Designing the Best ERP Software
Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP software allows highly efficient management and integration of all business tasks and activities that your business must plan, execute, and evaluate. Business runs a large assortment of activities. Some companies have to carry out so many activities that they have to separate specific activities within their specific departments. This is why in a company, there are commonly departments that deal with sales, human resources, finance, distribution, etc.
Although the specific activities carried out by a specific department are generally apart from those of other departments, all activities across all departments are actually interconnected with each other. HR and sales tasks, for instance, have to be communicated with the finance department in order to ensure proper and efficient budget management. To make sure that such communication can be established by sharing important data and information across departments, a properly designed ERP software application is needed.
Factors to Consider When Designing ERP Software
Due to its importance in ensuring the efficiency of business activities planning, execution, and integration, ERP software should be designed properly. There are four important things to mind when designing the software.
ERP software is designed by a software developer who is well-versed not only in software development but also in the field of enterprise resource planning. The development team can be a part of the in-house department within the company that deals specifically with software development or an outsourced team. Regardless of which route you take, choosing a team with a known reputation is important. Check the team’s experience and portfolio to determine whether it is a good team to rely on.
The ERP software that you design is intended to integrate all business activities that take place within your company. It is thus important to identify all the activities that you want the software to handle. A company generally carries out sales, financing, HR, and distribution activities that are interconnected with each other. An ERP application basically deals with those activities. If you want more activities within some specific departments in your company to be included in the system, be sure to talk about them with your software development team.
Of course, not all activities need to be integrated by your company’s ERP software. Some activities are better handled in an isolated environment within the department that is responsible for their accomplishment, but some activities need to be communicated with other departments. The latter will usually bring about certain problems if not communicated or integrated properly with other relevant activities within the same department or across departments. Discuss with the chiefs of all departments in your company to discover possible problems arising from certain activities so that you can determine which activities should be integrated by the software.
You need to decide how the ERP software will be deployed. You need to decide where to host it, whether to use the traditional networking system or to use the cloud-based platform, and whether to make it cross-platform software that can be accessed using various devices running on different operating systems.
Although the specific activities carried out by a specific department are generally apart from those of other departments, all activities across all departments are actually interconnected with each other. HR and sales tasks, for instance, have to be communicated with the finance department in order to ensure proper and efficient budget management. To make sure that such communication can be established by sharing important data and information across departments, a properly designed ERP software application is needed.
Factors to Consider When Designing ERP Software
Due to its importance in ensuring the efficiency of business activities planning, execution, and integration, ERP software should be designed properly. There are four important things to mind when designing the software.
- The Developer
ERP software is designed by a software developer who is well-versed not only in software development but also in the field of enterprise resource planning. The development team can be a part of the in-house department within the company that deals specifically with software development or an outsourced team. Regardless of which route you take, choosing a team with a known reputation is important. Check the team’s experience and portfolio to determine whether it is a good team to rely on.
- The Activities
The ERP software that you design is intended to integrate all business activities that take place within your company. It is thus important to identify all the activities that you want the software to handle. A company generally carries out sales, financing, HR, and distribution activities that are interconnected with each other. An ERP application basically deals with those activities. If you want more activities within some specific departments in your company to be included in the system, be sure to talk about them with your software development team.
- The Problems
Of course, not all activities need to be integrated by your company’s ERP software. Some activities are better handled in an isolated environment within the department that is responsible for their accomplishment, but some activities need to be communicated with other departments. The latter will usually bring about certain problems if not communicated or integrated properly with other relevant activities within the same department or across departments. Discuss with the chiefs of all departments in your company to discover possible problems arising from certain activities so that you can determine which activities should be integrated by the software.
- The Deployment
You need to decide how the ERP software will be deployed. You need to decide where to host it, whether to use the traditional networking system or to use the cloud-based platform, and whether to make it cross-platform software that can be accessed using various devices running on different operating systems.
