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Chapter 7 • Operations and Postimplementation 201

until they are stabilized. This is mostly accomplished through the development of detail
reports that identify data problems within the system.
Data correction. The system is sometimes implemented, but the data are not converted
correctly or automated interfaces update the system incorrectly. The ability to identify bad
data and correct it will be a part of the stabilization process. In cases where there are large
amounts of data to be corrected, an automated mass update process needs to be available and
used to correct the data; however, it is not something that should be used often. Correcting
data in such large quantities can lead to other data and systems issues if not done carefully.
Patches and fixes. All during the implementation process and even while in production,
software errors/bugs will be encountered and reported to the vendor for a solution. Vendors
have a support group that will work to reproduce the error in an unmodified environment to
ensure the error is of their doing. If the error is reproduced, the vendor will research the
best way to resolve the error. Once the error is resolved through coding changes or other
means, the vendor will distribute the patch/fix to the software for testing and implementa-
tion. The patch/fix will need to be added to the software and regression tested and moved
to production. A well-defined process will need to be in place since patches/fixes are very
much a part of an implementation and production support process.
New features/upgrades. No system is ever complete: Businesses change or grow, and
with that the system must keep pace to remain current. The change control process
must be managed and addressed with the implementation. It is very important to
ensure that resources are available to incorporate the evolution of the solution that was
already implemented. This approach also increases the level of confidence of the users
toward the system because they begin to understand that the system will continue to
evolve as the ERP is better understood. In addition to patches/fixes vendors will
release upgrades to the product. These upgrades will incorporate new and updated fea-
tures to the system. All upgrades need to be evaluated to determine if or how the
feature will be implemented within the business. This process will need to be planned
and managed as upgrades are released. Scheduling the best time to implement
upgrades will need to be discussed with the users. Oftentimes meetings with the users
are needed to communicate the changes to the product and how they will be imple-
mented (minifit gap). While upgrades are not as elaborate as an implementation, they
must be planned and managed using an implementation methodology to ensure the
upgrade is implemented effectively.

By clearly defining and communicating Go-live and the ongoing support processes as part
of the overall ERP implementation, you will better set the overall expectations and leverage the
ERP to realize measurable business benefits and return on investment from your ERP project.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
You need to concentrate on the visible key issues in an ERP implementation, but a good project
manager must work at all issues including those that are much less obvious and yet still impor-
tant to the long-term ERP system success. This is exactly the case with knowledge transfer.
Some problems related to knowledge management are loss of knowledge due to an employee
who leaves the company, high learning curve for new users, forgetting system features, and