ERP Post Implementation Agility

Agresso is unique in the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) industry for its primary strength, post-implementation agility, or the ability to make changes to the ERP system AFTER it has been implemented.

Pre-Implementation Flexibility vs. Post Implementation Agility

Almost all major ERP software solution vendors offer limitless flexibility PRIOR to implementation. But once their systems are in place, customers are locked into the system configuration that reflects their requirements at the moment of "go live." Any significant change to the configuration typically requires expensive IT or external consultant resources.

A better, unique alternative

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) can be a misleading metric for organizations in regards to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Focusing more on maintenance and upgrade costs, TCO overlooks the high costs of ongoing ERP change management. Agresso's Post Implementation Agility addresses this concern directly and presents one of its key advantages over competitors.

A survey completed by CFO Research Services shows that a typical company may spend an average of more than $1.2 million each year to maintain, modify, and update its ERP system. Eighty percent of the executives surveyed report that they have customized their ERP systems either moderately or extensively to adapt the product to their organization's unique business requirements.

For dynamic organizations facing frequent change, which UNIT4 refers to as Businesses Living IN Change (BLINC)™, the punishing costs of keeping their ERP systems in line with their business can often outpace licensing and maintenance fees.

In contrast, Agresso's post-implementation agility allows organizations to respond to change quickly and cost-efficiently. Business users themselves can make the changes they need right from the graphical user interface (GUI). The costs and risks associated with changing an ERP implementation are drastically reduced when the person doing it understands the business need and is authorized to make the change.

Avoid costly consultants and constrained IT resources

Consider this excerpt from the Technology Evaluation Centers' Market Comparison Report analyzing how the leading ERP vendors address change. This table shows the kinds of changes that can be made easily from a user’s desktop (GUI), and which require IT or consultants to make expensive programming changes at the application level (APP).

Superior agility enables superior strategy

UNIT4's customers do not need to put off good business decisions because their ERP system can’t adjust. Our customers, including higher education and service organizations, run their businesses the way they need to and Agresso facilitates rather than hampers their decisions. This is not always the case with other more rigid ERP systems.

CFO Research’s 2009 report “The High Cost Of Change for ERP” surveyed 157 finance executive across the US on ongoing ERP ownership costs. One executive admitted: “We will not make custom modifications to the software; we will modify the business process if necessary or create an offline procedure.”

With Agresso’s post-implementation agility, organizations are free to maneuver and make the best business decisions without fear of disruption or run-away costs.