Project report: Introduction of a cloud-based ERP system / merchandise management system for a medium-sized mechanical engineering company in Germany
The task
- Planning of commercial software
- Definition of internal and external business processes
- Definition of a mobile solution for service technicians
- Tender for commercial software
- Evaluation of the tender documents answered
- Bringing about a purchase decision
- Commissioning
- Project management for rollout and customer-specific adaptations
- Introduction of a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
- Training of employees
The challenge
- Company start-up
- Missing definitions of the internal and external business processes to be implemented
- Lack of IT infrastructure
- Immediate productivity of financial accounting with expandable industry chart of accounts incl. integration in DATEV
- Materials management for spare parts and replacement assemblies incl. serial no. and product no. management
- Maintenance and repair documentation incl. serial no. and product no. documentation for all removals and replacements
- Preparation of documentation for the supervisory authorities
- Integration into the customer relationship management system (CRM) introduced in parallel based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM
- Integration in ELO Digital Office
The solution
- Cloud-based enterprise resource planning system (ERP) based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
The result
- Financial accounting productivity after five days
- Productivity of materials management after three weeks
- Installation of the first spare parts and replacement assemblies
- Gradual productivity of the documentation within the first six months
My position as interim manager
- Mentor to the management on technical and content-related issues
- Project owner / project manager
- Strategist / Planner
- Converter
Duration of use
- two years / part-time
About the company
- Mechanical engineering company / machine builder
- Start-up within a group of independent companies of the dominant majority shareholder
- Distributors of potentially explosive systems
The key success factors I have introduced
- Knowledge of the CRM market and the ERP market
- Knowledge of tendering procedures
- Knowledge of company-related product selection
- Agile project management with Scrum and Kanban
- Process knowledge