There are lots of software choices available. The key point here is that there is not a single right software choice. There are good choices and not so good choices for your business.
OK, how to proceed? First, understand your business and the opportunities for change. Yeah, this sounds insulting. Of course, you know your business. But do you know where the real weaknesses are in the business? Are you having trouble with delivery timeliness and accuracy for your customers? Are cost projections erratic and unreliable? Do customer orders “get lost” inside the system, requiring massive human intervention? Does the supplier interaction become so complex that the supply chain resembles a pretzel? Are human resource systems clogged with massive data that cannot be assessed to
answer basic employee demographic questions?
Understanding these and other questions will tell you what areas are of most importance to you in choosing a software provider. Each of these questions impacts a different software module and each software provider offers different approaches to those areas. Without this knowledge of the company’s strategic and tactical needs, you’re subjected
to sales presentations by the software vendors without knowing which areas of the pitch are most important. You need to know that the vendor you choose has solid offerings in the areas where you have the most need. A good question to ask is this: “If we have software from this provider, can we make a competitive breakthrough?” This question and its answer will typically point you to the ERP related modules that deal with demand management, master scheduling,MRP, plant and supplier scheduling, warehouse management, etc.