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Chapter 7 • Operations and Postimplementation 199

approach (i.e., maintaining the old legacy system while going live with the ERP); however,
this strategy can introduce a problem, as well as double the effort and cost required to operate
the system. Training users for change management is critical and can prevent many problems
that result from frustration and confusion. Changing business processes to match the system
functionality can help, although it can also introduce business process issues. There is the
opposite approach, which is to customize the software to match the business process; again,
this can introduce software bugs.

POSTPRODUCTION SUPPORT
The development of a postproduction support plan and process is as important as any set of
activities outlined during the development phase. In the past many project managers used
Go-live as their final and primary milestone in the implementation process. Getting to the
Go-live point is actually just one part of a successful implementation (Figure 7-2). In fact, if the
postproduction process is inadequate, then the implementation may be considered a failure. It is
that important!
Managing the daily system operations and ensuring that the system is doing what it needs to do
is really the purpose of postproduction support. Many new processes must be understood and commu-
nicated to gain the benefits of the ERP implementation fully. It becomes very relevant very quickly
after Go-live. Key measurements need to be in place to understand the effectiveness of the new system
fully. Without the data, users and management will question and even complain about how much has
changed and that the system is ineffective. It is important to know the effect the new system has on the
organization. Are people using the system effectively? Is the software making the business more
efficient (e.g., through improved reporting or time to distribution)? Is it adding value to the organization?

Applications Management
Implementation Operations and Postproduction

Resource Requirements Production
Resource Requirements
High
Production
Med

Low
Base Personnel
Required Maintenance Upgrades Major

Testing
Backlog
Go-Live
Development
New Modules
Design & Gap
Project Preview
FIGURE 7-2 Product Life Cycle Chart.