Many people will say that they do not have the time for all of this and run the business. It is better to employ temporary staff to assist and cover the key staff involved in selecting a solution that truly meets the business needs than employing consultants to implement a system they will never use in anger.
Another point of note. Do not let your ERP Solution stand still while you evaluate the replacement systems, your competitors who were lucky enough not to be using a solution that became end of life will continue developing, so at the end of your project you may still be behind them. Find solutions that can be either run alongside your current solution or be integrated to it. Defacto Solutions specialises in Sage 1000 integration as do many resellers, so explore this and don’t stand still.
In an IT review meeting during 2023 when discussing a new piece of software to integrate with their newly selected ERP the Chief Executive asked if they could integrate with the current Sage 1000. Everyone was a little confused until it was explained that although it would cost more to integrate to both solutions, when the new solution went live more than 50% of the workforce would not see any difference, so the go live support process would be simplified.
Finally, to share a piece of advice I was given may years ago by a former boss ‘don’t bother with reference visits, you are never given a realistic one’ trust your own instincts. In my working life I have been in 3 Selection Teams and have never yet attended a reference visit.
Five Reasons we chose New Business over Old Business and gradual decline.
In summary, choosing opportunity over giving up empowers you to grow, achieve your goals, innovate, build resilience, and experience fulfilment, ultimately leading to a more rewarding and purposeful life.