Strategic Assessments

Why Projects Fail:

• Unclear business rationale for implementing ERP
• Lack of adequate executive buy-in
• Failure to consider key business requirements during vendor selection process
• Too little focus on optimizing business processes
• Poor project management and project cost controls
• Lack of focus on organizational change management, communications, and training
• Failure to measure performance / ROI and to conduct post-implementation audit

Why Strategic Assessment?

• Initiate the pre-planning required to focus on identifying, measuring and ensuring business benefits achievable through technology
• Create proactive leadership by demonstrating the thorough due-diligence process before starting the project
• Understand the larger business transformation (strategic) context first
• Capture objective data that can be leveraged for multiple purposes and establish a baseline for the entire project moving forward
• Obtain buy-in from all business stakeholders
• Reduce risks and costs associated with ERP implementation
• Satisfy client expectations for desired business change outcomes and ROL on significant ERP investments

Strategic Assessment Objectives:

1. Review Business Case

• Understand Key Business Decision Factors (Drive with a clear business case)
• Identify the Potential Benefits of the Project (Capital/Infrastructure & Process)
• Project Risk Analysis Review
• Identify Potential Impacts to the Business
• Document KPI’s & Key Business Processes

2. Determine IT Readiness

• Review the Results of the IT Infrastructure Study
• Identify Any Additional IT Requirements (Hardware/Software)

3. Document Organization Structure

• Identify/Document Executive Sponsors
• Identify/Document Project Management
• Identify/Document Change Management/Six-Sigma Resources
• Document Stakeholder Project Concerns

4. Assess Company Culture

• Change Management Readiness- Adopt a business change focus
• Cultural Change Readiness
• Learning Readiness
• Identify Corporate Communication Channels

5. Determine Project Management Approach

• Operating Assumptions
• Issue Resolution & Escalation Management
• Team Structure (Members/Roles/Responsibilities)
• Change Management Process
• Project Challenges & Risks
• Identify Project Timeline

An example of a strategic assessment deliverable would consist of an in-depth ROI and Business Case Justification.