We recently blogged about the importance of business process mapping at the outset of an ERP project. It’s a great way for organisations to save themselves unnecessary costs later down the line – they get a more complete picture of their business from day one, a faster and more accurate implementation, and a jumping-off point for continuous improvement.
However, that’s not to say every business process mapping project is a success. It’s easy for small misunderstandings and mistaken assumptions to weave their way into an organisation’s process maps, and this can sometimes undermine the whole undertaking – and, in the worst-case scenario, doom the ERP implementation itself to failure. Not a great outcome after putting in the extra work!
With this in mind, here’s a list of what we think are the three most common mistakes made in business process mapping projects. Has your business been guilty of any?
1. Putting business process mapping in the wrong hands
When it comes to business process mapping, a lot of organisations think the best person for the job is a manager or other member of staff. There are a couple of logical reasons for this: firstly, they already have at least some idea of what happens in the business; secondly, the practical process of creating a process map is straightforward, so why use an external resource at higher cost?
The trouble is, this method makes it easy for the organisation to end up collecting entirely the wrong information. When users and managers are asked to create process maps themselves, they tend to describe what they think happens in the business, not what really happens. It usually takes some input from an outsider to reach a reliable version of the truth, and the organisation may need someone with experience in documenting and collecting tribal knowledge, too.
2. Not using the right tools for the job
A business process map can be an extremely complex document, so it makes sense to develop it using the right set of tools. A lot of the time, simply sketching out flow charts and abstract diagrams isn’t enough – organisations need dedicated process mapping software like XSOL to do the heavy lifting. This creates a common visual model for the entire business, highlighting how different processes interconnect and what issues need to be addressed during the ERP implementation.
3. Failing to act on the insights during ERP implementation
Finally, business process mapping for ERP isn’t just about knowing what functionality to include and how to implement the solution as smoothly as possible. It should also deliver insights around the organisations’ hidden pains and challenges, and identify quick wins that can be addressed early in the project for maximum ROI.
Want to learn more about business process mapping and where it fits in an ERP project? Get in touch.
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