Agile instead of strictly according to plan

Implementing an ERP system takes a lot of time and resources. That's understandable, since it's the commercial heart of a company. No other system is so closely intertwined with business processes. That's why it's extremely important to organize the project well in advance to avoid subsequent, costly adjustments.

It was common practice to implement an ERP system using the “waterfall method.” In advance, the customer would draw up comprehensive and detailed specifications for the software company, setting out the company's goals and requirements. The project followed a strictly linear course, and once the phases were completed, no further modifications were planned, nor could decisions be reversed.

Since this classic method involves strictly separate phases throughout the project, it is very tightly bound to the specified processes. This makes the sequence so rigid and inflexible that parallel work is practically impossible.

Agile approaches were developed to remedy the weaknesses of the waterfall method. A well-known method in the field of agile ERP implementation is “Scrum.” The method originally comes from software development.

With Scrum, tasks are no longer implemented according to a linear plan, but in short implementation cycles known as sprints. The shorter and more transparent phases give users the opportunity to test the functions regularly. This means that results, progress, and weaknesses can be identified in good time. The individual steps flow smoothly into one another and sometimes take place in parallel. This makes complex projects easier to manage. Being agile means being able to respond to change.

Other major advantages are communication and customer satisfaction. From the outset, the customer and project team work closely together and are immediately involved in the cycles. This leads to increased user acceptance and, thanks to constant involvement, users can influence the project, which makes them identify more strongly with the ERP system.

In conclusion, it can be said that the Scrum method requires a certain degree of flexibility. However, because partial results are achieved regularly and feedback is incorporated, rework is significantly reduced. This means that the overall costs are lower!

In conclusion, it can be said that the Scrum method requires a certain degree of flexibility. However, because partial results are achieved regularly and feedback is incorporated, the amount of rework is significantly reduced. This means that the overall costs are lower!