be needed.
• ERP and System Integrator Selection – Filtering through the marketing hype and getting to the information you need can be a daunting task. Symphony can facilitate the right conversations with the software supplier, SI, and the internal team to make sure the solutions are going to solve your business problems.
• Negotiations – To ensure you have leverage, it’s important to take a strategic and well-thought-out approach to your negotiations. There are a number of options for securing value through both aggressive pricing and creative contract terms. Symphony can tailor an approach to meet your needs.
• Financial Analysis – Making the right financial decision and analyzing multiple proposals is not an easy task. The availability of knowledge from seasoned professionals who have worked with SAP, Oracle, Netsuite, and others can help you avoid the pitfalls that are commonly associated with selecting an ERP vendor.
• Benchmarking – Most companies want to know how much they should be paying for an ERP package based on their volume, company size, number of licenses, and number of modules they’re interested in. Symphony can help you take advantage of what we call “extreme deals,” rather than the standard “market pricing” towards which many other consulting firms will guide you.
• Project Management – Managing your System Integrator, verifying that you are not over-customizing, and avoiding “scope creep” will ensure that your costs do not spin out of control. You need a knowledgeable professional who can manage the full spectrum of ERP implementation activities to keep your project timing and deliverables on track, with minimal surprises along the way.
• Domain Expertise – Assigning domain experts in Operations, Materials, Purchasing, Planning, Warehousing, etc. to confirm that your ERP configuration accurately reflects your business needs. Our staff is skilled in enabling you to ensure that the tool is implemented in a fashion that meets the requirements of your products and business processes.